Chee-Gung

The first is qigong which is a health practice that utilizes body movement, breathing techniques and mental focus to assist in healing, relaxation and reconnecting (Winn, 2009). Next is that art of meditation. Meditation is an important element in the Tao religion. Many Taoists practice meditation to achieve mental serenity and heighten mental awareness. There are also various forms of exercise, such as yoga and Tai Chi, and therapies, acupuncture and moxibustion, which Taoists use to restore balance within the body and achieve healing.

People used to believe that acupuncture works by conserving and balancing the movement of Qi in the person’s body. Qi is basically an idea that is hard to interpret it to other people who do not have much of a grasp on it. It is usually associated with vital energy and has also been included with different western traditions of philosophy.

Good health means the yin and yang is in balance and in harmony with each other. According to Jarvis (2012), foods are classified in this theory; yin foods are cold, and yang foods are hot; cold foods are eaten with a hot illness and hot foods are eaten with a cold illness. Chinese people have practiced acupuncture for thousands of years for the reduction of pain and for various disorders using fine needles at specific meridian points on the body (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). The Chinese believe that when there is an imbalance in a person’s system is when a person has illness. For health maintenance, they use preventive measures such eating healthy. Chinese people enjoy drinking a variety of tea after meals for the cleansing effect. Health protection means wearing an amulet or jade, eat correctly and with compatible food (Jarvis, 2012). Chinese people use cupping, acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbs such as ginseng roots, and usually will consult with herbalists, for health restoration.

This semester we have heard multiple lectures which centered on the Chinese or Daoist cultures, which have multiple similarities and are in many facets built on each other. In the lecture about Daoism, Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn, spoke of transcendent bodies and concentrated mainly on qi (Littlejohn). While Dr. Yuan-ling Chao’s lecture about Chinese medicine was about maintaining

This is a promising study published in the peer-reviewed journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. The group that received the intervention practiced a specific form of qigong that was composed of simple body movements and repeating out loud declarations meant to be spiritual in purpose. By day seven of treatment, the group practicing qigong reported an absence of withdrawal symptoms, while the control group and the group receiving medication continued reporting symptoms at the conclusion of the tenth day of treatment (Li, Chen, & Mo, 2002). The authors of this study point out the difference between Eastern and Western modalities of treatment. Western addiction treatment typically includes heavy focus on symptom treatment using medications to treat withdrawal by mitigating symptoms. Because Eastern medicine treats an individual holistically, a more body and mind integrative approach is used. The strengths perspective in Eastern ideology is that people have the innate ability to restore balance in their own being especially by using tools such as qigong. The authors make quite a strong argument in favor of qigong: “Those treated by qigong therapy learn a reportedly powerful self-healing technique that is believed to increase their immune function, improve their oxygen metabolism, and possibly help them for the rest of their lives if they are persistent in practice” (Li, Chen, & Mo, 2002, p. 7). To fully encapsulate the benefits of qigong for addiction treatment would be to include how no negative side effects are reported from its use, and the fact that it is very cost effective and does not necessitate the need for continuous

As an early form of martial arts, Tai chi emphasizes a softer and internalized approach to achieving Dao. While practicing Tai chi, one must internalize themselves in relation to their environment. The basis of Tai chi revolves around the idea that the human body functions as a microcosm of the universe. By understanding one’s qi—energy flow—one attains the capacity to function like the universe. The goal of Tai chi is to harness the energy (qi) of nature itself and bring it into the body. As a result, bringing the natural energy of the environment into the body will produce a balance and thus, improve mental and physical health. The art of Tai chi and its emphasis on the connection between the cosmos and the individual’s body heightens the Taoist idea that everything that exists has a source or a reason behind its existence. Furthermore, since the human body exists as a microcosm of the universe, it has the potential to develop and function similarly to the universe. This connection between the internal and external body can be examined through the Taoist representation of the human

Today is the second class of Qi Gong. In this class, we talked more about Qi Gong’s history, Chinese philosophical thinkings, some scientific proofs as well as the inner mechanisms of Qi Gong. Qi Gong is rooted in ancient Chinese culture, being a combination of traditional Chinese medicine, ancient Chinese philosophy, traditional Chinese culture and also ancient Chinese religions. Therefore. we need comprehensive knowledge to understand all of the fundamentals of Qi Gong.

