| is a general name for the systems of hardening and | | | | nothing when you grow old enough. |
| improvement of body and mind, treatment and health | | | | Qigong exercises advance internal Qi our |
| enhancement created in China. They primarily based | | | | organism contains. Internal Qi is also called |
| on the ability to control your own consciousness, | | | | true Qi. The state of true Qi depends on |
| mentality and through them all the physiological | | | | many factors: regular Fighting Qigong exercises, |
| processes of the organism. Practicing Qigong you can | | | | nutrition, mental state, environment, etc. Every human |
| achieve stunning results some of which even the | | | | being has internal Qi but only few can use it properly, |
| powerful modern science cannot conceive and explain. | | | | develop it. The Qi of the vast majority of people is |
| There are three main categories of Qigong: | | | | destabilized. The goal of Fighting Qigong is to fill the |
| Health-improving, Fighting and Mystical. | | | | organism with true Qi, calm it, make Qi flow |
| 1. It was Chinese physicians who developed and | | | | along channels freely without obstructions. |
| evolved the Health-improving Qigong during many | | | | So what is Qi after all? According to Chinese notions, it |
| centuries. They created special exercises aimed to | | | | is an energetic substance which represents the |
| preserve and promote health as well as to cure | | | | foundation of all, i. e. the energetic foundation of the |
| various diseases. | | | | Universe. Our body can be compared to an electric |
| 2. Fighting (or Hard) Qigong was developed by those | | | | appliance: if it is supplied with electric power it works |
| practitioners of Qigong who at the same time were | | | | but if the power supply is cut down the device |
| masters of martial arts. These exercises serve to | | | | operation stops. Likewise with the man: if Qi supply of |
| enhance the energy concentration in muscles and | | | | his body is insufficient or it gets stagnant in it, the man |
| other parts of the body allowing to hugely increase the | | | | gets sick or even dies. |
| bodily strength and its resistance against the attempts | | | | To have a healthy robust body, one needs to learn |
| to cause it a physical injury. | | | | how to keep the Qi circulation smooth and to be able |
| 3. Mystical Qigong is a child of Buddhist monks and | | | | to accumulate sufficient amount of Qi. To do so, it is |
| Taosian anchorites. The goal of Mystical Qigong | | | | necessary to understand the system of circulation and |
| consists in achieving the so called Enlightenment | | | | storage of Qi in your organism. |
| — a special psychophysical state of the human | | | | The human body has twelve so called primary |
| being. Taosian anchorites also developed methods of | | | | channels (meridians) along which Qi is spread across |
| anti-aging based on Mystical Qigong. Mystical Qigong is | | | | the entire organism. There also exist eight |
| the most difficult to master. | | | | miraculous vessels serving as a kind of |
| Qigong is not only the art of Qi energy control; it trains | | | | reservoirs storing and regulating Qi. One end of each |
| the mind and helps to work out the ability to control | | | | channel is attached to one of twelve internal organs |
| your volitional impulse. Qigong techniques include a | | | | while the other end is connected to one of fingers or |
| huge variety of exercises but they all consist of the | | | | toes. |
| three main parts: control of position, control of breath, | | | | These twelve channels supply with Qi energy twelve |
| and control of mind. | | | | internal organs. Besides, these channels also take the |
| Controlling his position, a man can acquire some optimal | | | | excessive energy away from internal organs allowing |
| posture of body which would allow Qi to flow in the | | | | us to through it out of the body. When due to blockage |
| organism without delays or blockages not causing any | | | | or disease the circulation of Qi along the channels is |
| disturbing feelings and removing diseases. The | | | | interrupted, one or several organs cannot get enough |
| exercises are mostly performed in common stands, | | | | Qi which leads to their functional disturbance. |
| for example, in the Rider’s stance. | | | | To be healthy, you need to learn how to keep the |
| You need to control your breath to let the external Qi | | | | circulation of Qi in the twelve channels smooth and |
| (from the air) not only to pass mechanically into the | | | | constantly replenish the miraculous vessels with |
| internal state but to spread along energy channels, fully | | | | energy. |
| feeding all the organs. | | | | If you understand the theory of Qi circulation in the |
| Consciousness is crucial in breath control; it distributes | | | | human body you will be able to understand how Qi |
| Qi along the body. At the highest stage, the breath is | | | | relates to martial arts as well. Remember, your body is |
| controlled at the level of subconsciousness and do not | | | | not simply a machine it is an organism able to improve |
| require too much of your attention. | | | | itself. The stronger Qi is, the stronger the human body |
| Step by step learning to control his energy resources, | | | | gets. |
| a practitioner will pass from using the physical strength | | | | Fighting Qigong practice sessions serve to enhance |
| (Li) to the internal burst of effort (Tsin). This internal | | | | the capabilities of your body. We know that using our |
| effort, as Chinese masters believe, is produced not by | | | | mind we can control various parts of our own body. |
| muscles but in tendons and marrow. | | | | The process of control is simple. Our mind generates a |
| This is the reason why the most of Kung Fu exercises | | | | thought, and the thought leads Qi to the corresponding |
| aimed not to increase the mass of muscles but to | | | | parts of the body which perform the requested action. |
| strengthen tendons and bones. While muscles tend to | | | | The key thing about Fighting Qigong is in learning to |
| loose their strength (Li) as the man grows older, | | | | lead your Qi as efficient as it can be. In this case you |
| masters preserve their internal effort (Tsin) until great | | | | can increase you strength very much. |
| age. That’s why Chinese masters of Kung Fu | | | | Chinese martial arts masters learn to focus their minds |
| say: If you do not practice Fighting Qigong but train | | | | through meditation or other kinds of training practice to |
| only your physical strength you’ll be left with | | | | make Qi obey them easily. |