QI GONG
For a long time this discipline was considered counter-revolutionary by the People's Republic of China, since it belonged, together with Taoism, to the old traditions of feudal society. At the beginning of the fifties ancient and modern knowledge was systematized; new centers were opened in China, but this initial opening was abruptly interrupted. Qi-gong, deeply connected with the ancestral knowledge of Chinese medicine, became suspect and was officially prohibited by the government until the 1980s.
One of the ancient names of Qi-gong is Dao yin, guiding and leading, a contraction of Dao qi ling he, yin ti ling rou: "Guiding the Qi leads to harmony, leading the body leads to flexibility", the meaning of this expression is that through breathing we can influence the state of health of the body and rebalance the organism discovering more harmony, flexibility and agility.
The positive effects of Qi-gong are many. A practice of awareness of movements affects joint mobility, improves posture and trains all the muscles of the body. It helps regulate blood pressure, acts on energy metabolism and heart function. But the effects are not only felt on a physical level: this millenary art, which teaches how to cultivate presence and vital energy, helps to reduce stress and mental restlessness, promoting a state of calm and psychophysical well-being.
Qi-gong can also be practiced by sick people or in hospital, therefore in conditions of reduced mobility, for this reason the positions can be very different depending on the subject and the health condition.
An ancient Chinese saying goes: "Who is sick goes first of all to the doctor: if the doctor can not help, the person turns to the Buddha, if the Buddha can not help, then the person turns to Qigong". The origins of this discipline seem to be born over 5000 years ago when the shamanic dances of Taoist monks merged with the mystery of nature, transforming the gesture into pure harmony of form.
One of the most ancient positions is known as zhan zhuang, or, literally, "stand like a pole": in the upright position the back is straight and the buttocks slightly forward. The head goes upwards and the gaze is projected in the direction of the horizon. The image formed by the body evokes the mythological tree: I take strength from my roots, I find my solidity and centering, I go towards the sun and the immense, remaining stable and elastic.