What is Medical Qi Gong?
Widely understood in China but little known in the West, medical qi
gong is a modality of Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM). Qi gong is a way of affecting and
directing qi, or the life force, for various kinds of benefit. Rather than
using needles, herbs, or massage, medical qi gong relies on the
ability to direct qi with the mind, the hands, or a ritual object, but
without necessarily touching the body. Like its better known counterparts
acupuncture and herbal medicine, medical qi gong requires thorough knowledge of TCM
scientific theory in order to be used skillfully. A medical qi gong practitioner should be at least as
well-trained as an acupuncturist or herbalist. To develop skill with
medical qi gong, a practitioner needs to be highly disciplined, with a
very focused mind similar to that of a well-seasoned meditator. To
practice medicine as subtle as medical qi gong, a practitioner must have
unusual abilities of subtle perception. Ideally, a medical qi gong
practitioner should also be a skilled medical intuitive
in order to make the most accurate diagnosis as well as treatment. Any
practitioner's treatment is only as good as his or her diagnosis.
Types of Qi Gong
Confusion has resulted from the fact that there are two types of qi
gong--the "internal" kind which involves exercises a person does to
balance their own qi, such as Tai Ch'i; and the "external" kind where a
practitioner learns to work directly with the qi of other people. To
confuse matters more, there is overlap and fluidity between the internal
and external types of qi gong in some forms. Tao Fawu medical qi gong
includes both external forms where a practitioner treats a client, and
internal forms where the client learns to manipulate his or her own qi for
specific medical purposes using exercises designed especially for him or
her. Tao Fawu medical qi gong is a type of "energy work" that is both
subtle and precise, refined and profoundly effective in the hands of an
accurate practitioner.
About Tao Fawu Qi Gong
Tao Fawu qi gong was created to address modern problems. The plague tradition within traditional Chinese medicine has kept TCM relevant for thousands of years, by requiring philosophers within TCM to extrapolate the theory to treat new problems, or new plagues. Heidi M. Hawkins, MAc, LAc, has studied TCM since 1991 from the point of view of applied philosophy, and co-created Tao Fawu style qi gong. Because Heidi is the only living master of Tao Fawu, her primary focus is on the teaching of other teachers and healers.
Who Can Perform Medical Qi Gong?
In the USA, medical qi gong is not licensed or regulated. This means
theoretically that anybody can do it (or say they do it). However, to
practice medical qi gong professionally and do it well requires years of
study and hard work. Choose your practitioner carefully--find someone
experienced and knowledgable. A license to do acupuncture assures you
that the practitioner has had several years of theory, but does not
guarantee that they can perform medical qi gong skillfully. Studying
acupuncture alone does not lead to an understanding or ability to practice
medical qi gong. Medical qi gong requires additional study.
As a layperson, you can learn to do medical qi gong on yourself, learning
exercises or visualizations that you can practice safely at home to
enhance your health. You can also learn to perform medical qi gong on
others, but it is recommended that you have a medical license of some kind
before doing so.
How Does Medical Qi Gong Work?
Medical qi gong strengthens and redistributes the vital energy, or "qi" of
an individual. This is the same way that acupuncture and other TCM
modalities work. The principles of treatment are the same, only the technique
varies. Medical qi gong is well suited for very sensitive people,
children, and people in frail health, but can be beneficial for absolutely
anyone. Medical qi gong involves working directly and subtly with a
person's qi in ways that are not invasive, and are safer and more gentle
than acupuncture, acupressure, or herbology. Medical qi gong can be used
to treat many subtle and spiritual conditions that cannot be treated with
acupuncture, acupressure, or herbology.
Who Can Benefit From Medical Qi Gong?
Medical qi gong has been used successfully to treat a wide variety of difficult, stubborn,
and life-threatening conditions that do not respond well to other types of
medicine. Medical qi gong has gotten a reputation for being a good
alternative treatment for cancer, as an example. Children, the elderly,
people in frail health, and highly sensitive people tend to respond better
to medical qi gong than other TCM modalities. Tao Fawu style medical qi
gong developed out of the need to treat allergies and sensitivities
painlessly, efficiently, and effectively. Tao Fawu medical qi gong
developed directly from Allergy
Relief Systems (ARS).
How Can I Learn to do Tao Fawu Medical Qi Gong?
Tao Fawu style medical qi gong--a modern style of recent
development--is taught exclusively by Heidi M. Hawkins, the co-creator and only living practitioner of this form.
This form includes performing external qi gong on the client, as
well as teaching the client to do his/her own internal qi gong using
specific visualizations tailored to the client's needs. To learn to
become a practitioner involves dedicated study and hard work. If you are
interested in learning this style, please check the class schedule, and make an appointment for assessment. If you
only want to practice medical qi gong on yourself, you can schedule an
appointment with no previous study or knowledge. To schedule an
appointment, please return to the welcome page
of this site.
External Links
Information on qi gong in general can be found on the sites for the Qi Gong Association of America or National Qi Gong Association.