~
Chi Kung
Breath power
Chi Kung is the simplest but by no
means the most superficial of the soft or
internal martial arts. Though it is
concerned far less with martial ability
than the other arts， it is through mould-
ing the body s energy in Chi Kung that
the strength to practise all the other arts
emerges. Chi Kung literally means
\"energy work\". In common with the
other soft arts it has a central principle
or goal - that is， the cultivation of Chi，
the vital energy. Chi has many meanings
- it is energy， it is the life force， but it is
also air and breath and even nourish-
ment. It is the fundamental force in the
Universe which the martial arts teach
you to sense and then to generate， so as
to harmonize its flow (see also p.24).
Although each of the soft martial arts
is a complete and unified system in its
own right， people in China tend to prac-
tise them jointly， or to progress from
one art to the next (see p.17). Most
commonly， students begin with a
combination of Chi Kung and T ai Chi
Chuan. As a starting point for training，
Chi Kung aims to instil deep natural
breathing， and to focus and balance the
mind. Included in this chapter is Ba
Duan Jin (pp.26-33)， a sequence of
eight exercises that is often practised
with Chi Kung.
All the exercises taught here are won-
derfully simple but perfectTng them
can be a life s work. Chi Kung is mas-
tered above all by constant practice.
Most teachers of the other arts also
practise and perfect Chi Kung， but there
are many masters who practise Chi
Kung alone. Chinese masters of Chi
Kung can perform extraordinary feats
of strength and endurance by develop-
ing the use of Chi， the life force， and
concentrating it in specific parts of their
bodies. But building up thosc powers
can take years of dedicated training.
Chi Kung is the most fundamental of
the martial arts. Diligent practice every
day will keep you in good physical and
mental shape and promote vitality， and
the exercises can be used at any stage in
life - in childhood， in adulthood， in
pregnancy， and in later life. The belief
in the benefits of cultivating } our Chi，
or vital energy， goes back nearly 3，000
years in Chinese history. One of the
classics of ancient Chinese literature， the
Nei Ching， or Yellow Emperor s Classic
of Internal Medicine， records the idea
that Chi may be developed through
breath control. The Chinese have been
practising various exercises similar to
Chi Kung ever since， using them to
maintain health and to restore it after
illness， as well as to strengthen them-
selves for martial arts practice. As
Chapter 6 shows (pp.172-88)， Chi Kung
can also be practised to alleviate many
types of illness and pain and， since the
basic movements are very gentle， many
people who suffer from chronic debili-
tating conditions can embqrk on a
course of therapeutic discipline without
risk of injury or strain.
|
内容加载中，请稍后...
商品评论（0条）