An Introduction to Qi Gong

This weekend I was lucky enough to be introduced to Shen Zhen Healing Qi Gong (Unconditional Love Healing Qi Gong).  I was blown away by how transformative the practice is for physical and mental health.  I am excited to write more about it and how it has shifted me.  For now, I will start with an introduction to Qi Gong, written by Master Li Jun Feng.

THE MISSION OF QIGONG ©

by Li Jun Feng
1. What is qigong? It is the interexhange of qi between people and the universe. When the exchange of qi takes place, the qi works. It is this exchange of qi that creates an energy that brings about health in living beings and in the natural environment. When there is qi, there is life. When there is no qi, there is no life.

2. Qigong is a science. But it transcends modern science. Qigong as a science should be used to improve people’s lives – to teach them to be more natural and to attain a sense of total well-being. True qigong must be something that is not just an intellectual pursuit or something to study but should be applied to life.

3. What are the three functions of qigong?
Qigong is good for overall health. Through the exchange of qi, diseased qi is removed and fresh qi is gathered.
Qigong brings about the removal of negativities that lead to worry, sadness, anger, nervousness, fear, and a stressful life. As a result, one is free to lead a happy and carefree life. Modern medicine is good but only provides a temporary solution. If people want to maintain their health the energy level in the body must be in balance – the emotions must become balanced and even. Emotions can affect the physical body. The emotions and the physical body must be in harmony. This determines the quality of life.
Finally, qigong opens the heart. As one experiences the opening of the heart, this allows the qi from the universe to go to the entire body, removing the negativities that rob one of a life of perfect well-being.

4. The purpose of qigong is to bring all back to the original state, the natural state. Originally, all were in the qigong state. But today, human society and the natural environment are no longer in balance. This results in the outbreak of the sickness, wars, and natural disasters that we see today. Qi is the life force. It protects the whole world, man’s life, and the natural environment. This imbalance has brought about the deterioration in the quality of qi. When this happens, the power of the qi is diminished and the qi becomes useless, ineffectual.

5. The amount of qi in the universe is always the same. It is never more or less. But the quality of the qi can change. If the circulation is not good, if there is not enough of an exchange between man and the universe, it results in a harmful imbalance, in poor qi quality, in stale and stagnant qi, in diminished power.

6. To better the quality, to improve the circulation, human hearts must open. Unconditional love is the key that unleashes the power of qi. When the heart is open, immersed in the experience of love, the interflow of qi can take place making the qi work

7. The relationship between human beings in society can affect nature. If the family is happy it affects the community. If the community is flourishing, it affects the country. If the country is healthy, it affects the world. This, at the end is what leads to peace and harmony. Unconditional love is the root, is the key. It is to this purpose that Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong serves.

8. In the beginning, people spoke about love with ease because true love was everywhere. But now, people’s hearts have become cold – some people have become like ice. Even from the outside their façade locks the love inside. So it appears as though there is no love, that it is distant and far away. But actually, love is still there. Because people do not believe that others are capable of true love, people protect themselves by holding themselves back. Everyone wants to receive true love but people have lost the ability to trust and believe in others and in themselves as well. People are afraid to ask because they are afraid of rejection. So everyone waits and watches. It is as though true love is buried and frozen in ice. Hearts become encrusted and love is hidden from view. The competitive world has created an environment of confusion and skepticism distancing people from the experience of the love that exists in their own hearts. Can this kind of world ever reveal true love? In this world of cut-throat competition, how many people actually feel that they are leading a true life? Only when you have been awakened to love can you understand the true meaning of life.

9. The true qigong awakens understanding from the heart so people can have a natural life rooted in unconditional love. Qi is never separated from love. Through the practice of qigong, true love is always with you – the joy of the lightness of being is always with you. A healthy mind coming from the practice of qigong cooperates with the flow of qi in the body. In the end, one realizes that it is not that the heart and the mind are used to make the qi flow effectively. It just happens naturally, of its own accord. Then life is never seen apart from the qigong state. It is then that one’s life becomes established in it.

To learn more, please visit www.shengzhen.org