Chao Chen

Abstract：This article presents an investigative study that collected information on the reactions of qigong practitioners during their practice. It confirms that qigong training can improve the central nervous system, neuroendocrine system, respiratory system, and motor system, resulting in relaxation of the mind and body, increased energy, and a sense of joy and peace. Through the statistical analysis of data, it establishes an evaluation standard of Qigong practice effect for beginners and advanced practitioners.

Keywords：Qigong Practice reactions Efficacy evaluation

Chinese qigong is a kind of qitraining practice with a long history. The practice of qigong is quite broad, and it has had many names such as: ‘sitting in oblivion’, ‘sitting meditation’, ‘meditative absorption’, ‘moving qi’, ‘regulating qi’, and ‘guiding and leading’. It is a shining pearl in the treasure house of Chinese culture and medicine. From a modern perspective, qi is energy, which is usually divided into innate (or congenital) qi and acquired qi. Innate qi comes from the combination of the parents’ genetic material and the universal energy field, such as true qi, primordial qi etc.; acquired qi comes from the natural clear qi of breathing and the essence of water and grain in diet, such as Zongqi (gathering qi), nutritive qi, etc. Qigong is a method of exercising the mental and physical energy of the body. It is related to techniques such as Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness, and SelfHypnosis. It can play an important role in health care, rehabilitative medicine, and the development of human potential. ‘Qigong practice reaction’ refers to the sensations and phenomena that qigong practitioners experience during or after qigong practice, narrowly defined, it is also called “qi sensation”. This feeling of qi is an individual’s subjective feeling, and this can manifest quite differently from one person to the next. In the received tradition of qigong, qi sensations usually include pain, itching, warmth, coolness, lightness, heaviness, looseness, tightness, numbness, twitching, etc. and are also used as indicators to judge the effectiveness of a student’s Qigong practice. However, different Qigong masters and schools may have different criteria and standards for evaluating these sensations.

Qigong education is an important part of TCM education. How to train qigong students and evaluate the students’ practice level are the responsibility of qigong teachers. Due to the subjectivity and individuality of sensations, it is difficult to conduct objective and precise experimental verification. In this study, basic information on practice reactions was obtained through a survey of practitioners, and the data was processed through statistical analysis. The aim is to establish a more precise standard for evaluating the effectiveness of Qigong practice for students.

General Information

Research objects: 34 qigong students, All Americans.

Gender: 13 males; 21 females.

Age distribution: The participants were from 26-9 years old. 9 participants were under 40 years old, 25 participants were over 40 years old.

Practice background: 24 were beginners; 10 were experienced practitioners.

Research Methods

All students have learned relaxation exercises, foundation building exercises, strengthening exercises, Zhoutian exercises, standing posture exercises, moving exercises, etc., for two months. At the end of the Qigong workshop, a questionnaire was distributed to each participant, to avoid the suggestion effect in advance.

In the questionnaire, 22 kinds of Qigong practice reactions are listed for students to choose: 1. Tension; 2. Relaxation; 3. Soreness; 4. Itching; 5. Lightness; 6. Heaviness; 7. Warmth/Heat sensation; 8. Cool sensation; 9. Numbness; 10. Muscle twitching; 11. Slight sweating; 12. Increased saliva; 13. Enhanced vitality; 14. Increased appetite; 15. Improved sleep; 16. Improved mood; 17. Pleasure; 18. Brightness; 19. Expansion; 20. Contraction; 21. Emptiness; 22. Spontaneous movement.

Each type of sensation was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 3, 1 being mild, 2 moderate, or 3 for a strong sensation. The data was then collected and statistically analyzed.

Result Analysis

一、 All analysis of the practice reactions of the beginning qigong practitioners:

1.More than 70% of practitioners experienced feelings of relaxation, joy, lightness, spontaneous movement, increased saliva, and warmth.

2.50%69% of practitioner’s experienced increased energy, muscle twitching, improved mood, bright light sensation, sweating, heaviness, numbness, tension, improved sleep, hollow sensation, and itching.

