I started doing Qigong because it is part of Kung Fu training.  It isn’t required, but the more I learned about Kung Fu, the more I learned that historically, serious practitioners have done Qigong.

Some of you may know, that there are internal and external aspects to all martial arts training.  Most schools in the US have focused on the external aspects, building strength and speed, focusing impacts – scoring points and breaking boards.

There are ancillary internal pay-offs described as confidence, focus, mental discipline, etc.  Many parents start their children in martial arts for these pay-offs, and there is little doubt that people get those results from the training.  The external training has internal pay-offs

Qigong is supposed to focus on these “internal” aspects as the primary product of Qigong training, with ancillary external results.

If you have ever seen a Tai Chi practitioner, you will know what I’m talking about when I refer to external results.  They seem to flow like water, the coil and snap like a whip.  They seem very graceful and soft and fluid, but then there is that moment when you see the end of one movement, just before it blurrs into another, and you realize how much force was generated by that move, and how it was redirected into the next move, and how only perfect balance makes it seems so effortless.

Well, maybe you do and maybe you don’t.  I was sitting with one of my fellow students at a competition a couple of years ago, watching this woman who comes to almost all of the local competitions.  She studies in China, though she lives here.  She is amazing.  I’ve learned enough Tai Chi to know how completely hopeless I am at it right now.  Some day, I hope to have a tenth the skill this woman has.

My friend and I were commenting on the tremendous power that her technique had.

“No she doesn’t”, said a lady next to us, who I had seen as a judge at Diamond Nationals.  “She doesn’t have any power at all.”  We could hear the incredulity in her voice that we could say any such thing.

My friend and I just looked at each other.  WE saw it.  It was obvious to us, who had been working so hard to attain that skill of “flowing like water”, and being “soft as cotton, hard as steel”.  I myself was feeling somewhat discouraged…but now I felt better as I realized that at least I had learned what it is supposed to LOOK like, and even got shadow sensations in my muscles of what it would FEEL like when I finally did it correctly.

Coming from externally focused Karate myself, I had just heard an echo of my own voice and biases from years ago, where upper body strength, expelling breath noisily, and yelling were the ultimate ways to project “power” and I realized how much I had actually learned.

I remember that was the beginning of my break-through with tornado kicks…the moment that I knew what it would feel like to do a correct tornado kick.  After months of fruitless practice, I finally had fruitful practice, and my progress (though not instantaneous) was encouraging.

Anyway, Qigong is supposed to help you develop that internal sense of the flow of “chi” (energy, power, life) through the body, and help you express it in not only your martial arts, but in your relationships, and personal life.

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s supposed to make you softer, gentler, more generous, more open and more forgiving, yet also more untouchable by the “slings and arrows” of everyday life, stronger, more resilient.  The internal achievements manifest in external movements that are softer, more flowing, and yet more powerful.

So, what have I actually seen as a result of two months of Qigong practice?  Well, not a lot.  But it HAS been only two months.

I DO think I’m somewhat more patient and focused (some days are better than others).  I’ve noticed that my work-outs generally seem to be easier, and I accomplish more.

I’ve broken a plateau in my flexibility work (although anyone can tell you that once you’ve been doing flexibility work for a few years, gains are very, very small.)

I carry a lot less tension in my shoulders, neck, and mid-back and the absolute inflexibility of my hips and lower back region shows signs of releasing.

My shoulder pain has almost completely disappeared, although knee and hip pain has remained unaffected, and is actually worse some days.  This is most likely due to some new exercises that SiFu has added to our regimen.

I don’t exactly sleep better, (I still wake up frequently at night, and I still have trouble falling asleep) but I feel less tired for all that.

Finally, I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve done some “healing” meditations for other people.  This is done in the Sitting meditation “Self-concentration.  You visualize “chi” moving through you from the universe at large, and into the person you want to heal.

Do I think it “works”?  Nope.  Not as such anyway, but like I mentioned before, I don’t think it actually helps someone when I say “I hope everything works out” or “Get well soon” or when I “Think good thoughts” about them during a job interview or a surgery.  But I do it anyway, because it is a human thing to do.  We can’t stop ourselves from fruitlessly wishing others well, or “hoping for the best” despite its ineffectiveness.  It is good for us to do so, and I stand by that.

Coincidentally, two out of the three people I did meditations for reported improvements in their conditions and/or flawless recoveries.  Kudos to the trained staff of medical professionals who worked tirelessly and skillfully for their benefit.

The third person reported no change for better or for worse.