Health
Although not proven conclusively from a Western Medical stand point, qigong is an accepted treatment option in the fields of complementary and alternative medicine.Qigong treatment is also used extensively in China as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been included in the curriculum of Chinese universities.
Qigong practice serves both a preventive and curative function. It is considered to be effective in improving the effects of many chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, allergy, asthma, arthritis, degenerative disk disease, cancer, depression, anxiety and addiction. Qigong works by improving the practitioners’ immunity response, increasing a person’s self-healing and self-recovery capabilities and enhancing one’s self-regeneration potential.
The major uses of qigong therapy are:
*General health maintenance
* Physical rehabilitation
* Stress management and associated ailments such as hypertension
* Bone Density and Balance
* Cancer Treatment
*Arthritis
*Back pains
In 2003, the Chinese Health Qigong Association,
a member of the All-China Sports Federation, officially recognized four Health Qigong exercises:
* Yì Jīn Jīng (tendon-changing classic),
* Wu Qin Xi (frolics of five animals 五禽戲),
* Liu Zi Jue (the art of expiration in producing six different sounds),
* Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade, eight excellent movements),
Each of these exercises represents a standard for general health qigong practice.
Self-cultivation
Self-cultivation has many meanings and goals depending on the context. In terms of tradition Chinese philosophy, self cultivation methods can be classified as* Confucius. The method represents a way for the practitioner to become a Junzi (c 君子 , pinyin : Jūnzǐ) through awareness of one’s morality.
* Taoist. The method represents a means to achieve longevity and spiritual enlightenment.
*Buddhist. The method is understood to be spiritual paths that eventually lead to Buddhahood.
Martial arts
The practice of qigong is an important component in Chinese martial arts. It is considered to be a source of power as well as the foundation or the internal style of martial arts. Tai chi chuan, Xing yi and Baguazhan are representative of the type of Chinese martial art that relies on the concept of qi as its foundation.Extra-ordinary feats of martial arts prowess such as the ability to withstand heavy strikes (Iron Shirt, 鐵衫)
and the ability to break hard objects (Iron Palm, 铁掌)
are abilities attributed directly to qigong training.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Qigong, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
