The word Qigong is made up of the two words Qi (meaning breath or gas in Mandarin) and Gong (meaning technique or work). Thus Qigong basically means breath work. Qigong, therefore, is a technique of traditional Chinese medicine involving the regulation and coordination of breathing patterns to ensure good health.
Qigong is believed to be the result of decades of struggle by the Chinese people for survival.
It was noticed that certain breathing techniques used in conjunction with mental concentration greatly improved bodily functions. Qigong has also borrowed heavily from Taoism and Buddhism. Thus religion and spirituality plays a very important role in Qigong techniques. Some forms of Qigong even believe that an individual can attain higher levels of accomplishment only if he is very virtuous.
Traditional Chinese medicine operates on a simple but effective premise that of Chi. Chi is the energy or life force that travels through the human body and suffuses all our organs with health and well being. When this flow is blocked or disturbed, there is a disturbance within the system that manifests itself as a disease. According to tradition, all that a doctor...