Emei Qigong

(an article by: Teacher David Knoll)

 

 

¡°Your mind leads your internal Qi and your Qi leads your internal strength.¡±

Grandmaster Fu

 

 

Emei Qigong (pronounced er-may-chee-goong) is a method of self-managing health care that has been practiced since 1227 A.D. in China. It consists of a variety of exercises that uses your breath and the focusing of your mind, while doing simple body movements. Another technique within the system is energy treatments given by qualified Emei Qigong Healers. These treatments will help your body¡¯s energy flow freely without exercising. These exercises and healing energy treatments are instrumental in the prevention and treatment of disease, the maintenance and improvement of health, and in holding back the process of aging all of which extends your quality of life. From ancient times, Emei Qigong has been known as a natural energy health care system for eliminating disease and prolonging life.

Emei is the name of the mountain where this Qigong health system was created. Emei or "The Lofty Eyebrow Peak" is the highest and holiest of China's four designated Buddhist Mountains. Towering over the fertile Sichuan plains, it rises steeply to 10,000 feet as its western cliffs overlook the great Tibetan Plateau. Emei is a rain forest and home to thousands of rare plants, wild animals and herbs which are used for medicine.

Throughout its sacred existence, Emei has produced a number of outstanding sages who have brought beacons of enlightenment to the world.

In 1227 A.D., one of those sages -- a priest from Wu Dang, the Mecca of Taoism -- made a pilgrimage to the top of Emei. At the "Jin Ding" or "Golden Summit" Monastery, the Taoist priest meditated and fasted, as spiritual masters guided his path toward wisdom and enlightenment. When he broke fast, he took the name "Bai Yun" or "White Cloud."

The enlightened master combined no less than 3,600 schools of thought, philosophies and techniques taught to him by his spiritual teachers, and created a hybrid system called Emei Qigong. It includes: Buddhism, Shamanism, Acupuncture, herbal medicine, Taoist Qigong, Pranayana Yoga, aura diagnosis and treatment, iron body, martial arts and more. This system is devoted to maintaining excellent health while striving to attain the goal of enlightenment on higher planes.

For almost eight hundred years the system was passed down from one Grandmaster to another culminating with the current Grandmaster whose name is Fu Wei Zhong. Emei Qigong came to America in 1987 through a disciple of Grandmaster Fu. In 1993, a group of Americans traveled to Emei Mountain to study directly with the great grandmaster. In 1995, Grandmaster Fu arrived in America to begin teaching and spreading his healing wisdom to all who would listen. Grandmaster Fu says, "Emei Qigong exercises and treatments are the processes of generating energy to purify the obstructions of the physical body, the emotions and the spirit."

In order to understand how Emei Qigong works it is important to first understand what Qi is. The word Qi in ancient China was generally considered, ¡°The essence of all matter.¡± All substances, whether having form or not are considered energy and this energy no matter how big (the sun) or small (the atoms in oxygen) are considered Qi. The term Qi in regards to our health means our body¡¯s "internal prana," life force, or biopsychic internal energy. When Emei Qigong exercises and treatments are said to cultivate Qi, it is this internal Qi that it cultivates.

Emei Qigong teaches that life and health are a result of the harmonious flow of ample Qi throughout our body as well as a relative balance between our body, mind and the environment in which we live. The occurrence of a disease to the body is the outcome of a losing struggle to keep that smooth flow of blood and Qi, as well as losing the important balance between body, mind and our environment. The human body has the ability to resist invasion of various kinds if it maintains a smooth flow of blood and Qi in the interior of the body.

Emei Qigong exercises cultivate the important connection of mind and body with the abundant energy of the environment. Its movements, mental focus, and breath control stimulate this internal Qi flow.

These exercises involve three specific modes of action:

  1. To breathe fully, slowly and evenly -- breath is life. We must inhale fully to take in the energy-powered oxygen, and exhale fully to release the toxic carbon dioxide.
  2. To maintain a mental calmness -- focusing leads your internal Qi and your Qi leads your internal strength. The ability to control your focus will lead you to a peaceful and focused state.
  3. To move and align your body so your Qi and blood flow are enhance and uninhibited.

As well as quickening the healing time of injuries and strengthening the immune system to fight disease, the exercises work exceptionally well with the common ailment of stress. The exercises will relax the mind and balance the emotions. As the mind calms, a feeling of peace and happiness takes over the senses.

Here is a quick tip about how to breathe to achieve a relaxed state of mind. Concentrate upon the lower "dantian" (area below naval where Qi is stored). It is very conducive to relaxing the whole body, as it helps enhance the circulation of blood throughout the body. It also makes abdominal breathing a little easier and naturally shifts the body's center to a lower position, making the body's equilibrium more stable. If it is difficult for you to breathe abdominally then just focus on the lower "dantian," as the act of doing so will enable you to gradually shift from thoracic to abdominal breathing. In any case, the breathing should always be slow, even and natural.

¡°Energy transmission is real matter and real energy. The combination of pressure along certain points and aura treatment with energy transmission can cure almost anything,¡± says Grandmaster Fu Wei Zhong.

Sometimes a person is too sick to practice the exercises or just does not have the time or motivation to practice. It is then desirable to seek a qualified Emei Qigong Healer to conduct an energy treatment to help align your body¡¯s energy flow, relax your mind and balance your energy. This treatment places emphasis on two stages. First to open the blockages in the body¡¯s energy pathways by putting pressure on specific points located along the entire body. This stimulates the internal energy flow of a sick or injured person. While putting pressure on the specific meridian points, the Emei Qigong Healer will use particular breathing and mind focusing techniques to transmit energy into the point. This provides more force for the cleansing of a blockage and aids in the stimulation for a smooth internal flow of Qi.

These specific pressure points along the body's meridians are the roots of this ancient healing system. The important points, when opened, connect the body's meridians to form a strong interior flow of Qi.

The second stage places emphasis on treating a sick or injured person's external energy field. A compass points to the North of the Earth's electro- magnetic field. The human body, like the earth, has this energetic or magnetic field that extends beyond our physical being. It is sometimes called an "Aura." When a person is sick or injured, a negative effect results on this external energy field. An Emei Qigong Healer learns techniques to nourish or deplete the effected areas of this external energy field. Cleansing and balancing the energy is also done to assist the sick or injured in healing themselves.

The Emei Qigong Healer uses specific techniques to gather energy from the abundant Qi that surrounds us. This helps boost the energy of a sick or injured person as well as increasing the Healer¡¯s own energy.  

Whether it is exercises or treatments you will find Emei Qigong to be a unique and complete natural energy health care system that will help you reach your full health potential.