Qi Gong

What is it? - Qigong (Chi Kung) literally translated means "breath/energy work" or the art of managing one's breathing in order to achieve and maintain good health. The practice of Qi Gong dates back thousands of years to ancient China. It is the traditional Chinese belief that the body is made up of an energy, called Qi (pronounced chee), and by cultivating and nurturing this energy through certain breathing exercises, one can increase their vitality and longevity. Exercises include diaphragmatic breathing, standing postures, deep relaxation, and meditation or emptying one’s mind.

Qi Gong is directly related to the concept of Taoism. The Tao, which means ‘The Way’, represents the natural order of all things. The typical graphic representation of the Tao is the circular Yin/ Yang symbol which represents the balance of the opposites of the universe.

The practice of Qi Gong works with achieving balance between this Yin Yang polarity and creating harmony among the five Elemental energies (Wu Hsing) that govern all things: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. It’s goal is to balance man with nature; the internal with the external; movement with stillness.
metal water wood fire earth
Metal Water Wood Fire Earth

 

Benefits

Qi Gong (Chi-Kung) training benefits your whole being. It:
o Enhances the body’s healing/immune system
o Loosens, stretches and relaxes the body while enhancing the spinal muscles and vertebrae
o Re-establishes the body’s natural bio-rhythms, harmonizes nervous and endocrine systems
o Balances and calms emotions, relaxes nerves, increases thought, memory and awareness
o Enhances circulation
o Deepens respiratory patterns
o Controlled breathing can regulate pulse rate, improve digestion and regulate blood pressure
o Diaphragm breathing takes the work load off the heart, massages internal organs and purges tissues of toxins
o Diaphragm breathing stimulates vital hormone secretions throughout the endocrine system
o Allows the adrenals to rest and recuperate
o Tunes the human energy system

Internal Martial Arts:

The Chinese internal martial arts at the Sin Lung Kwoon are practiced within the “Qi Gong format”, which focuses on deep diaphragmatic breathing, joint-tendon stretching movements, and with “Gin” (connecting conscious breath with the subconscious mind.) Tang Shou Tao, literally meaning Chinese Hand Way, is the method of martial arts Sifu Mike Bingo practices. It was developed by Hung-I-Hsiang and his senior student Hsu-Hong-Chi in the 1950’s and 1960’s in Taipei. Tang Shou Tao is composed of Hsing-I Chuan (Form-Mind-Heart Boxing), Ba Gua Zhang (Eight-Trigrams Palm Boxing), Tai-Chi, Shau-Chiao (Chinese wrestling), Chin-Na (Joint Seizing Escaping) and Shao-Lin. Tang Shou Tao is a form of Chinese Kung-Fu. The training focuses on standing postures, moving meditation, walking drills, hand-foot coordination and two-man drills. The internal martial arts training at the Sin Lung Kwoon is continuous and ongoing. Students at all levels train together. Internal training develops skills that are not only used in martial arts, but can be transferred into daily life. For example, Qi Gong improves postural alignment; it oxygenates the blood by breathing in the dantian (the lower energy reservoir which is 4 fingers below the navel); and it increases relaxation and quiets the mind.