At What Point, QiGong?

[Edmund BlackAdder]

In a recent discussion with a local Tai Chi instructor, the idea of QiGong training came up. I was informed that, one must not practice this, until one has spent many many years training in Tai Chi.

This seems to disagree heavily with the growing number of books on the subject available at my local book store.

So, at what point is someone ready to explore QiGong?

 

[lhommedieu]

Tai Qi is Qi Gong, at a certain level. There are many different forms of Qi Gong, and I think that your instructor probably doesn't want you to get distracted. Another possibility is that he/she is afraid that you may get attracted to one of the more esoteric Qi Gongs that can result in side effects if practiced incorrectly.

The following book may be especially helpful to you:

http://store.yahoo.com/ymaa/esoftaijqigi.html

Tim Cartmel's book on Wang Ji Wu's Xing Yi Nei Gong is also very good.

Best,

Steve Lamade

 

[White Fox]

In a recent discussion with a local Tai Chi instructor, the idea of QiGong training came up. I was informed that, one must not practice this, until one has spent many many years training in Tai Chi.

This seems to disagree heavily with the growing number of books on the subject available at my local book store.

So, at what point is someone ready to explore QiGong?

You should be careful in the world of QI-gong, I was doing some falun gong excercise's. I stopped because the leader "Master Lee" give's me a really cult like vibe.

 

[Captain Harlock]

QiGong can be both an aid and a bane to one. Care must be taken when practicing and with who.

 

[Flying Crane]

you can practice it right away, with or without martial arts. Just find a knowledgeable teacher.

 

[Xue Sheng]

In a recent discussion with a local Tai Chi instructor, the idea of QiGong training came up. I was informed that, one must not practice this, until one has spent many many years training in Tai Chi.

This seems to disagree heavily with the growing number of books on the subject available at my local book store.

So, at what point is someone ready to explore QiGong?

Qi Gong is part of Tai Chi, however it is not usually practiced by beginners because generally you want them to get the movements correct and then the breathing. There is also Qi Gong training in Tai Chi separate from the forms

However you do not need Tai Chi to do Qi Gong. There are various styles and types of Qi Gong. Some easy and safe some harder and dangerous to try on your own.

Actual Qi Gong practitioners in China do not do a whole lot of different Qi Gong forms. They tend to focus on 1 or 2. Qi Gong, to actually train it, is much much harder than most Westerners believe.

And deep levels should not be done without a qualified teacher. To try some of these on your own can be dangerous.

But there are all different levels of Qi Gong and there are other CMA styles that practice it. Yiquan is big on Qi and Xingyi trains Qi as well as does Bagua.

You should be careful in the world of QI-gong, I was doing some falun gong excercise's. I stopped because the leader "Master Lee" give's me a really cult like vibe.

There is a reason for that, it is a cult. You should hear the Chinese side of the Fulan Gong stuff and the fulan gong paper is loaded with propaganda.

 

[pete]

Qi Gong is part of Tai Chi, however it is not usually practiced by beginners because generally you want them to get the movements correct and then the breathing.

hmmm, agree and disagree, or maybe just not clear!?!?!

qigong should be part of tai chi for everyone, including beginners, right from the start. with no qigong, there is no tai chi... and you would be just fooling your students with external movement, waving there arms about.

breathing should be natural to start, without any mind on breathing patterns, and definitely not trying to coordinate breath patterns with the bodies movements. by the time the student is ready to coordinate breath and movement, it will have already come naturally.

pete

 

[Xue Sheng]

hmmm, agree and disagree, or maybe just not clear!?!?!

qigong should be part of tai chi for everyone, including beginners, right from the start. with no qigong, there is no tai chi... and you would be just fooling your students with external movement, waving there arms about.

breathing should be natural to start, without any mind on breathing patterns, and definitely not trying to coordinate breath patterns with the bodies movements. by the time the student is ready to coordinate breath and movement, it will have already come naturally.

pete

I believe I am just not being clear; I'm very good at that.

Qi is part of Tai Chi, no doubt. But in the beginning, at least in my experience and training, it is not stressed as much as the form and relaxation in the form. To ask the student to focus on Qi could be a bit much. Moving his/her legs, and arms relax now and breathe oh and now focus on Qi is a bit much for a beginner (meaning just learning the form for the first time). You do need to discuss and or explain how to move though and that is where the Qi comes in. Using Qi to move the hand using the ming (I) to move QI, for example, instead of just move the hand.

To me (and I am willing to admit this may just be me) there is a difference between beginning Qi training in Tai Qi and full blown Qi Gong training.

 

[pstarr]

You're right. Actually, health-maintenance forms of qigong can be practiced at any time (and should be) but it takes a while before the student is ready to learn the martial form(s).

A lot of time is spent on the external aspects such as spinal alignment, alignment of elbows to knees, shoulder to hip, and so on. If the posture is wrong, qi cannot be applied easily.
It's like running water (qi) through a hose (the body parts). If the hose has a kink in it, the flow of water is cut to a trickle. This is why some neijia practitioners are unable to properly "fajin" - their posture is incorrect.

Also, the internal aspects such as learning to relax correctly (song), proper breath control - have to be practiced assiduously.

The "posture" (which refers to movement and technique) is correct only both outside and inside are correct.

Then when the student learns the martial (forms of) qigong, it's not so difficult.

But this process doesn't necessarily take a very long time at all...some teachers will claim that it does but that's only so they can keep you shelling out money for a longer period of time.

 

[White Fox]

Xue Sheng

What is some of the stuff they say in the chinese side of Falun Gong?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Xue Sheng

What is some of the stuff they say in the chinese side of Falun Gong?

The founder combined some Buddhism and Taoism and made this little doll he told his followers it was God. They then approached the Chinese government and told then that they wanted Falun Gong to be recognized as the true and only religion in China.

Contrary to popular Western belief the Chinese Government is not as oppressive as most believe.

The basic Government response was, what are you nuts...go away...

Then Falun Gong blocked one of the major streets into Tiananmen Square, which caused a major back up. Since the Chinese Govt did not want a repeat of the early Tiananmen Square incident they arrested all of the Falun Gong that were there. But after the arrest they did not want to hold them so they contacted the families of these people to come ad get them. The majority of the families responded with they left us a long time ago to go with Falun Gong and we have not heard from them since, we don't want em you keep em.

The Police released them after that and decided to go arrest the leader since he was the root of all the trouble. But they couldn't, he had fled the country with all the money his followers gave him to go to America and plead Religious persecution by the horrible Chinese government. The US bought it hook line and sinker.

As for there paper, my wife gets it because it is free and some of the news is true, but it is full of false stories of things like a million people protest in NYC....I think that would have made the news here if that happened. And it lists how many people have quit the Chinese communist party and I think per Falun Gong and the numbers they are posting there are no Chinese communists left.

There is another incident in China, but I cannot remember it right now.


But this is really a totally different post