3.15%49% of the practitioners experienced sensations such as soreness, coolness, increased appetite, or sensations of expansion or contraction. Among them, more than onethird of the beginners experienced the following strong reactions:

(1) Relaxation: 91.7% (2) Warmth: 44.1% (3) Pleasure: 41.7% (4) Spontaneous movement: 41.7% (5) Lightness: 33.3% (6) Improved sleep: 33.3%.

For detailed analysis, see ［Table 1］:

【Table 1】 Analysis of the Reactions of Beginner Qigong Practitioners during Practice

二、 Comparison of Exercise Reactions between the beginners and Experienced Groups in Qigong

Through the comparison of the practice reactions between the group of beginners and the group of experienced practitioners in Qigong, and statistical analysis, it was found that there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of form, qi, and mind. 〖JP2〗Experienced practitioners had significantly less tension and soreness in their bodies when practicing, their energy was significantly enhanced, and they experienced a strong sense of brightness and improved mood. They also experienced a sense of emptiness, expansion, or contraction in their bodies. A detailed analysis can be found in 【Table 2】: the first row in each item represents the data of the beginner group, the second row represents the data of the experienced group, the third row represents the overall data of the two groups, and the fourth row represents the statistical results.

【Table 2】 The Comparison of the Practice Reactions between the Group of Beginners and the Group of Experienced Practitioners in Qigong

* There is a significant difference in the practice responses between two groups

Qigong belongs to the field of mindbody science. The three essential elements of qigong practice are regulating the mind, regulating the breath, and regulating the body. Through the regulation of posture, breathing and thoughts, the body undergoes a series of changes, resulting in special feelings and phenomena. From the perspective of modern medicine, the following systems play a particularly important role in qigong practice: the central nervous system, neuroendocrine system, neuromuscular system, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and the respiratory system.

The first step in Qigong practice is to relax the body and have no external worries. During Qigong practice, the rhythm of breathing slows down, the cycle becomes longer, the range becomes larger, and the depth of meditation deepens. Practitioners gradually release anxiety and stress, and experience a feeling of relaxation and lightness throughout the body. At the same time, saliva secretion increases, which is due to the upanddown movement of the tongue during breathing exercises stimulating the salivary glands. Additionally, abdominal breathing stimulates gastrointestinal activity, which reflexively stimulates saliva secretion.Relaxation of the body and mind, and increased saliva secretion can indicate that the central nervous system has improved the regulation of the endocrine and muscular systems. The second step is to warm and induce sweating over the whole body or a part of the body. Due to concentration of the mind, deep breathing, and relaxation of the body, peripheral blood vessels dilate, causing an increase in skin temperature. Research has shown that in experienced practitioners, blood flow to the area of concentration can increase by about 30%, and skin temperature can increase by 23 degrees Celsius. The third step is an increase in vitality and muscle twitching. As a result of the improved blood circulation and metabolism, the practitioner will feel relaxed, energetic, with a healthy complexion and shiny skin after the practice. When the vitality and energy increase, practitioners will also experience a brighter sensation throughout their body and surroundings. The fourth step is an improvement in emotions, leading to a state of joy and peace. Qigong exercise brings joy to practitioners and maintains a good mood. The sense of happiness and positive emotions come from the following three aspects: 1) relief of stress caused by body relaxation; 2) a new balance in the central nervous system and the neuroendocrine system; 3) the accumulation and regulation of energy leads to the formation of new order in brain function. Therefore, the initial achievements of Qigong practice can be measured by the following reactions to exercise: (1) feeling relaxed, light, and spontaneous movement; (2) warmth, slight sweating, and increased salivation; (3) increased vitality, muscle twitching, and a sense of brightness; (4) feeling joyful, improved mood, and better sleep.

If the practitioner experiences the above sensations, it indicates that they have achieved the initial effects of practicing Qigong, which involves refining essence to transform into energy, and transforming energy into spirit through adjusting the body, breath, and mind. But how can we tell if a practitioner has reached a higher level of cultivation? According to the data analysis of this study, the following Qigong effects can be used to measure it:

(1) Strong physical and mental relaxation ability and unobstructed Qi circulation

Beginners of Qigong learn and experience a sense of relaxation and ease. However, they still experience body soreness, the feeling of muscle tightness while practicing. However, highlevel practitioners have strong qi and blood and unobstructed veins, so they seldom feel soreness and tightness in their bodies.

