by Andres Vergara, L.Ac., M.Ac. and Michele Collins, RH (AHG), MPH
Qi gong is the living and breathing dance of Chinese medicine that everyone can learn and practice. It is a spiritual science that uses sound, slow movements, and meditation to potentiate subtle health processes in our body which ultimately lead to greater and more radiant health. This is why Dr. Oz says if you want to live to be 100, do qi gong. On the February 5th episode of Holistic Healing with Herbs and Chinese Medicine, we interviewed Michael Winn, an internationally regarded teacher and author, about the benefits of qi gong and it can be adapted for westerners. Michael hosts the largest Taoist retreat program in the west, and has for the past 18 years. To hear this interview, click here. A notable example of the impact that the Taoist qi gong practices have had on us both is the picture we included at the top of this blog post – it show us both with Michael Winn and several of our wedding guests performing Primoridal Qi gong, a powerful and healing qi gong form.
In this blog post, we both want to describe the basics of qi gong practice, as well as some excellent resources to help you get started with your own qi gong practice. While there are many more advanced practices, the ones we describe below form the foundation upon which all advanced practices evolve. The inner smile, 6 healing sounds and microcosmic orbit are the basic practices that help build the foundations of radiant health. These are the specific health tools we teach to our clients to give them more control over their own health and well being. More than the simple health benefits, though, qi gong is also a way to deeply connect with the natural world and nature and to uncover your own inner nature.
There is so much in modern life that can drive us all away from our true inner nature – stress, poor diet, poor sleep, difficult motions, etc. Meditation and qi gong offer a great way to reduce the disruptive effects of modern life and begin to cultivate an inner sanctuary. This inner sanctuary can be consistently built and bettered over time through daily practice and attention. This cultivation will lead to radiant health and well being that can withstand and even feed off the stressors that might have once sent one into a tail spin. This is the beauty of a meditation practice.
The Inner Smile
The inner smile is about unconditional love and acceptance for all the organs of the body and can be extended to every aspect of body function, as well to difficult relationships and can change the dynamics behind imbalances. We have practiced the inner smile extensively as a way to harmonize and rectify internal imbalances and to create a radiant and blissful outlook on life. The theory behind this practice is that our internal organs constitute an inner soul team that when acknowledged, nourished and supported will lead to ideal organ function and health. Michael Winn has an excellent ebook you can access by clicking here and signing in on the Healing Tao USA website.
The 6 Healing Sounds
The 6 healing sounds expel toxins and imbalances from the various organs and can help one harmonize and better internal health. In Taoist practices, your organs are where the intelligence of your body resides. Each of the five key organs – the heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and liver – each have a resonance with specific colors and sounds. For more about the five organs and the natural elements they represent, see Michele’s earlier blog post titled Qi Gong, The Five Phases and Being Present in Your Body. These colors and sound provide a way to physically connect to and influence these organs in a positive way. The healing sounds are one specific way of directing the flow of qi and blood through the internal organs. These sounds can help you release emotions and energy that has been stored in your organs, consuming useful energy, that can be then freed for other functions.
The Microcosmic Orbit
The microcosmic orbit can be used to move and seal energy inside the body so that we don’t lose as much energy on a daily basis and can be used to improve internal health. The microcosmic orbit is one of the so called eight extraordinary vessels inside the body that when full and replete will fill and nourish the more exterior acupuncture meridians as a way to maintain good health. This practice is also very important for those who wish to learn the sexual practice which is a way of moving sexual energy inside the body during sex so as to nourish and improve the function of ones internal organs. This practice is especially useful for men who can learn a non-ejaculatory way of engaging in sex that is healthier and more sustainable long term.
Additional Resources
Michael Winn has written an excellent article that explains the difference between the Taoist spiritual science of qi gong and western science, titled Daoist Qi Science vs Western Science: Which is More Real?. To read this article, you will need to subscribe or sign in at the left of the page. Registering will also give you access to a wide range of articles about qi gong. One of these articles is an excellent summary (click here) of several studies detailing the benefits of medical qi gong.
Click here for another article from another source that summarizes additional recent studies confirming the healing power of qi gong and tai chi.
Michele and Andres have made CD’s of their integration of the qi gong practices they use with their individual clients. You can email us at spiritrisingherbs@gmail.com for more information.
Michael Winn offers the Healing Tao retreats every summer in Mars Hill, NC.
