Title : Possibilities of traditional Chinese qigong
Abstract:
All of us—worldwide!—are contemporaries of sometimes very harsh changes in various areas of life and are therefore—like our environment—threatened by physical, psychological, and mental ailments. Classical Chinese Qigong was developed thousands of years ago to enable people to adapt to nature and society, to persevere and overcome difficulties, and to connect with heaven, earth, and the Dao—in other words, with nature. Classical Chinese Qigong has four types of practice: standing (Zhan Zhuang and exercises and exercise systems based on it), sitting (exercises with and without guided imaginations, usually called “meditation” in the West), as well as exercises while walking and lying down (Shui Gong). For several decades now, the exercises from China that are most widespread in the West have also been counted as qigong, namely exercises involving gentle movements. Before qigong was opened up in China, the latter were called “Yangsheng Gong” – exercises for maintaining health. The first four types of exercises usually lead to stronger inner transformations; the exercises involving gentle movements are more gymnastic in nature, but are generally much more energetic than Western gymnastics. In this course, you will gain brief practical and theoretical insights into the aforementioned forms of classical Chinese Qigong and a small exercise for eyesight that has been adapted to modern needs. All of these exercises transform and develop the qi, first to stabilize one's own health, then to develop various abilities to send qi to others for healing purposes, and finally, possibly, to develop the power of the Original Spirit (in Chinese, “Yuan-Shen”) and longevity in good health.
