Qigong Meditation

This is usually translated as Work or Cultivation. Some healers call themselves ‘energy workers.’ Cultivation is a common term for meditative, energetic exercises, one that is used in farming as an effective metaphor. To cultivate a plant is to plan, water, weed, prune, and then harvest. Cultivating Qi requires many aspects as well, a comprehensive…

Why is Qigong spelled with a Q? Qi is pronounced ‘Chee’. English speakers often ask why it is spelled with a ‘Q.’ The enormous task of converting Chinese characters to alphabet was attempted by western missionaries in the 1800s. A system known as ‘Wade-Giles’ was popular in academia for a time, but it was far…

I started learning Qigong in 1992. It was just after my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. My first teacher, Chen Hui-Xian, was herself a cancer survivor who thrived on Qigong as part of her recovery. My father was enthusiastic for my practice; it was one of the few things he ever encouraged me to…