QI GONG AN INTRODUCTION

The origins of traditional Chinese medicine are more than 5,000 years old. The medical knowledge of the ancient Chinese was vast and they classified the different inner organs and their functions hundreds of years before this knowledge was developed in Europe. Chinese medicine views human beings holistically and a patient is treated from an overall - body and soul - perspective. Chinese medicine has four main branches: herbal medicine, acupuncture, tuina (Chinese massage) and medical Qi Gong.
Qi can be translated by the words vitality or energy. Like electric energy, we can't see or touch it, but we can deduce that it exists, and take advantage of that knowledge. Gong can be translated by method or performance.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, every individual is born with a certain amount of basic life energy, Yuan Qi. The practice of Qi Gong can stimulate this energy and the self-healing capacity of the body can thus be increased. Important general effects of the practice of medical Qi Gong are an improved circulatory system and an increased immunological capacity.

Qi Gong grandmaster Fan Xiulan started learning the secrets of Qi Gong as a child from her grandmother. As a doctor she has specialized in medical Qi Gong and has developed her own school of medical Qi Gong , Biyun - the health preservation method. The system was developed primarily for the benefit of the elderly, but it soon turned out to be equally suitable for all ages. It has proven to be effective in both chronic and acute disorders.

Fan Xiulan, an authorized Qi Gong master, has worked with Qi Gong for over 30 years. She is a member of the board of the World Academic Society of Medical Qi Gong and vice general-secretary of the Chinese Academic Society of Medical Qi Gong.

During the last fourteen years over 30,000 people have learned this form of medical Qi Gong at the Biyun Health center in Xiangshan, Bejing. Through Chinese television about 1 million people have become familiar with the Biyun method when a series of 33 programs were broadcast in the autumn of 1993 and again in the spring of 1994. In Japan, Sweden, the U.S. and many other countries many tens of thousands of people have learned to practice the Biyun method, and the interest in this kind of self-help is constantly increasing.

GENERAL EFFECTS ON HEALTH

There are many reasons for practising medical Qi Gong:

• to improve general health
• to prevent and treat many health disorders
• to compensate for the aging process
• to improve concentration and learning
• to prevent stress and tension
• to coordinate and balance body and soul
• to promote creativity and mental comfort

With regular and concentrated Qi Gong practice according to the system developed by Fan Xiulan, you can help the body deal with illnesses and disorders like asthma, heart disease, headache, high or low blood pressure, shaky hands, dizziness; shoulder, arm, neck and back pains; swollen and aching legs and feet; other muscular pains, just to mention a few. The immune system is strengthened and thus the body is less liable to catch infections and the like.

Qi Gong also has a very good effect on our mental health and wellbeing. Qi Gong enhances concentration and also compensates for stress, tension and anxiety. A sense of wellbeing is established and developed.

Studies show that Chinese school children find it easier to concentrate when learning new things if they practice Qi Gong for a short period every day.

An additional advantage of medical Qi Gong, compared to other health methods, is that you work with slow and soft movements and even a person in pain is able to do the exercises. If you can not perform the complete movement, you go as far as you can and then mentally visualize the completion of the movement. The important thing is that you are fully concentrated on what you are doing and do not let your mind wander off. If you lose your concentration, you simply bring your attention back to the exercise at hand and continue as before.

There are studies that show that sportsmen perform better when they supplement their training with medical Qi Gong. This is because physical and mental blocks are dissolved and the body's energy can be properly focused on the task it is performing.

Biyun Medical Qigong at Xiangshan Rehabilitation Centre
The Haidian district, Beijing

The health centre that Fan Xiulan, the founder of Biyun qigong has founded is located in beautiful, peaceful surroundings in the northwest outskirts of Beijing.

A brief background: Fan Xiulan was active as a TCM-doctor and qigong master in the Henan-province during the early 80´s. At that time she got an offer from the municipal government of Haidian to start a health centre in Xiangshan. By using medical qigong she was to rehabilitate people who suffered from chronicle diseases.

The work consists of following: At the health centre students come for a weeks stay.

The week consists partly of qigong education and practice, partly of walks in the surroundings (The Centre is situated in a natural scenery with hills and trees, parks and temples just outside of Beijing). According to the Chinese holistic idea the “exchange” with nature is except for physical exercise, also promoting health.

Another important factor is the nutrition. All food is cooked according to Chinese dietary knowledge which takes into consideration not only the nutritious value but also makes sure it is well balanced, tasty and also visually beautiful (again a part of the holistic idea). The health centre adjusts their menu to suit the needs of every visiting group. If it is a group of diabetics, chronic lung disease or heart disease then the composition of dishes on the menu are varied accordingly. The Xiangshan Rehabilitation Centre practice according to ancient traditions and has deep knowledge of Chinese medicine and its effect on health.

Every day consists of no less than four hours of qigong practise/teaching and about two hours of walks in the nature. It should be emphasized that guests are recommended to practice qigong a few hours on a daily basis after the stay at the health centre to receive the best health effects, to eat healthy food and to sustain their daily walks.

If we now as westerners considers that a few hours of daily practice seems a lot, we must be aware that in China it is well known that this amount of daily qigong practice have very good health effects even on severe chronic diseases. For the Chinese practitioners this amount of practise is considered normal. The more you practice the more you gain.

This has been the health centres basic idea of how to take care of their guests. In many projects, examinations and evaluations during the 20 years the health-centre has been active a great variety of health effects has been noted. It is of course thanks to this that the health-centre is fully occupied all through the season (mid April to mid October) when it is warm and comfortable at “the fragrant hills”. All together there have been more than 30 000 guests at the health centre during these years. Most of them have been qigong students practising according to the schedule previously described.

Fan Xiulan likes to emphasize that it is only through this combination of medical qigong, food as medicine and walks in beautiful surroundings that the health effects has been achieved. There are no other hidden factors or other treatments or medicines that has created the given results. With the development that the health centre faces in today’s China they now plan to renew their facilities and in the future expand to also offer acupuncture, TCM-massage, herbal medicine and spa-activities etc.

Niko Nygren