Zhineng Qigong To Keep Fit


1.1   Introduction

Qigong had been practiced in China for thousands of years to prevent illness and to cure illness thus making the individual’s daily life more satisfying. Martial art exponents also practice qigong to make themselves more lethal.

There are many varieties of qigong and Zhineng Qigong is but one of them. You may have heard about people who practiced various forms of qigong ending up suffering from abnormal symptoms. Therefore it is important to select a form of qigong that is safe. In this respect, Zhineng Qigong can claim to be one of the few qigong that has none of such adverse symptoms to those who practice it. This is mainly because Zhineng Qigong does not emphasize on circulating the qi in certain fixed paths in the body. Zhineng Qigong is unique in that its main principle rests on exchanging the qi in the body with the qi in the universe.

1.2   What is Qi ?

Qi is perhaps one of the most important and profound concept in the Chinese health system. Literally, it means life-breath. It has also been defined as vital energy, life force, ether and bio-electricity. The Chinese believe that qi fills the universe and all things are derived from qi. Perhaps qi can be described as the source of all things. This universal qi is known by Zhineng Qigong as Hunyuan Qi.
In Zhineng Qigong, the basic theory is the exchange of the body qi with the Hunyuan Qi. The properties of Hunyuan Qi encompasses all matter in the universe:

“Hunyuan Qi can be directed by the mind. Using the mind to concentrate the Hunyuan Qi, it can be transformed into substance. Using the mind in dispersing the substance, it can be reverted to Hunyuan Qi.”

Using this principle, Zhineng Qigong practitioners are able to direct the flow of Hunyuan Qi into the part of the body that is ill to provide a cure. Since Hunyuan Qi is available in abundance and all it takes is for a trained person to harness it, a Zhineng Qigong student should be able to start using it to treat people perhaps within three to six months of daily practice.

1.3 History of Zhineng Qigong

The founder of Zhineng Qigong is Prof. Pang Ming who studied western medicine, Chinese traditional medicine and many other forms of qigong for years before he created Zhineng Qigong which consists the best of the various qigong techniques and relies on solid scientific and medical principle. Having satisfied himself the effectiveness and ease in learning Zhineng Qigong, he introduced the first set of qigong exercise in 1980 and before long, it was practiced in over  twenty provinces in China. Five years later, he introduced the second set. In 1991, the third set was taught.
There are altogether six sets of Zhineng Qigong exercise. Students must be fully conversant with each set and realize the benefits before moving on to the next set, otherwise progress is not possible. It is like making sure that a child can walk before teaching her how to jump. So far, only the first three sets had been introduced and they are:

1st Set – Qi Exchange Exercise
2nd Set – Using Form to direct Qi
3rd Set – Penta-Element Form

2         Qi Exhange Exercise (Peng Qi Guan Ding Fa)

2.1 What is Qi Exchange Exercise ?

This is the first set of Zhineng Qigong exercise to release the inner qi from the body and to draw on the outer Hunyuan Qi so that the overall qi in the human body interflow freely with the Hunyuan Qi.
With daily practice, this set of exercise will strengthen your body resistance to illness.

2.2 Preparatory Posture

Place your feet together and stand straight.
Relax both your hands at your side. Look straight ahead. Slowly close your eyes. Touch the upper palate with your tongue and hold this position throughout the exercise.
Relax your whole body. Imagine your body expanding infinitely with your head and your feet reaching the opposite sides of the stratosphere. Clear you mind and concentrate on the exercise. Keep calm and enjoy the peaceful surrounding as if you are immersed in outer space. All worries and stress are gone. You are now part of the universe. You are now completely at ease.

2.3 Starting Posture

Raise your palms and press downward. Maintain the downward pressure and slide your palms forward 15 degrees.

Slide backward. Repeat the motion, fore..after..fore..aft.. Relax both wrists and rotate your palms carry an invisible ball of qi.. Carry this qi upward with both hands to the front at waist level.
Point the middle fingers of both hands towards your navel..imagine the qi flowing into your dantien.. rotate both palms downwards.. sweep both palms and arms at waist level towards the back.

Point the middle fingers towards your mingmen and imagine the qi flowing into the lower dantien.. raise the palms upward and forward to the side of your body and press the middle fingers on your daboa.

Extend the hands forward with palms facing up until the arms are at shoulder level.

Flex the middle fingers and point them at your yingtang…imagine the qi entering the upper dantien like two streaks of lightning..extend both arms sideways until they form a straight line with your shoulders. Rotate the palms downward and then reverse the rotation to sweep the palms upward.. slowly raise both arms upward toward the top of the head..clasp both palms.

Slowly move the clasped palms downward to the front of the chest.

