08.08.08
What is Qigong: Learn from the History of Qigong
Resource:
*How to Practice Qigong: The Basics and Principles*
Qigong has thousands of years of history in China. In ancient China it had many names, including “promoting and conducting qi,†“taking qi,†“inhalation and exhalation,†“inducing and conducting qi,†“massage,†“breath-counting,†“sitting meditation,†“living on qi,†“sitting-quietly,†and “lying-down exercise.â€
During the earliest time of Chinese history, people already knew that exercises such as dancing could strengthen health. According to the chapter On Ancient Music in the famous ancient book Lu’s Spring and Autumn Annals, “From as early as the origin of the Tao and Tang families, yin was prone to stagnation and accumulation in the deep part of the body. The water passages were blocked up and water could not flow normally. Qi was depressed and stagnated in the human body. The muscles and bones could not be stretched properly. Therefore, dancing was created to remove the stagnancy and obstructions in qi and the blood.†Some dancing techniques developed into physical and breathing therapies in Chinese medicine later on.
Ancient Chinese found that certain movements, breathing and voice production methods could regulate certain functions of the human body. For example, stretching the limbs can help dissipate heat, huddling up the body can keep out cold, the sound “ha†can help dissipate heat and remove stagnancy, and the sound “shu†can alleviate pain. People also learned from animals, such as that the bear “tightens its body when climbing a tree,†and a bird “stretches its wings when flying in the air.â€
As early as during the Zhou Dynasty (11th century B.C. – 771 B.C.), there were already records on qigong practice. These records were engraved on ancient bronze materials. The great philosopher and founder of Taoism, Lao Zi (6th century B.C.) recorded the methods of “blowing†and “puffing,†which was used as basic qigong methods later on. Another great Taoist philosopher, Zhuang Zi described such methods in further details: “Through blowing and puffing, exhaling and inhaling, getting rid of the stale and taking in the fresh, tightening like the bear and stretching like the bird, people can achieve longevity.â€
In the earliest Chinese medicine classic The Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic, qigong principles, training methods, and effects were explained systematically. Doctors throughout the Chinese history have paid much attention on qigong. Qigong methods have been recorded in many ancient medical classics, such as General Treatise on the Etiology and Symptoms of Diseases (610) by Yuanfang Chao in the Sui Dynasty, Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Pieces of Gold by “the king of medicine†Simiao Sun (541-682), The Medical Secrets of An Official by Tao Wang (702-772) of the Tang Dynasty, and The General Collection for Holy Relief of the Song Dynasty.
