The Art of Qi Gong is becoming very popular in the Western world and the medical community has begun to use it extensively. Qi Gong is often confused with Tai Chi. But while the two are similarity rooted in Taoism the two can be quite different. Qi Gong has five distinct branches:
- Taoist
- Buddhist
- Confucian
- Medical Arts
- Martial Arts
The first three branches are essentially spiritual practices. The second two branches however are the ones most often practiced in the West and medical, or Healing Qi Gong (Yi Gong) has begun to be used with a broad brush by the Western medical community as well as individual practitioners.
Healing (Internal) Qi Gong uses energy manipulation to promote preventative and self-healing balance to reduce stress and bring out body into harmony with our breathing and thoughts. The modern world is extremely face-paced and stressful place, with constant stress and stress is one of the prime causes for bad health. Relieving this stress helps us control thing like high blood pressure, anxiety, and frustration.
Healing (External, or Wai Qi Zhi Liao), is composed of a system of health assessment and non-contact treatments. Students are taught how to tap into a deep well of natural healing energy and funnel this throughout the body. External Qi healing is comprised of sets of exercises that increase sensitivity to energy fields. We know that exercise relieves stress and many psycho-therapists are using it, instead of Western fitness routines, as a therapy because it promotes both the internal and external development, physical and psychological, which Western routines seldom do anything to address our gee (Chi in Tai Chi) and its development and maintenance.
Finally we have the martial forms of qi gong (Wu Gong), which is better known in the west as "Sports" Qi gong, which is designed to improve strength, balance, stamina, coordination, speed, flexibility and resistance to injury. These exercises use the same principles as is used in medical Qi Gong to help improve our physical performance and are often combined with western routines and massage. In western exercises the body is the focus. The bodies work improves the body. In Qi Gong the mind moves the Chi and the Chi moves the body.
