The Chinese practice of Qi Gong has its foundations in the belief that the health of the body, mind and spirit can be improved through breathing exercise, movement and general awareness. It is based on Tradition Chinese Medicine, philosophy and martial arts and is gaining recognition in the Western world as a means of treating various illnesses and improving overall health and well being by helping to awaken spirituality and develop hidden potential for empowerment and development.

The Health Benefits of Qi Gong
Qi Gong therapy is thought to help with the symptoms and effects of a number of chronic illnesses and conditions such as depression, anxiety, cancer, allergies, hypertension and diabetes. In addition, general health and well being are improved.
It is also used to successfully treat:

• Pain
• Stress
• Low energy levels
• Drug side effects
• Slow healing
• Turbulent emotions
• Mental blocks in creativity

How Qi Gong Works
Qi Gong improves the immune response so that the body promotes its own healing and recovery potential. For this reason, it is used to complement other medical treatments, alleviate side effects of these treatments as well as prevent and cure a number of illnesses.

Qi Gong Theory
The main principle of the Qi Gong is the belief that one is able to control and manipulate a form of energy known as Qi. Qi in essence is the vital life force that exists in all things. Various cultures have different names for Qi. Hawaiian culture calls Qi, Mana, while practitioners of Vedantic philosophy refer to Qi as Prana.

The theory of manipulating Qi involves balancing Qi within an individual and the interaction of Qi with the world. Each individual is believed to be born with a set amount of Qi that increases by interacting with the world, eating and breathing. It is believed that someone becomes ill when there is an imbalance in the type of amount of Qi in the body. The balance can be changed, maintained or regulated through various techniques that improve the mind, body and spirit.

It is believed that Qi travels throughout the body via twelve channels that end at the major organs (large intestine, heart, liver, small intestine, stomach, bladder, gallbladder, kidney, torso region, pericardium, lungs and spleen). The amount of Qi in each area is affected by emotional states that are directly tied to the mind, body and spirit. Half of the organs in the body are thought to be “fire organs” while the others are “water organs”, all of which must be maintained in perfect balance for optimal mental, spiritual and mental health.

The Traditional Forms of Qi Gong
Many different forms of Qi Gong have developed within Chinese society. The medical community uses Qi Gong for its ability to prevent and cure illness. The martial arts segment of society considers it an integral part of enhancing the art. The religious sects (Buddhist and Taoist) believe that Qi Gong is vital to meditative practices. Scholars who follow the teaching of Confucius believe Qi Gong improves their moral fiber and character.

These forms of Qi Gong reached wide Chinese society and the rest of the world during the 1940s and 50s when the Government integrated all of the forms into one comprehensive system in order to establish a scientific basis for Qi Gong. This lead to the mainstreaming of the four main types of Qi Gong training practices that are still used today:

Dynamic – This form of Qi Gong training uses specialized movement and is employed by disciplines that combine the physical and mental aspects of health such as Xing Yi and Tai Chi Chuan.

Static - Static Qi Gong training encourages the practitioner to hold particular poses.

Meditative - This form involves the use of mantras, visualization techniques and philosophical thought such as awareness of the breath and Qi circulation.

Training with external agents – This Qi Gong practice uses techniques such as massage and ingestion of herbs.

The History behind the Forms of Qi Gong
Chinese traditionalists agree that Qi Gong originated with the Yellow Emperor and the ancient classic; the Book of Internal medicine. Evidence leads archaeologists to believe that the earliest practitioners of Qi Gong were ancient Chinese shamans and gymnasts. Texts as old as 168 BCE show Tao Yin exercises that are very similar in from to those used in modern Qi Gong. The practices of these ancient Shamans eventually became the basis for the Taoist belief system and were integrated in various ways into traditional Chinese medicine.

The practice of Buddhism that originated in India and has strong Hindu cultural influences is also believed to play a role in the development of the meditative aspect of Qi Gong. The Buddhist belief holds that meditation and physical movement similar to yoga are important for the achievement of enlightenment. When Buddhist tradition and culture entered China, many of the practices were assimilated into Chinese tradition and the result was the Chinese Buddhist tradition of Qi Gong.

Scholars attribute the start of meditative Qi Gong forms to the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. The writings of both mention some of the fundamental concepts of Qi Gong that are still in practice today.

Qi Gong Hawaiian Style
Qi Gong continued to grow in popularity over the years, changing and adapting to a growing cultural and political climate. By the 1980s, there were over 2000 organizations and more that 100 million practitioners of Qi Gong in China alone. Migration of Chinese Qi Gong practitioners lead to the global adoption of Qi Gong and it various forms. Today practitioners are found in almost every country in the world.

As the Chinese were some of the earliest immigrants to Hawaii, it is only natural that they would bring this healing practice with them. Practitioners of Qi Gong find that the atmosphere of the Hawaiian Islands is conducive to the balance between the mind and body that is essential to Qi Gong. The islands are home to a number of Qi Gong masters of all the various types. Visitors and Islanders alike can enjoy the healing benefits of Qi Gong treatments for the improvement of their overall health or their vacation experience.

Qi Gong has evolved in theory and practice into an accepted form of traditional Chinese medicine. The diverse cultural mix that lead to its development means that almost anyone interested in the practice will find a form that is suitable for their own physical or spiritual goals.

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