19/07/2021
Great question.
For starters, it’s pronounced ‘chee-gung’ and is an ancient daoist (pronounced: Dow-ist) practice from China dating back 5,000+ years. The history of qigong is quite remarkable - and complex - and involves emperors, physicians, rebels, the Chinese government, President Nixon and everyday people like you and I. Basically, too much to summarise here. But to give a very brief summary of what daoist medical qigong (one of the many types of qigong) is, it can be described as an exercise and skill of harmonising the body, breath and spirit to achieve ‘oneness’. It is steeped in Classical Chinese Medicine theory and can heal, ignite transformation and maximise potential. Working with, and cultivating, qi is the crux of this practise. Qi can be described as energy, vitality, life force…a number of names describing the ‘aliveness’ inside every living thing. And for anyone unfamiliar with this term, this in itself can be a game changer: Listening and harmonising with the flow of life inside you.
Qigong is designed to be practised everyday, for the rest of your life, and can promote health and longevity. You need no equipment, no special clothes, no prior knowledge and no flexibility or fitness levels.
To an onlooker, qigong can look like a number of simple standing movements, but to the practitioner there is a depth to be found in a regular practice that can be life changing. As qigong master Wang Xiang-Zhai said ‘the ordinary is the extraordinary’ and right now, in lockdown in Sydney, I can’t imagine a more appropriate and profound concept to work with ✨💫🌙