Frequently Asked Questions

No, Qigong is an integrated medical system originating in China some 5,000 years ago. At the time of its inception, there were only 3 principaly educated sectors of Chinese society. They were, the Emperor's staff and the Buddhist and Taoist monks. It was the Taoist and the Buddhist monks who wrote down the specifics or theory of Qigong for the benefit of all society. This association has led many to believe that Qigong is a religious based practice.  

There are 4 divisions found in Qigong:

• Preventive is practiced by individuals on their own.
• Medical is applied with the guidance of a certified Qigong Clinical Practitioner.   
• Martial for martial artists to benefit from the healing benefits of Qigong.
• Religious for spiritual enhancement.

Qigong training is open to everyone. As long as you can focus on what you're doing, you're good to go!

The beauty of Qigong is its ability to be  adapted to individuals suffering from mobility issues, recovering from debilitating illnesses etc.

It should not. The goal or intention is to complement your primary care practitioner's treatments. Before you begin any additional practices or treatments, you should check with your primary care provider. Never self-diagnose!!!  

No, depending on your physical condition, the exercises can be tailored to accomodate your needs. Qigong exercises can be done from standing, sitting and supine positions. The training can be very low impact for those recovering from an illness to high impact for martial training. Qigong is very good for individuals with physical limitations because of its adaptability

A Clinical Qigong Practitioner is a Certified professional. He has a minimum of 500 hours intensive Medical Qigong training and is trained to deal with specific health issues. 

We recommend that you verify a Clinical Qigong Practitioner's credentials before beginning any treatments.      

No,  and this why it is imperative that any individual receiving Qigong treatments should verify the credentials of a practitioner. In order to receive Clinical/Medical certification, they should have a minimum of 500 hours verifiable training.  You can refer to the National Qigong Association Certification requirements. 

Qigong Meditation (with the exception of the religious application) is practiced to calm the mind in order to allow for healing to occur in an uninterrupted manner.

Qigong meditation is not meant to control your mind, but rather to stop your mind from controlling you! 

No, it represents a state of being. for example, being agitated is Yang and being calm is Yin.

Yin can be thought of as being in a state of Reception or conserving energy and Yang being in a state of Radiation or using energy.

Yin/Yang is based on one of nature's basic principles,  for every action, there's a reaction. If the reaction is unequal to the action, then  is in an unbalanced physical state. 

Because for the most part, the terminology being used by the majority of western  practitioners is still the one translated from Chinese. 

In many cases, the terms don't directly translate correctly into English however, an experienced practitioner can explain the terms so that you can understand them. 

The terms used in ancient China were meant to communicate with an uneducated agrarian society  in the simplest manner possible.

Depending on what type of exercise set you're doing and the amount of repetitions, they it could take as little as 20 minutes a session.  

Perseverance is the key!

Results vary and are dependent on your physical status at the time you begin your practice.  

When doing these new exercises, it will take time for your body to get accustomed to the movements  and relax in order to allow the practice to take effect.