Some Hypotheses
4-4. Opening the Qi Gates
Chapter 5. Categories of Qigong
5-1. Qigong and Religion
5-2. Categories of Qigong
Chapter 6. Qigong Theory
6-1. Introduction
6-2. Wai Dan (External Elixir)
6-3. Nei Dan (Internal Elixir)
PART TWO. GENERAL KEYS TO QIGONG TRAINING
Chapter 7. General Concepts
7-1. Introduction
7-2. Building Qi
7-3. Kan and Li
Chapter 8. Regulating the Body (Tiao Shen)
8-1. Introduction
8-2. Relaxation Theory
8-3. Relaxation Practice
8-4. Rooting, Centering, and Balancing
Chapter 9. Regulating the Breath (Tiao Xi)
9-1. Breathing and Health
9-2. Regulating the Breath
9-3. The Different Methods of Qigong Breathing
9-4. General Keys to Regulating Normal Breathing
9-5. Six Stages of Regulating the Breath
Chapter 10. Regulating the Emotional Mind (Tiao Xin)
10-1. Introduction
10-2. Xin, Yi, and Nian
10-3. Methods of Stopping Thought (Zhi Nian)
10-4. Yi and Qi
10-5. Yi and the Five Organs
10-6. Xin, Yi, and Shen
Chapter 11. Regulating the Essence (Tiao Jing)
11-1. Introduction
11-2. Strengthening Your Kidneys
11-3. Regulating the Essence
Chapter 12. Regulating the Qi (Tiao Qi)
12-1. Introduction
12-2. What Qi Should be Regulated?
12-3. Regulating the Qi
Chapter 13. Regulating the Spirit (Tiao Shen)
13-1. Introduction
13-2. Regulating the Spirit
Chapter 14. Important Points in Qigong Practice
14-1. Introduction
14-2. Common Experiences for Qigong Beginners
14-3. Sensations Commonly Experienced in Still Meditation
14-4. Deviations and Corrections
14-5. Twenty-Four Rules for Qigong Practice
PART THREE. THE QI CHANNELS AND VESSELS
Chapter 15. General Concepts
15-1. Introduction
Chapter 16. The Twelve Primary Qi Channels
16-1. Introduction
16-2. The Twelve Primary Channels
16-3. Important Points
Chapter 17. The Eight Extraordinary Qi Vessels
17-1. Introduction
17-2. The Eight Extraordinary Vessels
PART FOUR. CONCLUSION
Chapter 18. One Hundred and One Questions
Chapter 19. Conclusion
Appendix A. Translation and Glossary of Chinese Terms
Index
16
Foreword First Edition
When Nixon opened China to the West in the 1970’s, great interest was kindled in the possibilities of Americans learning many previously-hidden secrets of the “inscrutable” Orient. One of the realms of exploration most eagerly awaited, particularly by Western physicians, was the science of Oriental healing: exotic practices such as acupuncture, Shiatsu massage, Taijiquan, and the curious and puzzling notion of Qi, or vital energy. Popular magazines at the time featured arresting photographs of men and women lying calmly on operating tables, nearly disemboweled during major surgery, yet apparently requiring no more anesthesia than a few gleaming needles thrust into the skin of their foreheads.
Since these earliest dramatic harbingers, serious investigation of phenomena based on Chinese conceptualizations have both waxed and waned. Interest in Taijiquan, for example—a form of exercise, health maintenance, and combat—has risen steadily, especially in the western United States, stimulated in part by the fact that a large part of the Chinese citizenry practice this exercise daily to apparently good effect, and in part by the fact that Taijiquan masters, who regularly win mixed martial arts tournaments, seem to become better with age, rather than slower and weaker as do aging practitioners of other martial forms such as Gongfu.
In contrast, after a spate of studies and articles attempting to define the physiologic bases for the generally unchallenged efficacy of acupuncture, interest in this area has waned markedly. Most early investigators tended toward the beliefs either that some form of suggestibility was involved, like that of hypnosis, another time-honored and effective anesthetic; or else that some known neural mechanism was being employed, such as “gating,” where stimulation