2.4   First Posture

Rotate the clasped palms to point the fingers forward..extend both arms forward. Turn your wrists so that the palms face forward..separate the palms at shoulder height..pull the palms inwards..now push outward..pull..push..pull..push

Separate palms outward for about 15 degrees.. slide inwards .. outward

Extend both arms sideways until they form a straight line with your shoulders..pull the palms inwards,,push outwards …pull…push…pull…push

With arms stretched and palms upright, slide palms and arms up 15 degrees (about 3 inches).. slide down to previous position..up..down..up..down.

Relax both wrists and rotate palms to face upwards and with the little fingers leading the rotation..carry the qi with both arms and palms to the top of your head..hold this position and breath in slowly..now breath out slowly..imagine the qi flowing into your head.

Lower the arms and move the palms downward along your face gradually rotating the palms inward…move the palms downward along your chest down to your navel lightly with the middle fingers.. imagine the qi entering your lower dantien.. think of your mingmen for a few seconds.
With the middle fingers, trace your waist line and press mingmen lightly..think of your navel for a few seconds..now slide your palms downwards passing your buttock, along the rear thighs, the rear calves, the rear ankles.. and along the outer edges of your feet..rest the palms on your feet.
Press down,..lift the lower part of your body..press down..lift up..press down..lift up..use your palms to pull up the Hunyuan Qi from the ground..move your palms upward along the inner side of your feet..along the inner calves, inner thighs, up towards your navel..press your navel lightly with the middle fingers..separate your hands and lower them to the side of your body..relax your hands..relax your whole body.

2.5   Second Posture

Lift your arms sideways to form a straight line at shoulder level with palms facing downward. Raise your palms 90 degrees..pull your palms inward..push outward..pull..push..pull..push
Slide your arms forward 15 degress..slide backward..foreward..backward..forward..backward

Slide both arms to the front at shoulder level..pull backwards..push forward.. pull..push..pull..push
Lift your arms upward 15 degrees.. lower both arms..lift ..lower..lift..lower.

Relax both wrists and rotate your palms upward..carry the qi to the top of head..stop moving both hands for a breathing cycle..let the qi flow into your head.

Lower the palms and rotate them gradually inward until they reach yintang..press yintang lightly with middle fingers..think of you yuzhen for a few seconds.
Slide the middle fingers along your eyebrows to the reat of your head..lightly press you yuzhen..think of you yintang for a few seconds..slide your middle fingers downward along the back of your neck as low as possible.

Trace your middle fingers along shoulders..passing your dabao..across your back and press on the spine with the middle fingers as up as possible.
Slide the fingers down along the spine at the back and press mingmen.

Slide the middle fingers around your waist and press your navel..slide the palms downward along the inner thigh, the inner calf..rest the palms on top of your feet..press the palms downward..lift your waist upward..press..lift..press..lift

Scoop the qi upwards with your palms and move them along the outer edge of your feet..move upward from rear ankle, passing your rear calf, the rear thigh, your buttock, and press mingmen with your middle fingers..slide your palms around the waist and press your navel with middle fingers lightly.

Separate both hands and relax them at the sides of your body.

2.6   Third Posture

Lift your arms at 45 degrees from the side..carry the qi to the top of your hand..stop at the top of your head for a breathing cycle.. let the qi flow into your head.. lower your arms and slide the palms along the side of your ears..stop at the front of your shoulders..rotate your palms outward.

Push the right palm forward and extend the arm..rotate the right palm to face the left and turn the upper body 90 degrees to the left; scooping the qi along with the right palm..on reaching 90 degrees, press Zhongqui with your right thumb.

Bend your right elbow and move the right hand along the left shoulder to Qihu..Press on the left Qihu with your middle finger, turning your upper body to the original position…hold to this posture.
Push your left palm forward and extend left arm..rotate the left palm to face the right side..turn your upper body 90 degrees to the right and scoop the qi along.

At 90 degrees, press zhongqui at he middle finger with the thumb.. bend the left elbow and move hand along the right shoulder..press the righ qihu with middle finger, turning your upper body to the original positon.

Breath in and press both qihu..breath out and release the pressure..breath in and press qihu again.. breath out and release the pressure..breath in and press qihu again..breath out and release the pressure.

Push the crossed arms forward..rotate both wrist like a blooming lotus and close the palms.. slowly move the palms towards the front of the chest.

2.7   Ending Posture

Extend the closed palms to the top of your head. Stretch both arms as high as possible.. separate the palms and rotate them toward the front..now lower the arms and hands sideways to form a straight line with your shoulder..rotate the palms up..move both arms to the front of the chest at shoulder level.

Flex middle fingers to point at yintang..lower the elbows and retract the arms..use your middle fingers to press dabao.
Extend the palms to the rear..with palms facing up, move the arms to the side.

Slowly rotate the palms to face the front and close the stretched arms, resting both palms on the navel.

For men, place the right palm over the left on top of the navel..for women, the left palm should be over the right..breath slowly and relax the whole body..feel the serenity of the surrounding…your dantiend is now fill with Qi.. the qi exchange has been successfully completed..separate both hands and slowly lower them to the sides of the body…slowly open your eyes.


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