(2) Strong ability of converting essence into Qi and intense light sensation

Qigong beginners will also feel increased energy and light body, but these feelings are mild and unstable. Advanced practitioners can feel a strong and stable increase in vitality and a sense of light. These lights may appear as flashing lights in front of their eyes, or lightninglike sensations inside their bodies. Sometimes it feels like a ball of light, shining brightly through the spine into the brain, or a feeling of being immersed in moonlight throughout the body.

(3) Strong emotion regulation ability and happiness and tranquility

Emotion is a relatively longlasting emotional state, usually in two types, positive and negative. Negative emotions include stress, depression, anxiety, and mania, etc. The main experience of qigong beginners when practicing is physical relaxation, pressure relief, and a happy and peaceful mood. But this feeling usually doesn’t last. In the advanced stage, experienced practitioners can improve negative emotions and enter a state of joy and tranquility. Qigong is the kung fu of training the mind and consciousness, and it is a technique for exercising the brain. The functional state of qigong is a special state of meditation in the brain. Electroencephalography (EEG) studies have shows that practicing Qigong strengthens the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain; the energy intensity increases significantly; the dominant frequency of EEG decreases from alpha to theta frequency, and shifts from the occipital to the frontal and temporal regions.

(4) Powerful highdimensional meditation ability and harmony between man and nature

The human brain is divided into left brain (left hemisphere) and right brain (right hemisphere). The left brain is the rational brain, in charge of language, writing, analysis, mathematics, logic, reasoning, etc. It converts the senses of the five sense organs into language information for processing and transmission, which is related to conscious consciousness. The right brain is the perceptual brain, in charge of music, rhythm, emotion, drawing, imagination, creation, etc. It controls the autonomic nervous system and cosmic fluctuation resonance, etc., and is related to the subconscious mind. The right brain of ordinary people is controlled and suppressed by the rationality of the left brain, making it difficult to fully utilize its potential. Qigong training strengthens the connection between the left brain and the right brain, and develops the imagination and creativity potential of the right brain. Brain waves and cosmic waves resonate, and practitioners can experience the feeling of “unity between man and nature”. When the real qi is unblocked, the capillaries expand, and every part of the body feels full and swollen, and the practitioner feels that the body has become abnormally tall. When the true qi enters the dantian from the outside, the practitioner will feel that his body is very small. When the real qi circulates to the area of the brain governing space, or the real qi becomes very strong and exceeds the sensory threshold, the practitioner will experience the transparent feeling of “gravitylessness”. These are the results of Qigong exercise to develop the potential of the human body.

Conclusion

The reactions to qigong practice are not mysterious. Even beginners can experience these effects through shortterm training. Of the 22 qigong reactions, over half of qigong practitioners experience feelings of relaxation, joy, lightness, spontaneous movement, increased saliva, and warmth. Other reactions include increased vitality, muscle twitching, improved mood, light perception, sweating, heaviness, numbness, tension, improved sleep, transparency, and itching. Among them, more than onethird of qigong beginners can experience the following strong reactions: relaxation, warmth, joy, spontaneous movement, lightness, improved sleep, muscle twitching, and increased saliva. Based on statistical analysis, the following reactions can be used as standards to evaluate the initial achievements of qigong practice:

1.Physical changes: relaxation, lightness, increased saliva.

2.Qi changes: warmth, muscle twitching, increased vitality.

3.Mental changes: improved mood and sleep.

Higher achievements in qigong practice can be evaluated based on the following reactions:

(1) Extremely relaxed body, without soreness or tension.

(2) Full of energy and vitality, able to perceive strong bright light.

(3) Improved and stable emotional state, feeling joy, peace, and tranquility.

(4) Powerful meditation ability, able to feel the unity of nature and man.

This study confirms that qigong training can indeed reduce stress, decrease anxiety and increase happiness; enhance vitality and immunity; improve sleep and emotions; and enhance imagination and creativity. It can promote human health, happiness and tranquility, and is a traditional technique for developing the potential of the mind and body, as well as a remarkable therapy for health preservation and disease prevention.

Authors:

Chao Chen M.D.，Acupuncturist in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

References

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(5) Chao Chen, EEG changes in Qigong state, New York: Lecture materials of the 4th World Congress of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1996