What is Qui Gong?
Qi Gong is a holistic system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial arts training. With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, qigong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance qi (chi), translated as “life energy”.
Qi Gong practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinating slow flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and calm meditative state of mind. Qi Gong is now practiced throughout China and worldwide for recreation, exercise and relaxation, preventive medicine and self-healing, alternative medicine, meditation and self-cultivation, and training for martial arts.
Research concerning Qi Gong has been conducted for a wide range of medical conditions, including hypertension, pain, and cancer, and with respect to quality of life. Most research concerning health benefits of Qi Gong has been of poor quality, such that it would be unwise to draw firm conclusions at this stage.