Video: The origins of qigong
Letting go of the old and taking in the new
The farmer works diligently in his field, tilling and cultivating the soil. He does this to ward off pests and ensure that the plants thrive. Even with Qi Gong, one cannot avoid working daily to eliminate harmful influences. Early morning is the most important time not only for the farmer, but also for the qigong practitioner. At the beginning of the day, the "seed" of qi goes up best and forms strong, healthy roots deep into the earth.
Throughout history, qigong has had many different names. In ancient times it was called tugu naxin, which means "expel the old, absorb the new". Xingqi "to let the Qi flow", yangsheng "to nourish life", neigong "inner, nourishing exercise" or daoyin "to guide and lead the Qi and stretch the limbs" were also names for Qi Gong.
Although Qi Gong-like exercises were already known in China 3000 years ago, the name "Qi Gong" is relatively young. It was first mentioned in a text written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Until the 20th century, however, the term qigong was not used in its current form. Daoist scholar Catherine Despeux has noted that the word qigong first appears in the title of two works published in 1915 and 1929. Its therapeutic use dates only from 1936, when a certain Dong Hao published a work entitled "Special Therapy for Tuberculosis".
The great path is very simple, but people love the detours.
Sayings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Dsi
So the term Qi Gong as we know it today is still relatively young.
Despite these different names, "Qi Gong exercises" have been known in China for thousands of years. Possibly the animal dances of the ancient Chinese shamans were the earliest exercises that resemble qigong. This could explain why some Qi Gong postures, but also whole styles, have animals as a model and are named after them. For example: "Bathing Duck", "Jumping Monkey", "Screaming Owl" and "Spinning Tiger", just to name a few. More recent qigong systems also make use of the animal kingdom when naming exercises. Body postures are called "Lion Roar", "Old Bear in the Forest" and "Flying Crane". The Qi Gong student develops here the abilities of the respective animal. These are balance, suppleness, speed and strength. In particular, during the practice, health, endurance and vitality of the animals are transferred to the practitioner.
In 1973, archaeologists near Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, found a text relic that has since become the most important source of information on ancient qigong. It is a silk cloth that was given to the late King Ma (168 BC) as a burial gift. On it are the oldest Daoyin exercises - a total of 44 pieces. This silk cloth shows the most important breathing exercises, postures, movements and self-massage techniques as they are still practiced today.
It is interesting that in the description of the exercises specific health problems are addressed, such as kidney disease, flatulence, knee pain, sciatic pain, rheumatism, gastritis and anxiety. The exercises were used at that time, like "home remedies", specifically to cure ailments. So we can see that people also suffered from diseases known to us, although from a different cause.