Tai Chi is about “creating a balance between the mind, body, and nature, while encouraging a heightened state of health and wellness” (Herzog, 2011, p. 1). Tai chi involves the constant movement with the left and right hand, until a sense of inner peace is reached. When tai chi is performed between two people, a relationship is established from the two individuals through movement. There is

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine that involves inserting thin needles at certain points on the body. Practitioners believe that there are more than 2,000 points throughout the body that are connected by pathways, which create a flow of energy called qi. Stimulating these points with metallic needles can correct an imbalance of qi and improve the flow of energy in the body.

Tai Chi for Meditation is done in conjunction with deliberate breathing techniques; this is termed "meditation in motion." These exercises are designed to allow a person to search for a better understanding of them self by balancing the yin and yang within them or harmony of the physical and spiritual beings. These exercises promote a person's emotional or spiritual connection but they also promote physical conditioning such as balance, flexibility, coordination and stamina.

Tai Chi originated in China after a Taoist sage dreamt of a snake and a bird fighting. After his dream this man used the moves he saw in the fight to create Tai Chi. However, the first recognized man to perform Tai Chi was Chen Wang-ting in the 1600’s (Morano, 2003). Tai Chi is considered to be a low-impact exercise in which the movements are relaxed and joints are not strained. When participating in Tai Chi one goes through a series of routines involving certain movements and focus on their breathing (The Health Benefits, 2009). Tai Chi sessions usually last around an hour. One is encouraged to wear loose and comfortable clothes and either wear sneakers or go bare foot (Tai Chi: A Gentle Exercise, 2015).

Eastern Medicine is a healing system that has been carefully developed all throughout China over the course of thousands of years, resulting in various forms of therapy. There are many focuses and principles in these methods, such as enhancing the body’s capacities and bolstering the body’s immunities for restoring and sustaining health. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a great emphasis on natural remedies; staying grounded to earth by exploring the body 's interactions with all aspects pertaining to life; involving the composition of earthly elements such as seasons, colors, water, wood, fire, music, and many more. They have systemically discovered that health is the balance of harmony and function within the mind, body, and spirit, creating forms of treatment to minimize the obstruction of flow within ones health. Alternative medicine is effective through numerous complex diseases, chronic pains, and emotional pains. Unorthodox means of treatment comes in several, diverse treatments that all differ, yet prove to be effectual and offer a distinctive experience and outcome from the familiar modern medicine and healing.

Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, is one of the oldest systems of medicine to exist among humans, and it is extremely prominent to this day. According to legend, the system has been in use since the third millennium BCE. The views of such an old system differ greatly from those found in modern western medicine. Perhaps most prominent is the fact that TCM focuses more on the patient than the illness. The system considers the human to be a microcosm of the universe, implying that the body is affected by the traditional Taoist forces of yin and yang, the five elements, and Qi in the same way the cosmos are. Each of these forces act upon the “zang fu,” or organ system, directly influencing a patient’s health. Healers use qigong to assist in the restoration of stability in the body. Achieving balance, both internally and externally, is the most important aspect of healing in TCM.

TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, can be traced as far back as 1000 BC, where stone acupuncture needles were believed to be used. Texts from that period also talked of Yin and Yang and other concepts. The first written work on TCM is titled the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, Huangdi Newijing (Gascoigne 11). This book was written in 300 BC, but entries date back to the early 2700’s BC. The book is still used in universities of Chinese Medicine around the world and is often called the bible of TCM. Today, TCM is still thriving in China and all of Asia. In recent years, information on TCM has become available to people in the United States. The United States has several schools of TCM, and it is now much easier to buy the necessary

The Chinese medicine is related to china history and eastern culture. Every culture has its own idea about creation of universe and human being. Chinese has a basic theory for human creation that included the human’s physiology and the human’s substance. The theory of five substances depends on five elements that related to all physiologic activity of human. One of them is Qi. Qi term has a conflicted idea between traditional Chinese medicine and western scientific sense that due to misunderstand Chinese medicine turn and lack of word. However, People wonder about qi “what is qi? Where does qi come from or from where?”