About Qigong

Medical Qigong is the oldest of the healing modalities of Traditional Chinese Meditation.It is the energetic basis for the other schools: acupuncture, herbal medicine, and Chinese massage (tui na, pronounced “tway nah”). There are two types of Medical
Qigong: Self-Healing Qigong and Qi Emission.

Self-Healing Qigong can be practiced by anyone. The intended focus of the practice
ranges from general wellness—it can be considered a low-impact exercise or mindfulness—to addressing specific illnesses and preventing disease. Medical Qigong Practitioners use this form to maintain their own health so they can continue to help others using Qi Emission.

Qi Emission is a therapeutic process used by a trained and skilled practitioner to direct and balance a client’s Qi. This includes identifying and removing qi deviations, regulating Qi imbalances and blockage, strengthening and regulating internal organs,
and purging the body of toxic energy and emotions. Qi emission does not cure disease but focuses on finding the root causes of the disease and treating the whole person to boost the body’s immune system, reduce stress and allow healing to occur naturally. It
differs from western medicine which focuses both on the symptoms and how to alleviate those as well as the affected organ or system in isolation from the whole body

Initially, you can expect much the same as you experience when going to a new primary care doctor in a western medical clinic. The initial focus is on figuring out why you need or want to be seen through questions (like “How are you sleeping?” or “Are you in any
pain today?”) and other diagnostic techniques. The Medical Qigong practitioner may check your pulse, look over your face and body, or palpate your energy fields.

Once the intake is complete, the therapist will design an individualized treatment plan to address your specific needs. You will be treated by the practitioner while you sit in a chair or lie down on a massage table. It isn’t meant to be relaxing, per se, but people have been known to fall asleep during treatment. In many cases, the purpose is to break up Qi stagnations brought about by long-held emotions and may result in spontaneous emotional releases (sobbing, outbursts of anger, etc.). This is natural and a good thing as letting these emotions out is the first step in healing.

You may hear the practitioner making various sounds or feel physical touches designed to break up stagnations or move the Qi within you. Other times you may experience sensations of heat or cool, tingling on body parts, a rush of energy though your limbs or torso, soft sounds, or phantom touches as the practitioner emits Qi into your body.

Following the treatment, the practitioner will prescribe homework exercises for you to do between visits. These are designed to continue the work done in treatment, even without the practitioner present. These may include making specific sounds, breathing exercises, physical movements, meditations, and visualizations.

In most cases, the entire encounter is fully clothed, unlike in a traditional body massage; however, you may be asked to remove earrings, watches, and shoes.

All activities can be viewed on a spectrum of beneficial to dangerous. For instance, riding a bicycle is arguably a very healthy activity proven to increase stamina, leg strength, and balance. However, you can increase risk by riding with earbuds that limit
your situational awareness, or by deciding to ride your bicycle down a very steep hill. Either will increase your risk and exposure to injury. For most people, Qigong is much closer to the beneficial end of the spectrum, particularly for those new to the practice.
That said, there are some risks involved.

To continue with the bicycling analogy, if you have an injury to your knee or hip, you can further aggravate the injury through the repetitive pedaling movement. Or, you can compensate for the injury and create a new injury in the opposing knee or hip, or along your spine. It is the same with Qigong. As you practice Qigong, you will become more familiar with your own body and energy, how they move together and are tied to your breathing. This would seem like a good thing (and it is), but you may not be able to easily recognize that the energy is flowing in an unnatural pattern through your body and can amplify an existing Qi blockage into a Qi deviation.

Additionally, there are a few contraindications for practicing Qigong (or in getting a Medical Qigong treatment), some of which can be dangerous.

For instance, during pregnancy, the energetic foundation of a fetus is being built. Introducing new or modifying the natural flow of energies can impact this development leading to life-long susceptibilities to mental disorders, birth defects, even fetal death.

In the same vein, as you progress along your Qigong journey, you will become more in-tune with your body and energy flows. This energy will move to all parts of your body, including your brain. If you have a history of mental disorders, the new sensations may reinforce the disorders. Definitely seek out skilled mental health professionals if this applies to you.

As with bicycling down a steep hill, trying to go too fast with Qigong through over-practicing or trying to seek some perceived extraordinary ability can before it is revealed naturally cause Qi deviations that, at a minimum, will slow your progress. It isn’t

Everyone has a protective bioelectric field that surrounds their bodies. There are, in fact, three of them. One associated with your physical being (jing) that can be felt a couple inches off the skin, one that is your energy (Qi) field that can be felt a few inches
to several feet from your body, and one that is spiritual (shen) in nature that can be felt a few feet beyond your Qi field.

The distances they can be felt change based on many factors, including whether or not someone is ill, they’ve had an injury that blocks energy, and their emotional state. As an example, you’ve likely gone into a room and your attention was immediately drawn to someone across the room. This person may be projecting more energy due to positive emotions (their fields are expansive) or they may have ill intent (their fields have collapsed, creating a “vacuum”) that can be sensed, even if you can’t describe exactly how you know or feel it.