Qigong, also spelled ch’i kung, is made up of two Chinese words: Qi (pronounced “chee”) refers to life force or vital energy; it literally is internal energy, often called bioelectricity, or breath-blood energy; it’s both nutritive and defensive, both yin and yang, formulated of air and food and essence. It is also the vibration that is the source of both change and continuance. Gong (pronounced “goong”) means work or effort, accomplishment or skill cultivated through steady practice. Together, qi + gong refers to any practice intended to restore, circulate, balance, or enhance personal life energy. It is an ancient Chinese health care system, an art of mindful exercise that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques, and focused intention; it is the cultivation of internal energy for various purposes: health or healing, martial power, enlightenment. Taijiquan is a form of qigong.

Qigong practiced by individuals to improve their own health and well-being is known as “internal qigong.” A practitioner of “external qigong,” also known as medical qigong therapy or qi healing, uses the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to heal others.

Jay Dunbar, PhD, has been practicing qigong and taijiquan since 1975. He will demonstrate three styles of taijiquan (t’ai-chi) and lead us in some taiji and both external and internal qigong exercises—some designed specifically to strengthen “guardian qi” for winter. And, with a volunteer from the audience, he will conduct a qi healing session: sensing qi blockages, combing them out of the body, and sending qi into specific points on the body to restore health and balance. Healing must occur on an energetic level before a physical problem can truly be corrected, he says. He will also discuss the principles of traditional Chinese medicine on which these practices are based.

Dr. Dunbar is the founder and director of the Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School (www.MagicTortoise.com), based in Chapel Hill, NC. His primary teacher was the late Master Jou Tsung Hwa, but he has studied with many others, including Dr. Yang Jwing Ming and Master Liang Shou Yu. His mentor in qigong therapy and qi healing is Lisa B. O’Shea, director of the Qigong Institute of Rochester, NY. He has offered courses and workshops in many settings, including Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, the Kripalu Center, the N.Y. Open Center, and the American Dance Festival. He was technical editor of Tai Chi for Dummies (Hungry Minds, 2001), and he wrote the foreword to Exploring Tai Chi by John Loupos (YMAA, 2003). He is on the Board of Advisers of the United States Kuoshu Federation and serves as USKSF Director of Taijiquan. His PhD is in Education from UNC.

This Month's Angel Door Prize
A 90-minute Qigong therapy session from Jay Dunbar—a $65 value!