Qi Gong is a practice that allow the free flow, or inter-exchange, of Qi between the person and the universe. The goal of practice is to balance and cultivate qi- and in so doing, the body, mind, and spirit. Qi gong practice aims to unify these three aspects of the human being—and so the ultimate goal of practice is for everything to become one, return to wholeness.
Benefits of Qi Gong Practice
Qi gong functions on several levels: the physical body, the emotions, and the spirit. Just by moving, we are able to affect the physical body to some degree. The second, higher level is the emotional: by opening the heart and entering a qi gong state we not only affect the body, but also the emotions. The third, highest level involves not only the body and emotions, but also the spirit. Although these levels affect distinct aspects of an individual, they ultimately are parts of one whole- and so are all affected by qi-gong practice.
What is Qi?
Qi (pronounced chee) may be translated as life force or vital energy. It is the fundamental substance of the universe- everything in the universe is a manifestation of Qi, both within the body (i.e., the different organs, tissues, channels, emotions, the spirit, etc.) and in the external world (i.e., buildings, mountains, weather, trees, etc.). Qi permeates and connects all phenomena in the world. Although qi manifests in many different forms, Qi is the fundamental unity between all things- ultimately everything is one.