Master Mingtong Gu brings an ancient mind-body wisdom to the West.
With roots in Chinese medicine, Qigong (pronounced “chee-gung”) is the practice of harmonizing qi, a concept that best translates to “life energy.” Chinese medicinal wisdom tells us that this subtle energy is everywhere. Utilizing it for your own benefit though, takes practice. Qigong combines movement, breath, and meditation to harness this energy and achieve greater balance and energy throughout the body.
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Mingtong Gu, a Qigong teacher who trained under Grandmasters in China and at the world’s largest Qigong hospital. Originally from a small village in China, Mingtong traveled a long and often difficult path to reach the point where he is today. Having cured his own chronic asthma through the healing practice of Qigong, he is dedicated to helping his students achieve greater health.
When Master Gu told me of the profound positive changes he has seen in his students over the years, I found it difficult to grasp how Qigong promotes healing. I began a full-day workshop in San Rafael, California, home of Master Gu’s Chi Center. When I started the simple, yet challenging pattern of movements and breaths, my body was flooded by a sense of both calm and exhaustion. My senses were elevated and I felt a heightened stiffness in my muscles but also a deeper awareness of them. Qigong activated a different state of being, a transition from a “fight or flight” state of mind to a calmer place. Perhaps it is in this other place where healing is possible. A place where the body can activate its own intuitive power to mend and correct imbalances.
The positive effects of Qigong on mental and physical health have been well documented in China for many years. In the west, where the mind and body are generally seen as separate entities and there is no biomedical way to explain the concept of qi, the benefits of the teachings are more controversial. However, the basis of Qigong can be explained in contemporary western health terms by using concepts such as biofeedback and neurology. Traditionally the teachings of Qigong have been esoteric, guarded, and passed down through select student lineages. Now, thanks to teachers like Master Gu, Qigong is practiced by millions around the world.
By Sam Rosenzweig
Learn more about Wisdom Healing Qigong and Master Gu at www.chicenter.com
I practice Qigong daily with a group of people on Skype and find it very beneficial in my healing from an arthritic auto-immune disease. My body is much stronger, more limber and my mind clearer than when I started practicing a little over a year ago. I now see pain as the body’s signal that healing change is taking place and, as I place my attention on it, healing chi flows to it bringing about healing; not always instantaneous healing, it is healing over time just like prescription medicines, but without the negative side effects. Thank you for publishing this fine article so that more people will be motivated to learn how to heal themselves.
Having studied, practiced and taught chinese martial and meditative arts for the past 25 years and, particularly having studied with teachers internationally ranked, people need to know that no one in the chinese arts self names themselves “master.” Ever. The use of that term is a red flag that the teacher isn’t of sound integrity. It is considered arrogant and egotistical. And I studied with a woman ranked 7th in the world in tai chi who would never dream of using some false honorific like this man.
I began practicing Wisdom Healing Qigong seeking relief from a devastating pain syndrome that was threatening to overtake my life. Within 5 months I was virtually pain free and in less than a year, I was off all pain medication and am still pain free. I feel happy, joyous and FREE. I study with Master Mingtong Gu, who was awarded 2011 World Qigong Master of the Year by the 13th World Qigong Congress. He is joyous and humble and encourages all his students to address him by his first name. To paraphrase Dr. Oz, “…if you want to live to be 100, do Qigong.”