Wild Goose Qigong - UK

Theory - How Wild Goose Qigong works

Yin and Yang

The principles behind Wild Goose Qigong are closely connected to Traditional Chinese Medicine. We use the acu-points and the meridians to stimulate the flow of Qi. Whilst an acupuncturist does this with needles, we can do this through movement. We are trying to balance the energy between the organs to maintain and improve the health of the body.

Just as Traditional Chinese Medicine follows the idea of balancing the Yin and the Yang inside the body, so does Qigong. But what is Yin and Yang?

The original concept of Yin and Yang is thought to based on the two sides of a mountain. Whilst the sun shines on one side, the other side is in the shade. So the sunny side is Yang and the shaded side is the opposite, Yin. We can divide most things into contrasting opposites i.e.

male - female
day - night
summer - winter
hot - cold
positive - negative
hard - soft

One cannot exist without the other. If there was no night how would we appreciate day? If we only had hot weather, how could we feel cold? In the Tao Te Ching written by Lao Tzu, it says:-

The Tao gives birth to the One: The One gives birth to the Two.

The Two gives birth to the Three - The Three gives birth to every living thing.

More Divisions

We are familiar with the Yin/Yang symbol with the dark side representing Yin and the White side representing Yang. Inside Yin is a white dot "lesser Yang" and inside Yang is a black dot "lesser Yin".

By using a line to represent yang and a broken line to represent yin, we can further divide yin and yang into 8 changes of the proportions or " Ba Gua"

Corresponding to the 8 points of the compass, these trigrams show 8 different stages of change, Going anti-clockwise from the top three full lines are Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder. The bottom three broken lines are Earth, then it is Mountain, Water and Wind.

By walking in a circle, or "walking the Bagua" we can balance the yin and the yang within our bodies.

Yin and Yang Organs

The internal organs can be divided into yin and Yang.

YIN - YANG

Heart - Small intestine

Spleen - Stomach

Lungs - Large intestine

Kidney - Urinary Bladder

Liver - Gallbladder

The yin organs are considered to be deeper and "solid" whilst the corresponding yang organs are nearer the surface and "hollow". Each organ has its own meridian which forms a linking system connecting all of the organs and allowing a means for Qi to circulate from one organ to another.

The Qi flow begins in the lungs (yin)and then moves to the large intestine (yang). From there it goes to the stomach (yang) and then to the spleen (yin). Then it moves on to the heart (yin) and the small intestine (yang). It continues to the urinary bladder (yang) and then to the kidney (yin), to the pericardium (yin) and to the triple warmer (yang). Finally it moves to the gallbladder (yang) and then to the liver (yin). Then it is back to the lungs to repeat the cycle.

Wild Goose Qigong and the Meridians

The movements of Wild Goose Qigong (Dayan Qigong) are designed to promote an orderly flow of Qi throughout the body. The movements of the 1st 64 are aimed at promoting the Qi flow through the 12 regular channel (see above) and also through the Ren Channel (conception channel) the Du Channel (Governor) the Chong Channel and the Dai Channel (belt). The Qi will flow freely from the upper to the lower parts of the body, from the front to the back, from left to right, and from the arms to the legs. The 1st 64 also dredges the meridians and can nourish the upper, middle and lower dantians.

The movements of the 2nd 64 are designed to clear the channels all over the body and to absorb more heavenly and earthly Qi, to improve the health and enhance the mental activities. They strengthen the regulating function of the meridians. This routine also produces stronger Qi fields. Over one third of the actions in the 2nd 64 are designed to absorb energy for the upper dantian and are therefore especially good for the brain. They also have an effect on the spine and the muscles and joint of the whole body. They are good for relaxing and activating the tendons and joints, and also help to prevent people from aging!