About Tai Chi and Qi Gong

by Master Bing YeYoung

Note from Steve Phillips: I am very pleased that
Bing YeYoung has agreed to contribute an
article on Tai Chi and Qi Gong to the
Acupuncture Healing Arts website. I had wanted
to have such an article for a long time but did
not feel qualified to write it myself. My
qualifications are in the fields of acupuncture
and herbal medicine. I have never been more
than a student of Tai Chi and Qi Gong. I am
happy that a Tai Chi and Qi Gong teacher of
Bings stature lives and teaches here in
Sacramento. I have referred many of my
patients to him, and they have all been
impressed with his knowledge, compassion and
teaching skills.
I have asked Bing to write this article as an
introduction to Tai Chi and Qi Gong including
footnotes that go into greater detail, accessible
through the links in the article.
A brief biography of Master YeYoung follows
the article, which should be of interest to anyone
who might be considering studying Tai Chi or
Qi Gong with him here in Sacramento. He lives
in downtown Sacramento and can be reached by
phone at (916) 498-9879 or by email at d.
yeyoung@sbcglobal.net
Steve Phillips, Sacramento, March 2005
In the twenty-first century, with all our technical and
ecological accomplishments, we continue to be reminded
sometimes mockinglythat human ingenuity cannot
replace the healing wisdom of nature. This
disenchantment, however, is accompanied by a growing
senseamong scientists, physicians, and people who
share a far-reaching view of the worldthat much of the
knowledge we keenly search for is already known to us,
entrenched in the forgotten and misunderstood traditions
of the distant past.
The Chinese healing methods of Qi Gong and Tai Chi play
an indispensable role in reviving the healing traditions of
our ancestors because for centuries they have used the
wisdom of nature to nourish and harmonize human life.
Unfortunately, only part of this treasure chest of
knowledge has so far been introduced to the Western world. It is my mission to increase the
transmission of this knowledge from East to West and to help my students to achieve a higher
state of health and tranquility.
What is Qi Gong?
Qi Gong is the practice of learning to control the movement of the life force (qi or chi)
internally by using the mind to direct energy in the body. Some Qi Gong exercises coordinate
the breath with simple movement, while some involve no movement. Qi Gong, which literally
translates as working with the energy of life force, is an integrated body-mind-spirit healing
method that has been practiced with remarkable results in China for more than two thousand
years. It has long been treasured for its effectiveness both in spiritual cultivation, healing and
preventing disease. The fundamental value of Qi Gong is to increase the bodys life-force or qi,
and to improve its circulation throughout the system. Once the qi flows freely and evenly, the
body heals and restores itself naturally, efficiently, and consistently. Thus, emotional balance
and physical health are improved and maintained.
More recently Qi Gong has been used in conjunction with modern medicine to cure cancer,
immune system disorders, and other life-threatening conditions. The benefits of Qi Gong are
obvious in those who practice it correctly. These exuberant individuals sleep more soundly;
feel increased strength and heightened sexuality, and in their mind-body-spirit they achieve the
harmony of true health.
What is Tai Chi?
Tai Chi is actually a type of Qi Gong because it involves using the mind and breath to control
the movement of energy in the body. It is different from the meditative Qi Gong described
above in the sense that it involves more complicated movements that also have applications in
the martial arts. Hence it is classified as a dynamic type of Qi Gong. The movements of Tai
Chi can be done slowly for health purposes, or quickly for self defense. Tai Chi can be done
safely by people of all ages, and regular practice of it promotes mental tranquility, as well as
physical strength and flexibility well into old age.
Tai Chi is an abridged name of Tai Ji Quan. Tai Chi translates literally as the Great Polarities
of Yin and Yang, while Quan means fist, balance. Tai Chi belongs to the dynamic Qi
Gong category vs. meditative Qi Gong category. It is comprised of three components: (1) the
I Ching and Yin Yang Five-phase theories, (2) Taoist healing, breathing techniques and
Chinese medicine as its internal means, and (3) the best of Chinese combat techniques as its
external means.
Tai Chi is one of the most advanced Chinese martial art forms. Its fundamental structure is
based on combat and self-defense moves. Since Tai Chi belongs to the Qi Gong category,
the emphasis on the internal energy circulation often gives Tai Chi a meditative appeal.
However, the slow form practice could be deceiving. Tai Chis essential approach to a better qi
circulation, or removing qi blockage in order to heal and restore emotional balance and
physical health, like that of Qi Gong, is still just one side of the story.
How do Qi Gong and Tai Chi help or improve ones well-being?
Three blocks lay the theoretic foundation of Qi Gong: the Taoist philosophy, the Chinese
cosmology including the Yin and Yang and Five-phase theory, and Chinese medicine.
However, the essential Qi Gong techniques combine focused visualization and mental
concentration with balanced breathing in a controlled way. Some Qi Gong exercises involve
coordinating the breathing and concentration with simple movements. Others involve no
movement at all.
The idea of qi is a very ancient Chinese discovery. The close and explicit modern account for
qi could be the idea of field that we find in modern physics. As Einstein remarks: Regard
matter as being constituted by the regions of space in which the field is extremely intense
there is no place in this new kind of physics for both the field and matter, for the field is the only
reality. All living beings survive and prosper by this field, or qi, the energy or force of life.
There is no good or bad field, by any moral standard, in the same way that there is no
absolute good or bad qi. Rather, there is only the harmonized qi that circulates in a living
body and supports life. Thus, the human body requires a harmonized circulation of qi.
When qi is blocked within the body system, according to Chinese thought, then the body
manifests emotional imbalance or physical sickness. When the qi is blocked, it builds up where
it may not be needed or wanted, much like too much water will overflow a riverbed and flood
into surrounding areas. Because of this build-up in the wrong area, other parts of the body do
not receive sufficient qi. Once there is an imbalance of qi flow, the entire body will be affected
and disease will result and then, ultimately, illness and death.
