Li Qin

Health Qigong is a national traditional sports event combining self body movement, exhalation and inhalation and mental regulation. Due to its unique sports features, every movement in teaching is required to be similar not only in shape, but also in spirit, and enough attention shall be paid to integration and application of “body, mind, ideation and Qi”.

Connotations of Body, Mind, Ideation and Qi

Body is just body posture while practicing Qigong. As the ancient people said, “Qi will not be smooth if body is not upright, ideation not calm if Qi is not smooth, and mind scatters if ideation is not calm”, which proves the importance of body posture in practicing Qigong. When getting ready for Qigong practicing, the head shall be kept upright and neck straight, chest drawn in and shoulders dropped, the body posture shall be natural and every body part shall be relaxed and natural. When practicing each Qigong dirigation, one shall make movements in place to match with the meaning of movements, shape as well as confirming to the standard, trying to achieve “similarity in shape”. Special attention shall be paid to clearly identify whether the movement is rising or falling, high or low, heavy or light, quick or slow, virtual or real and try to make it neither stiff nor stagnant, and as soft and natural as possible.

Mind is manner or verve, which refers to human mental states and conscious activities as well as body expression dominated by consciousness. As a saying goes, “mind is the essence of body and body is the carriage of mind”. Mind and body are a unity connected with each other and promoting each other. The method of health preservation lies in “combining body and mind into one”. “Similarity in mind” of dirigation movements requires to show energy inside and peace outside, and that emptiness and substantiality complement each other and tamper force with mercy, trying to make body move following ideation movements and with ideation and body both available. For example, in teaching of Health Qigong·Wu Qin Xi, special attention shall be paid to imitation of the five animals’ verves, only after mastering the manner of “five animals” and entering the stage of artistic conception of playing and gaming can the verses be displayed and movements seem lifelike.

Ideation refers to idea or conception. In the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine it is pointed out that “brain is the master of five Zang-organs and six Fu-organs, which will shake if brain moves.” It proves that people’s conceptual work and emotion changes influence functions of five Zang-organs and six Fu-organs. When practicing each dirigation, one shall progressively comprehend conceptions of movements and try to eliminate health-detrimental moods and thoughts to create a good internal environment. This can be proved in that the start movement of each dirigation is always simple body movement to cooperate with breath and regulate idea or pondering over lower Elixir Field to make mind peaceful and body relaxed, mind concentrated and distracting thoughts removed to gradually enter practicing state.

Qi refers to the exercise of breathing in Qigong practicing, also called breath regulation, which is the breathing method of exerciser consciously regulating breath and continuously trying to comprehend, master and apply corresponding with the changes of one’s own body condition or movement. Cooperation of breath and movement shall confirm to the law of: rise to breathe in and fall to breathe out, open to breathe in and shut to breathe out, breathe in first and breathe out latter, and store to breathe in and discharge to breathe out. Breath patterns include natural breathing, abdominal breathing and anus drawing-up breathing etc., from which flexible choice can be made according to posture change or force requirement.

Grasp of Essentials of Body, Mind, Ideation and Qi

Since “body, mind, ideation and Qi” in Health Qigong each has its own meaning, technical essentials of each shall be carefully grasped in teaching practices, which is the basic precondition of good integration of the four.

Shaping of body Movements of each set of dirigation in Health Qigong are generally easy to learn. With three procedures of teaching, learners can generally master external forms of movements. First is to grasp movements and postures change and movements routes and make it clear from the beginning to the end. For example, in the first type of Health Qigong·Ba Duan Jin, the movement of “Liangshou Tuo Tianli Sanjiao” is divided into “uphold” and “fall”, in the movement of ‘uphold”, changes and connections between crossing two palms, upholding two arms, inward turning and upward stretching shall be well-grasped. In “fall” movement, the going route and time of two arms falling down and two knees slightly belt shall be well-grasped; while practicing “upholding” movement, one shall try to stretch chest and body, extend spinal column and expand the stretching force of two arms towards bases of palms, while practicing “fall” movement, one shall try to relax waist and drop pelvis, loose wrist and unfold fingers, keep upper body straight and well coordinate upper and lower bodies; next, remember to pause a little when “upholding” to top of head and keep stretching to promote “Sanjiao” smooth and Qi and blood harmonious. Remembering clearly these changes and going routes of movements, one will imitate properly the form of movement “Liangshou Tuo Tianli Sanjiao”. The same is true for learning of other dirigation movements, only after imitating the outlines in place can one reach movement learning phase of “Yao Jingu, Dong Tizhi” (shake bones and muscles, move limbs).

