The Three Divisions of Qigong
While we speak of Qigong like it's something very ancient, in the premodern era there was actually no such thing as "Qigong"!
Don't worry, our origins are still steeped in the time tested traditions of ancient Asian cultures, but the word "Qigong" was developed in the 1900s to describe a wide range of practices.
Some of these practices come from Daoists, some from Buddhists, some from other sources. My own tradition grows out of an era when the Daoists and Buddhists were learning a lot from each other and incorporating some of the best tools of each other's traditions.
In the old days, you might learn "Yang Sheng" - the arts of nourishing the vital principles of life; you might learn "Nei Gong" - the way of inner skill and power; you might learn "Nei Dan" - inner alchemical methods; you might learn "Shen Gong" - spiritual cultivation; or even "Tao Yin" - stretching and pulling the body like yoga.
All of these various practices were long the safeguarded secrets of various religious schools and martial arts societies, but various forces in the modern era drove them out into the open. As the inner arts began to be modernized, some scholars found it convenient to divide them roughly in to three categories: Medical, Martial, and Spiritual.
Medical Qigong is utilizing postures and meditations to augment the body's innate capacity to heal itself. Spiritual Qigong is learning the power of directed intention and sensation to augment contemplative practices and inner peace. Martial Arts Qigong is all about the ancient biohacks that masters found for bringing the body to peak physical condition - using the mind body connection.
Not everyone is a mystic, but they can still benefit from "Spiritual Qigong" - because this includes such practices as breath regulation, visualization, and mindfulness, all things now well validated by research. Similarly, "Martial Arts Qigong" is no longer the sole property of Kung Fu monks and bodyguards, because its principles benefit athletes of any kind! Medical Qigong is perhaps the most widely applicable because we can all be benefitting from more healing movement in our lives.
One of the most interesting examples of Martial Arts Qigong is the practice of "Iron Body" skills. These are ancient methods of toughening the body that martial artists would use to make themselves more resistant to injury. What we find when we look at these practices with a modern eye is that they almost all benefit the body's Connective Tissues..
The connective tissues include your tendons, ligaments, and even the fascia that wraps all your muscles and bones! The great thing about the connective tissues is that they respond to stress by getting stronger! The ancient martial artists discovered that training these tissues could give them an edge on the competition - but we modern folks might just find that training in this way gives us an edge over aging, injury, and the ills of modern sedentary lifestyles!
The three divisions of Qigong are a practical way to think about ALL your integrative practices - even if they might be from other traditions than those of China. May we each find ways to use movement, breath, and mind to augment our performance in every aspect of our being!
