Introduction of Qigong and Ba Duan Jin

Dianne Bailey is an accomplished Tai Chi instructor and entrepreneur. She has studied the health Qigong and Ba Duan Jin from me and certified as an instructor of Ba Duan Jin. She wrote an article that introduces Qigong in plain English. Hopefully, this shades some light for many to start understanding the profound healing art. — Violet Li

Dianne Bailey, CSCS

Qigong is an ancient healing art that originated in China and it literally means “energy work.” Qi means life energy or bio-electricity, and Gong means work. It seeks to balance out the energies that we all have in our bodies utilizing what traditional Chinese medicine calls the meridian system.  You have probably heard of Yin and Yang and have seen this circular symbol. These energies represent opposites such as cold/hot, weak/strong, depressed/exhilarated, etc.  These are actually relative terms to each other, not absolutes, but you can easily understand that for ultimate health, one needs to keep them in balance.  It’s not good for your body to remain angry all the time, or be sad and withdrawn.  The meridians are associated with different organs or systems in your physical body such as the liver, stomach, kidneys and the cardiovascular system with the heart and lungs.  Qigong movements are created to help these organs and systems to function optimally by balancing out and keeping your energies flowing.

The different methods of Qigong include breath work, guiding the qi, tapping or cupping and meditation. There are also many different kinds of energy work – yoga, Reiki, Tai Chi, acupuncture, and massage can all be considered Qigong. You can categorize them into three sections:  Medical Qigong, Martial Qigong and Health Qigong.  You can think of acupuncture, cupping and scraping as Medical forms of Qigong while Martial Qigong includes soft styles such as Tai Chi and hard styles such as Kung Fu.  Health Qigong focuses on overall relaxation and learning to breathe deeply and guiding the “qi” or energy through the body.  Think of a stagnant pond.  It is unhealthy and quite literally stinks because it has no movement or flow. We don’t want our bodies to be stagnant.  Health qigong will help open up your body and keep everything flowing including the blood, fluids, oxygen and life energy.

We know that the Chinese have been practicing Qigong for thousands of years.  There are artifacts (vases, bowls, etc.) that depict movements that have been passed down as helping with certain ailments.  Probably the first written treatise for medical Qigong is the ”Inner Cannon of the Yellow Emperor” written somewhere around 111 CE and it is the basis for traditional Chinese medicine today.

The 8 Sections of the Brocade offers many benefits and can be done by almost anyone. Those with common conditions such as arthritis, hypertension, depression and trouble sleeping will find benefit.  It is also good for those with heart and pulmonary problems, bone health issues, cancer and fibromyalgia. While the traditional form is done standing, there is a seated version for those who are confined to a wheelchair and those who may not have the strength or balance to practice it standing yet created by my teacher Master Violet Li. Because of the simplicity of the movements, the 8 Sections of the Brocade is a very safe routine for people of all ages and physical and mental abilities.

There are thousands of different forms of Qigong. One of the most well known and most accessible forms is called the 8 Sections of the Brocade or Ba Duan Jin in Chinese. The Ba Duan Jin was created about 800 years ago during the Song dynasty and was recorded by Hong Mai in his work, “Yi Jian Zhi.”  One saying was the exercises were meant to keep the soldiers healthy with simple movements that kept their bodies supple by taming inflammation and opening up the meridian channels to remove stagnation while the other saying was it was created for the Emperor and the royal family.  While these movements might be created for soldiers, the Ba Duan Jin is not a Martial Qigong like Tai Chi.  The movements in Tai Chi have martial arts applications and is a method for addressing an opponent.  The Ba Duan Jin is much easier to learn and targets specific areas of health in the body.  Tai Chi forms are usually put together in a prescribed sequence whereas Qigong can be done focusing on whatever is important to help the practitioners with their health.  

The 8 sections of the Brocade were passed down verbally through the years so many different interpretations of these movements occurred.  In 2003, the Chinese Health Qigong Association took on the task of trying to standardize the 8 movements.  They studied the original writings and considered the intent and purpose for each of the movements with the advice from prominent Qigong masters as well as Chinese medicine doctors.  It was important to keep the original health benefits and focus. When they completed their study, they organized meetings of Qigong masters around the world to teach people this standardized version.  

When you learn and experience the different movements of the Brocade, different specific health benefits are addressed with each movement.  This will help you understand the movement and help your mind focus, which will enhance the intended benefit.  These statements of benefits are not medical guarantees, however.  If we are focusing on the kidneys, for example in the movement called “Two hands touch the toes to Strengthen the Kidneys and Waist,” we are not promising the elimination of any existing kidney disease or malfunction.  The movement is meant to stimulate the kidney meridian and encourage energy flow and potentially improve your overall health.  Your eyes will receive benefit in the movement, “Clench the Fists and Glare Fiercely,” but we are not guaranteeing you will be able to get rid of your glasses! 

As you do the 8 different movements in the Ba Duan Jin, you will feel gentle stretching that will help your spine, shoulders, lower back and neck.  You will open up your chest to help your lungs and heart.  You will help your body relieve emotional stress and tension and stimulate the liver, kidneys, gallbladder and stomach to help reduce inflammation and encourage detoxification.  You will actually be strengthening muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones so your structure will be stronger and healthier as well.

There is also one method of Qigong that goes beyond the breathing and guiding of the Qi.  It is called “Yang Sheng” and is translated loosely as “life nurturing.”  This means that your lifestyle is conducive to health.  You focus on getting enough sleep, the right nutrients, reducing or eliminating the use of drugs and/or alcohol and incorporating the right kind of exercises, including cardiovascular work, strength work, flexibility work and energy work or Qigong.  This “life nurturing” is really what your body craves for optimal functioning, so including Qigong is much more than just doing a few exercises in the morning.  

Here are some pictures of the 8 sections of the Brocade and a video so you can get a feel for the simplicity of these movements.  You do want to find a qualified instructor, however, to help you really learn these movements correctly so you can get the intended benefits.  Once you learn the Brocade, you can do this simple form 2 or 3 times each day and hopefully you will begin to experience how “energy work” can help you live a healthier, happier life!

About the Author: Dianne Bailey, CSCS, Functional Aging Specialist, Tai Chi instructor and fourth-degree black belt of Taekwondo, is the owner of The Conditioning Classroom, a private personal training studio in Denver, Colorado that has served the mature population since 2006. She has also created an online training program called Open the Door to Tai Chi that equips people to begin to teach Tai Chi. Dianne is a frequent presenter at fitness conferences and is the author of several books. You can find out more about her at www.taichisystem.com and reach her at Dianne@taichisystem.com.