Next is the attention to movement details. After clearly remembering posture changes and going routes of movements, with the attention to details, one may clearly discern direction, angle, height, speed and virtual or real condition of movements, thus grasping the movements from external form imitation to essentials and practicing the movements skillfully and smoothly. For example, in learning “Lu Xi” of Health Qigong·Wu Qin Xi, “Lu Xi” are divided into “Lu Di” and “Lu Ben”. After grasping the external form of “Lu Xi”, remember the arc movement route of arms and direction and angle of stretching feet forward, as well as twist and lateroflexion of waist and coccyx while practicing ‘Lu Di”; while practicing “Lu Ben”, remember the essentials of making big strides and lowering foot in small steps with body forming a “vertical bow” and shoulders and back forming “horizontal bow” as well as springy steps changes. Only with attention to these details, after mastering movements’ requirements and essentials and doing repetitive practices can one perform the movements neither stiff nor stagnant and reaching movement-skillful phase “Yinwan Yaoti, Dong Zhu Guanjie”(move waist and body as well as every joint).

Final is movement coordination to naturally relax. Keeping naturally relaxed is throughout the entire process of Health Qigong practice. “Relaxed” includes physical and mental relaxation.

In doing every movement, one shall appreciate “relaxation” of movements on the basis of skillfulness and flexibility. “Relaxation” is the key to Health Qigong practice, only when relaxation and tension, hard and soft of the movements at will is achieved, can one reach the level of natural coordination. Practice is reflection of external form, while preservation is the main goal of Health Qigong. Only by relaxing five Zang-organs and six Fu-organs through relaxation of limbs can one reach the level-combining practice and preservation of “Deduce Qi to achieve harmony and body to achieve softness.”

Appreciation of “mind” The uniqueness of health-care Qigong lies in appreciation of “mind”; only after grasping external state of every dirigation can one perform unique verve of each. After the learners grasp eternal form of movements, the teacher shall guide learners with language to carefully appreciate verves of “mind”. For example, when teaching the movements of “Xiong Yun” and “Xiong Huang” in “Bear Exercises” of Health Qigong·Wu Qin Xi, the teacher shall first guide learners to think of the bear’s shape: robust and fat with four powerful limbs; then of the bear’s movements: turning waist and rubbing abdomen, loitering and rambling, raising pelvis and bend knees, stepping heavily, moving forward with horizontal shoulders, leaning left and squeezing right, and playing alone; finally of the manner of “bears”: standing with hands down, steady waist and solid steps, sedate and serene, and charmingly naïve state. With linguistic description by the teacher, learners can appreciate contents of “Xiong Xi”; combined with practice of key points of movements, they will comprehend the inner meaning of movements, which benefits their well imitation and grasp of “bear’s” manners and verves, thus combining “body and mind into one”.