The fundamental value of Qi Gong is to improve qi circulation, and help the body to remove the
qi blockages and increase the flow of qi throughout the system. Once the qi flows freely and
evenly, the body heals and restores itself naturally, efficiently, and consistently. Thus,
emotional balance and physical health are maintained.
How may one learn Qi Gong or Tai Chi?
One may learn Qi Gong and Tai qi any number of ways, through courses and classes.
However, to save your time and energy, or get the maximum benefits within minimum time, it
would always be better to find a Lineage-Master or Sifu, not just any skillful, or recognized
Master or Shifu. Working with a Lineage Master can assist you in learning the essential and
accurate exercises in the shortest amount of time and with the highest rate of success.
Many cultural practices of China have long been veiled in a tradition of secrecy. The practice of
Qi Gong and Tai Chi was one of them. The essential principles and rational were often omitted
from public teaching and were known only to the Lineage Masters of the various styles and
their lineage disciples. A rubric of the oral tradition of Tai Chi illustrates the traditional secrecy
of the cultural bias: I will teach you Quan (external form, movements and techniques), but not
Gong (the essential foundation and principles).
Master YeYoung is a teacher and scholar on China and Tibet. Born into the
Royal Family of the Ming Dynasty, he was raised in the Literati Tradition of
literature and poetry, painting and calligraphy, and the Chinese esoteric
practices of I Ching, Feng Shui, divination, and Qi Gong meditation by his
grandfather, a revered Taoist Sage and I Ching Master, and his father, a Taoist
Master and Chinese medical doctor. Master YeYoung received the exclusive
Chen Family Tai Chi teaching from Kong Tong Master Chi Youren, and the
grand master, and the tenth lineage holder Chen Zhaokui of Chen Family. He
also received the lineage teachings and transmissions of the high Tantra
practice from the Tibetan Sakya Khon Family, and the Confucian Nei Gong
medicine school. He is now the Patriarch of YeYoung tradition and the lineage
holder of Kong Tong school, the Eleventh Generation Master of the internal
transmission of Chen family Tai Chi, the lineage carried on and taught by Chen Changxin, Chen Fake, and
Chen Zhaokui. After the 1989 Tianamen Square Massacre, Master YeYoung resigned his job as a
university professor in Asian Humanities in China. He and his wife, Pema, spent nine years taking long
retreats in Tibet and China before they settled in Sacramento, California, three years ago. His mission is to
make the knowledge he has acquired accessible to his students.
Email: d.yeyoung@sbcglobal.net Phone: (916) 498-9879
Notes:
Qi Gong: Qi Gong (also spelled chi gong or chi gung, and pronounced chee kung) is also
called Nei Gong (internal breathing work), Tu Nai (breathing in-and-out work), Dao Yin
(directing the internal energy), Xing Qi (circulating qi), and Zuo Chan (sitting meditation).
Qi is the Chinese word for life energy and for the energy one senses in the universe. A
living being survives by qi. Hence, human health requires that qi in the body be clear, rather
than polluted and turbid, and flowing smoothly, like a streamnot blocked or stagnant. Gong
means work or reimbursements acquired through perseverance and practice. Therefore, Qi
Gong is working with the life energy, and energy in the universe; learning how to control the
flow and distribution of qi to improve the health and harmony of the body, mind, and spirit, both
within and with ones surroundings.
Qi Gong techniques are divided into two general categories: Dong Gong, the dynamic Qi
Gong, and Jing Gong, the meditative Qi Gong. Dynamic Qi Gong includes physical
movements; the entire body moves from one posture to another, or a posture is held while the
four limbs move through various positions. Tai Chi is an example of a dynamic Qi Gong. In
meditative Qi Gong, the entire body is still. The qi is controlled by mental concentration,
visualization, and precise methods of breathing. There is not one style or school of Qi Gong,
but many hundreds. All are based on common principles of balance (yin yang and the five
elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), relaxation, breathing, and posture. Their
names range from animals to legendary figures, mountains to plants, and philosophies to
human organs. The YeYoung Qi Gong method adheres to the traditional Chinese methods,
focusing on the teachings of unbroken lineages through physical empowerments and oral
transmissions. The techniques of Ye Young Qi Gong are now available to Westerners for the
first time. It is taught in detailed postures, and is coordinated with breathing techniques to
enable you to focus on the working of your inner world and subtle body.
Tai Chi: an abridged name of Tai Ji Quan. Tai Chi was established by Chen Wangting of the
Chen family in Chen Jia Gou village of Wen county, Henan province, China in the early 1600.
Not until the fourteenth generation Tai Chi lineage holder Chen Changxin (1771-1853) taught
the Tai Chi techniques to the first non-Chen family student Yang Luchan (the founder of the
Yang Style Tai Chi), then the Chen lineage holder Chen Qingping (1795-1868) taught Wu
Yuxiang (the founder of the Wu Style Tai Chi), Tai Chi had always been practiced and passed
on inside of the Chen family. Yang Luchan made to the first lineage holder of the Yang Style
Tai Chi. The Tai Chi Styles of He, Wu, and Sun were also branched out of the original Chen
Style Tai Chi. The 48 position Chen Style Tai Chi taught by Master YeYoung emphasizes the
lineage teaching of the 83 original positions from the revered seventeenth generation, the ninth
Chen family style lineage holder and Grand Master Chen Fake (1887-1957), and his son,
Grand Master Chen Zhaokui (1928-1980), the eighteenth generation, tenth lineage holder. This
Tai Chi technique embodies the best method to enhance both of the internal and external
energy flows.