Modern Qigong has two major categories of practice, 动功 Dong Gong/Moving Practice and 静功 Jing Gong/Still Practice.
This page is an introduction to the two methods, what they are, why they are used, and how they are practiced.
Introduction:
Qigong is the most recent form of Chinese Energy Practice dating back more than 2000 years.
Just like many forms of Chinese culture such as Daoism and Chinese Medicine Qigong takes its root in the naturalistic concepts of Yin and Yang.
Read more about Yin and Yang by clicking this link and scrolling down to section 5:
The ideas of Yin and Yang have been a feature of Chinese culture for thousands of years and are believed to have originated more than 3000 years ago during the Shang Dynasty.
In a simple sense Yin refers to anything which is still, stable, dark, inert or otherwise possess similar traits.
Yang refers to anything which is moving, unstable, light, active, or possesses similar traits.
In Chinese philosophy Yin and Yang are the basis of all things in the world including the sky, earth, landforms, water, natural cycles, sun, moon, plants, animals and so on…
Yin has been described throughout much of Chinese history as 静 Jing/Still, while Yang has been described as 动 Dong/Moving.
The ideas of Jing and Dong have been applied to energetic practices for more than 1500 years if not longer, but they were best described during the Northern Song Dynasty by the Neo-Confucian Scholar Zhu Xi (1130-1200) who explained how each stage of the creation and transformation of the world and all things in it are based on varying combinations of stillness and movement.
Before that Daoism and Chinese Medicine had both developed theories around the concept related to their relative goals of spiritual liberation and treating illness respectively and by early modern times the theory of Jing and Dong were well understood and stable.
Modern Qigong uses these concepts in many ways, but the most important of which is the distinction between practices which are done while completely still (Jing) and practices which are done moving (Dong).
1: Dong Gong:
Dong Gong is the moving skill of Qigong and usually involves Dao Yin, a form of stretching and bending the body which can sometimes look like Taijiquan done while standing in place.
Dong Gong involves any skill done while the body is in motion and can be performed while standing, sitting, walking or lying down.
Examples of Dong Gong in modern Qigong practice are:
- The Eight Silk Brocades: a simple set of moving practices to open the inner body through light stretching,
- Five Animal Frolics: a set of five movements that copy the movements of animals,
- and various other routines.
Most modern Qigong styles utilize Dong Gong as a major part of their practice regime due to its ability to open the body and lead Qi through the meridians to the extremities of the arms and legs, hands and feet.
1a: the Utility of Dong Gong:
Dong Gong is mainly used for the following purposes:
- stretch the body so the muscles and other tissue relax and become supple,
- use mental intention with bodily movement to lead Qi to various locations in the body and to emit Qi from the hands into various locations in the body,
- elicit a sympathetic response during group practice sessions so Qi can be generated in the room which can be shared by students,
- to improve respiration, adjust heart rate and blood pressure,
- slow repeated exercises can calm the nervous system and help people attain tranquility,
- Dong Gong may be able to break up tension in joints, helping synovial fluid lubricate them, or even cause fresh blood to move through injured tissue in order to facilitate healing,
- and various other uses,
Jing Gong:
Jing gong is any kind of Qigong movement done while the body is totally still.
this can include pure forms of meditation, breath work, mental practice, visualization, counting, reciting mantras etc… and can be done while standing in place, sitting and lying down.
Jing Gong is abstracted from Daoist and Buddhist Meditation methods and often shares many commonalities with them.
Popular methods of Jing Gong include (but are not limited to):
- The Small Heavenly Orbit Circulation Method,
- Visualization of Inner Organs,
- Mental Body Scanning,
- Silently reciting a mantra in order to calm the mind,
- Counting the breaths,
- and more…
2a: The Utility of Jing Gong
Jing Gong is used to:
- create a calm and meditative inner atmosphere so practitioners can become tranquil,
- elicit deep relaxation through focused breathing,
- guide Qi to deep areas of the body through intention work and visualization,
- adjust the Parasympathetic Nervous System to facilitate healing,
3: How Modern Qigong uses Dong and Jing Gong
In many senses modern Qigong is a combination of Dao Yin Movement, Breath Work, Daoist Meditation and Chinese Medicine Theory.
This makes Qigong practice eclectic and multi-faceted so it is no surprise that there are many different understandings of Dong and Jing Gong among the Qigong styles.
Having said that there are some basic rules for how Dong and Jing Gong are practiced which can be summarized as:
- Dong Gong requires physical movement and usually relies on somehow causing Qi to move in the body,
- Jing Gong may be either totally still or with subtle movements that are not obvious from outside.
- The benefit of Dong Gong is largely found in the circulation of Qi and Blood around the body as well as softening, opening, lengthening and strengthening the tissues of the body.
- The benefit of Jing Gong is found in consolidating the Qi in the body and although having qualities of energetic movement should always accord to the idea of developing and storing Qi in deep parts of the body which are hard to get at with Dong Gong practice.
A more advanced approach to Dong and Jing Gong is to use them together so they can create greater benefit.
For instance, many people practice moving Qigong routines in order to move Qi and finish with a period of standing or even seated meditation in order to collect and return the Qi and Spirit to the Lower Dantian.
Daoist Dao Yin frequently uses the opposite strategy, it often begins with static seated meditations to generate Qi and clarify the Spirit, then simple but powerful movements are added in seated and lying down postures. Dao Yin methods such as the Xiao Yaozi Dao Yin Formula use this static to moving strategy but always bring the attention back to stillness at the end of practice.
There are many ways to practice Jing and Dong Gong, but whichever you choose you should work on maintaining a balance between them so you can get the most benefit from each and avoid overuse.
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