Guidance of “Ideation” Health Qigong is distinguished from other heath-care programs in its emphasis on guidance of “ideation” in teaching. When practicing, one shall try every means to eliminate moods and thoughts detrimental to body health and create a quiet inner environment, which will facilitate thought concentration, distracting thoughts exclusion and a quiet mind and concentrated spirit. The appreciation of “ideation” is the key to learning of Health Qigong. Teachers shall guide learners with vivid comparison to get their ideation concentrated but not stagnant and change with body movements. Guiding them to let Qi go with movements changes, try to achieve ideation going with body movements and ideation following with Qi. For example, when practicing “Chu Zhao Liang Chi Shi” in Health Qigong·Yi Jin Jing, one shall first think of lightly pushing windows before stretching out palms to push outside, of momentum of turning mountains before forcefully stretching out, of sea water slowly ebbing before relaxing wrists, bending knees and drawing arms. Try to achieve level of “body moving with ideation, and ideation with brain” after repetitive practices and guidance.

Adjustment of “Qi” Health Qigong stresses on breath regulation, for which the teachers must explain clearly the practicing method of “Qi” and law of breath. For beginners, they shall first grasp the movements and their meanings to accurately confirm postures with standards. After grasping limbs movements, learners shall keep mood calm and gradually regulate breath. Generally speaking, one shall breathe naturally instead of over-emphasizeing on cooperation between movement postures and breath, which is better for their movements practicing. Try to achieve natural cooperation between movements and breath and reach the level of “leading outside and deducing inside, keeping body relaxed and ideation filled, and naturally breathing” after sufficient practices. Otherwise overemphasis on breath will influence movements and even do harm to body.

Integration Application of Body, Mind, Ideation and Qi

Integration refers to integration of dispersal parts into a more complete and harmonious entirety. “Body, mind, ideation and Qi” in Health Qigong are different parts in teaching which yet are interrelated with each other and integrated into an entirety with all parts supplemented with each other. Next let me show you how integration of “body, mind, ideation and Qi” in Health Qigong is flexibly applied in teaching with example of teaching of “Niao Xi” in Health Care Qigong·Wu Qin Xi. ”Niao Xi” is divided into two movements of “Niao Shen” and “Niao Fei”. Firstly, the teacher shall conduct demonstration and explanation on movements changes and going routes of “Niao Shen” and “Niao Fei” with brief and vivid languages and accurate limbs movements, and lead learners to practice repetitively to let them preliminarily imitate external form of the two movements; then, after learners have grasped the movements forms, the teacher shall guide learners to think of and appreciate the light and elegant posture of a crane standing straight with head raised, fluttering wings and lifting foot with vivid explanation and comparison of the playing and game meaning in “Niao Xi” to standardize their movement details. On the basis of appreciation of movements combined with manners, guide learners to learn about the inner meaning of body and mind both available, internal and external combined into one of :Niao Xi” by thinking of themselves to be a crane on the riverside stretching body and ready to flutter wings and fly into the sky; finally after learners get their movement forms smooth and natural with the teacher’s leading practices, reminding and guidance, the teacher shall gradually remind them of coordination between breath and movements to coordinate rising and falling, opening and shutting movements of upper and lower limbs in “Niao Xi” with corresponding breath, make the coordination smooth and natural, as well as appreciate the feeling of alternation of loosening and tension of breath and muscle in rising and falling of movements. With above explanation, demonstration, reminding, guidance of “body, mind, ideation and Qi” by teacher, the learners can feel the state of combining “body, mind, ideation and Qi” into one of leading outside and deducing inside, keeping body relaxed and ideation filled, ideation moving with body, Qi with ideation and the whole body filled with Qi, thus entering the level of “Niao Xi” with a better condition. In view of this, well grasp timeliness to integrate “body, mind, ideation and Qi” in Health Qigong teaching will contribute to the learners’ learning and comprehension of technical movements.

In conclusion, “body, mind, ideation and Qi” in Health Qigong teaching are interrelated with each other and cannot be separated. Generally speaking, body is the external appearance of movements, mind and ideation are internal sight of movements, and Qi is the connection line throughout the movement, which are different yet closely interrelated. Only after well grasping inner meaning of body, verse of mind, level of ideation and smoothness of Qi as well as flexible integration of “body, mind, ideation and Qi”, can one successfully complete the teaching task of Qigong and effectively guarantee incessant improvement of teaching effect.