About Chi Gung
Chi Gung is the Chinese way of cultivating the human body and is the ancient Chinese methodology for health, therapy, and longevity. It has been in use for thousand of years and is still practiced today by millions of people all over the world, young and old alike. Disease and illness are the direct cause of the imbalance between the yin and the yang. Chi Gung (Qigong) is the natural method to control and adjust one's yin and yang to achieve the balance of them, so it optimizes the body's ability to use the most of latent energy within the human body and to guard any invasion of disease or illness. See articles pertaining to Chi Gung at the bottom of this page.
How long does Chi Gung take to start working?
Immediately, depending on the quality of your practice. In the beginning, for most who practice every other day or so, a clear sense of internal awareness comes within the first several weeks. In the body chi gung starts working on many levels the first time that you try it. For example, the deep and even fluid transfers that happen along with the opening and relaxing of the body's tissues take stress off the heart. Once settling into practice the release of excess tension in the muscles and joints starts to happen with in the first several minutes
How Chi Gung Works in the Body
The Internal Mechanics
The Blood is Circulated without Stress on the Heart
Chi Gung works strongly with the body fluids, including the blood, lymph, and the synovial and cerebro-spinal fluids. Concerning the circulation of blood, the object of Chi Gung is not to make the heart pump more strongly, but to increase the elasticity of the vascular system. As the vessels expand and contract with more vigor, the heart doesn't need to pump as strongly, which provides it with more rest. Thus, the beneficial consequences of Chi Gung, and the internal martial arts, are primarily vascular, rather than cardiac, in nature.
The Lymph Pump, Hence the Immune System, Is Strengthened
The lymph fluids are moved primarily by tiny muscular contractions. The Chi Gung techniques taught in Energy Gates employ some of their strongest motions where the largest lymph nodes are located; that is, the armpits, the backs of the knees, and the inguinal region. The relatively fine muscular contractions improved by Chi Gung move lymph efficiently through the entire system. These actions, as well as the overall increase in chi that Chi Gung brings, strengthen the body’s immune system.
The Synovial Fluid is Vitalized, Bringing Flexibility to Joints
Synovial fluid is found in the joints. It lubricates the joints, allows joint flexibility, and when functioning normally helps prevent arthritis and rheumatism. From the point of view from Chinese medicine, when “wind/damp” or physical obstructions (coagulated blood, calcium deposits, and so on) get stuck in the joints, the results are not only specific joint problems but a decrease in the flow of chi through the entire body as well. Chi Gung works with the synovial fluid by compressing and expanding it, preventing and reversing all sorts of joint problems.
The Cerebro-Spinal Pump Becomes Efficient
Cerebro-spinal fluid is basically a nutrient bath and lubricating liquid that surrounds the spinal cord and brain. It keeps a constant pressure in the human body. This pressure regulates nerve flow and affects every physical sense. All the Chi Gung techniques in the Energy Gates series help strengthen the cerebro-spinal fluid pumps in the body and add chi to the cerebro-spinal fluid itself.
The quality of your physical senses is determined by the health of your spine. Your cerebro-spinal fluid, to a great degree, determines just how healthy your spinal cord is, and how efficiently the spinal nerves carry messages from your brain to your body and from your body to your brain. All Chi Gung work strongly affects the cerebro-spinal pump, both by physically pumping the fluid and by moving chi, all of which encourages the cerebro-spinal fluid pump to perform at optimal efficiency.
The Muscle Tissue Gains Elasticity
Chi Gung also causes muscle tissue to elongate. This activity differs from stretching in the usual sense. The object here is to fill the tissues with energy, so that they stabilize at a given degree of stretch. With most forms of stretching, the body soon shrinks back to its original state when the stretch stops. With the stretches of Chi Gung, however, the muscles eventually attain a state akin to that of a springy rubber band. A few athletes possess this muscular springiness naturally, but anyone can attain this state with Chi Gung practice.
The Tendons Are Strengthened
Chi Gung also adds greater strength and elasticity to the tendons. This contributes to the tremendous flexibility many Chi Gung practitioners have, which derives primarily from the tendons and ligaments, not from the muscles. Chi Gung has the ability to not only make ligaments more springy but also to shrink and stabilize overstretched ligaments, which may make a joint too floppya problem experienced by many dancers.
The Bone Marrow is Energized
Chi Gung affects the bones by directly infusing the bone marrow with energy. This technique is an advanced one, but by the time a disciplined practitioner reaches an advanced level of Chi Gung, the energizing of the bone marrow has started to occur.
Body Cells are Healed
Masters of Chi Gung have been healing people suffering from chronic or incurable diseases since ancient times. In modern-day China, there are sections of hospitals and clinics that use Chi Gung to treat conditions unresponsive to other methods of therapy, such as acupuncture, Western medicine, and herbs. Here patients learn to regulate their own chi, with a little help from their therapist. The range of maladies amenable to such treatment is quite broad, ranging from nerve diseases, such as Parkinson’s, to cellular diseases, such as cancer.
Source: Opening the Energy Gates of the Body by B.K. Frantzis. North Atlantic Books, 1993
Articles on Chi Gung
Chi Gung and Tai Chi Effects on the Nervous System
Dr. Yan Xin on Scientific Qigong Research
Female Hormonal Health
Chinese Medicine and Cancer
Analysis: Electromagnetic Waves of Chi (Qi)
Anti-Aging Benefits of Qigong (Clinical studies)
