About Qi GongLearn More

The ancient Chinese practice of Qi Gong is based on philosophies of body movement and balance. Like Tai Chi, Qi Gong is influenced by martial arts thought and tradition. It differs in that it's a holistic wellness method more than a military discipline, approach to conflict resolution, or system of self-defense. In the West, it is sought and taught much in the way that yoga has come to be — as an alternative or supplement to aerobics and gym equipment. Qi Gong movements are designed to move energy through specific channels in the body known as meridians. The practice is also attentive to muscle tissues and organ function, and may therefore assist in recovering from or preventing illness and injury by utilizing breath, meditation, and low-impact movement.

The three Dantiens are the energy centers of the body, recognized in Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Reiki, and other Eastern practices but differing from the chakra system, which also describes energy fields coordinating to regions of the body. Dantiens are associated with areas of the body: the upper, middle, and lower. They hold the vitality of life force energy. The upper Dantien, known as shen, is associated with the Third Eye, the pineal gland, the intellect, and spirituality. The middle Dantien corresponds to emotion, circulation, and the respiratory system. The lower Dantien grounds in earthly stability, assisting with balance and a steady foundation. Qi Gong movements are conscious of releasing the energy stored in these Dantiens to improve overall health and wellness.

Qi Gong can be traced back to ancient China during the reign of the Yellow Emperor Huangdi, whose collection of medical texts, Huangdi Neijing, set the stage for the development of the philosophies foundational to later Chinese medicine. The scholars Confucious (551 BCE - 479 BCE) and Mencious (385 BCE - 302 BCE) refined Qi Gong as a discipline of morality. When Buddhism made its way from India to China, many Hindu influences were incorporated into what became Chinese Buddhist Qi Gong. From the 16th century forward, the exchange of Eastern and Western thought and exposure escalated, causing both conflict and cultural influence. These traditions were suppressed in 1945 following the establishment of communism and The People’s Republic of China, but the 1970s saw a renewed openness of cultural exchange that lead to the acceptance of many Eastern philosophies — including Qi Gong — by Western New Age thought.