Shibashi
Qigong Newsletter - Issue V.1 Winter 2004
I am very pleased to announce
after offering my Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi video at the start
of July that it has spread to six continents already. During
this short period of time, I have received numerous
testimonials about how some of you have benefited from my
video. Your testimonials are very encouraging. They have
prompted me to offer this qigong newsletter.
The purpose of my newsletter is to give you a better
understanding of what is qigong and how you can benefit from
practicing it. I will also talk about the Yin side of qigong
(meditation), the history and different styles of Tai Chi,
as well as some basic Chinese medical theories.
What is Qigong?
In Chinese language, 'Qi' literally means air but in this
case it is referred to as energy. 'Gong' means work.
Therefore, qigong is an exercise that involves strengthening
your internal energy. Since qi can also be translated into
air, many people think of qigong as a breathing exercise.
This is far from true. In fact, there are many styles of
qigong that do not focus on breathing at all.
Qigong is a 5,000-year-old Chinese healthcare modality that
has endured both the test of time and is making a tremendous
resurgence at the threshold of the 21st Century. The
benefits of qigong are increasingly recognized for enhancing
fitness in mind and body, developing vitality for sports and
sex, and helping in the cure of stress as well as
degenerative and chronic diseases. Literally millions
practice qigong in China and around the world each day to
successfully treat diseases ranging from hypertension to
cancer.
How can Qigong Cure your Problems?
According to traditional Chinese medical theory, there are
14 major meridians (12 meridians plus two vessels to be
precise) which connect all the major organs in our body.
These meridians are all connected with each other and form a
network of qi. There are 365 accupoints along the meridians.
These accupoints are where the acupuncturist inserts the
needles. The meridians are like the railway tracks while qi
is the train and the accupoints are the train stations.
When a blockage occurs along a meridian, which maybe caused
by an injury, build up of toxins … etc., problems will
arise. We usually feel pain or numbness near the blockage.
If the blockage is not cleared soon enough, the organ that
is connected to that meridian will start encountering
problems. Moreover, when the qi level is too low, many of
our organs will not function properly.
One of the major purposes of practicing qigong is to
accumulate qi in our body. The qi we accumulate can be
stored in the two vessels, namely the Governing Vessel
(located along the spine from the groin area to the top of
the head) and the Conceptional Vessel (located in front of
the body from the top of the head to the groin area). That
is why these two vessels are sometimes referred to as the
reservoirs of qi. When the level of qi in our body is high
enough, it can clear the blockages on our meridians, thus we
will be free from pain and other problems.
One accupoint that you should know is called Dan Tien. It is
located 2-3 inches directly below your bellybutton along the
conceptional vessel. If you have learned tai chi or other
styles of qigong, your Sifu should have mentioned the phrase
‘sink the qi to your Dan Tien’. The Dan Tien is where most
of your qi should be stored. The last movement of Tai Chi
Qigong Shibashi is doing exactly that, gathering your qi
back to your Dan Tien.
While it may take a few years of practice to completely
clear all the blockages on your meridians, we can also seek
help from qigong masters for a quick fix. If a patient
suffers from a deficiency of qi, the qigong master can
transport the qi stored in his body to the patient to
temporarily boost up the patient’s qi level. On the other
hand, if the patient has a blockage on his meridian, the
qigong master will need to apply his qi directly to the
patients’ accupoint in order to clear the blockage.
Other Applications of
Qigong
There are many other applications of qigong. For example,
tai chi (taiji) is a martial art that applies the principle
of qigong. Some also practice qigong for spiritual reasons,
just like the Buddhists use qigong as a way for
enlightenment. Practicing qigong can calm one’s mind and
help us with better concentration. In mainland China, many
athletes are also required to practice qigong.
Is the theory of qi science or fiction? Some of you have
emailed me with excitement proclaiming that you can feel the
qi on your palms after practicing Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi.
Is this experience real or a product of one’s imagination?
In the next issue, I will talk about some scientific
experiments performed on qigong masters and the properties
of qi in scientific terms.
Testimonial Sharing
Finally,
I would
like to share a testimonial with you. It is from a Reiki
Teacher who has ordered my video and started learning
Shibashi since early August.
“I
received your video and must say the energy is felt right
away. My body warmed up instantly and internally. I am a
Reiki Master Teacher and I am very interested in becoming a
Master in Qi Gong. I work with energy a lot and know the
benefits very well ………I just want to thank you very much for
the cd.” From Matthew O’Brian of Middletown, Delaware
on Auguest 17th, 2004
Then on
August 19th, Matthew emailed me again: “You
have touched my heart and my spiritual body. I was doing
your routine the other day and when I finished I started
crying and did so for at least 10 to 15 minutes and could
not stop. When I finally did stop I felt so full of
Compassion and Love. These movements do so much for the body
and mind as well as the Light within gets even brighter. I
hope someday we do meet. I have to show others what I know
and have found as well as learn wisdom from others.
I just had to share my experience with you because something
you have created has touched my life in a way that the
compassion I feel for others, I feel all the time now. No
matter who I am talking to. ……….. you probably hear this
kind of things all the time. I just had to let you know,
because when someone can do something that has an impact on
me like this does I have to say THANK YOU.”
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