Qigong
Qi Gong (Chinese: ch'i-kung), also known as Chigong in common German, is a Chinese form of meditation, concentration and movement for the cultivation of body and mind.
This also includes martial arts exercises. The practice includes breathing exercises, physical and movement exercises, concentration exercises and meditation exercises. According to their followers, the exercises are intended to enrich and harmonize the Qi.
The origins of the exercises go back a long time; certain forms are already suggested in the Zhuangzi, and there are silk pictures from the Han Dynasty period. The name Qigong was first used by the Jin-period Daoist Xu Xun and has since referred to certain martial arts exercises. In the history of China, this practice has always played a major role as health care, but was also used for religious and spiritual purposes, especially in Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, and was passed down in monasteries.
However, the term Qigong for these exercises has only been used since the 1950s of the 20th century, and the different styles of Qigong are partly completely new developments, but are based on traditions that are thousands of years old. In the 1950s, the name Qigong used for these health exercises by the doctor Liu Guizhen, who used ancient traditional techniques in his work to promote and stabilize the body's energy balance and to treat illnesses.
