Replenishing Your Energy
with Bioenergetics:
Health Qigong
(Jiankang Qigong)
Dr. Charles P. Beaupré
Ph.D., Educational Psychology
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Charles Beaupré
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Introduction to Bioenergetics
Chapter 2 - Principles of Jiankang Qigong Exercises
Chapter 3 - Jiankang Qigong Exercises
References
Chapter 1 - Introduction to Bioenergetics
The theme for this book stems from several years of discovery, both professionally and personally, relating to fascinating phenomena in our world. One such phenomenon is subtle energy and our ability to enhance it within our systems. I have been working with one form of ‘energy enhancement’ called Jiankang Qigong for over ten years now, and have come to appreciate what it has to offer, in physical, mental, and spiritual terms.
So enthused am I about this wonderful approach that over these years I have made the effort to familiarize other people with Jiankang Qigong exercises in my local community and beyond, mainly in the form of exercise sessions, presentations and workshops. This has been a most rewarding activity, one that has yielded countless valuable encounters with people seeking to make a deeper connection between their lives and a transformative experience, one which leads to better health, personal satisfaction, and awareness development.
I believe the exercise sessions, presentations and workshops have been effective in delivering the essential message of the benefits of Jiankang Qigong. Most important, these have been framed within a broader understanding of the merits of enhancing the flow of subtle energy in one’s body and allowing that energy to increase a sense of connection with one’s immediate environment, gradually expanding to include the entire world. Whenever I have shared my insights on subtle energy, which can also be described as “the universal life force,” or as it is called in Chinese, qi, I have always been sensitive to the fact that some of my audience can not readily fully appreciate the benefic aspects of enhancing one’s qi. In fact, to these people the whole idea of a subtle energy is nothing more than an elaborate fabrication of ‘vague impressions’ built upon an ancient understanding of the universe in mystical terms, essentially based on unscientific assumptions. In other words, the notion of qi merely represents improvable beliefs packaged for gullible individuals, ready to accept a bunch of ‘mumbo-jumbo.’
Such viewpoints, and the underlying skepticism, are perfectly legitimate. This is especially relevant in a Western socio-cultural context, where classical (i.e. Greek) philosophy plays an important part in developing a ‘healthy’ sense of skepticism as one engages in intellectual training, especially at higher levels of formal education. Moreover, this mindset emphasizes a tradition of intellectual activity based on an appreciation for ‘rigorous’ scientific learning, emphasizing solid evidence derived from empirically based experimentation. Within this tradition, two strong intellectual persuasions inexorably influence the average (Western) attitudes toward scientific knowledge in general: Newtonian physics and Cartesian dualism. Without going too deeply into the psychological implications of these two mindsets, suffice it to say that they greatly encourage an intellectual framework (often conveniently referred as ‘left-brain’ mental activity) that favors a more analytical, logical, ‘no-nonsense’ thought processes in examining anything remotely associated with serious (scientific) learning. That is, for this kind of learning to be valid, there needs to be a solid body of robust data gleaned from conventional materialistic and reductionist research methods.
Growing up in North America, I was also conditioned to embrace this sort intellectual outlook, naturally seeking ‘hard’ scientific evidence to back up any learned topic that concerns the natural world. In other words, my intellectual training has conditioned me to insist on obtaining the kind information that satisfies my left-brain analytical, rational mind. Needless to say, using this form of mental processing to work with the topic of a nebulous ‘universal life force’ has not always been easy.
The Quantum Factor
For several years now I have been engaged in research that links the phenomenon of qi to transformative learning. Due to my own graduate training, I have tended to base this line of research on learning theories found within the disciplinary traditions of educational psychology and adult education. However, in my review of the literature on the subject of subtle energy, I kept coming across references drawing from an entirely different disciplinary field, that of quantum physics. I became increasingly intrigued by certain parallels that were being drawn between subtle energy and quantum energy. My curiosity sufficiently piqued, I began to investigate more closely this enigmatic link between two ostensibly very different theoretical views of energy.
Naturally, being essentially uninformed about this type of science, I first had to become acquainted with has come to be known as ‘classical’ quantum physics. Interestingly, I discovered that the mysterious nature of quantum energy had actually been pursued in an imaginative way for many decades. Already in the first half of the 20th century, pioneers of quantum theoretical thought, such as Werner Heisenberg, Max Planck, Erwin Schrödinger, Niels Bohr, all had a fascination for the analogous features of quantum force and qi energy. From the investigative activities of these very fertile minds came a set of scientific findings that essentially comprised classical quantum physics.
But first of all, what does ‘quantum’ mean? The word comes from Latin, literally meaning ‘how much,’ and refers to discrete ‘packets’ of matter/energy (including space and time) as observed at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller microscopic levels. Through quantum physics, often described as the most counter-intuitive form of physics, certain behaviors of wave/particles have been discerned, ones which Einstein described as “spooky action at a distance” – energy is not continuous, but comes in small discrete units that behave both like particles and like waves; the movement of these wave/particles is inherently random, which makes it physically impossible to know both their position and momentum at the same time. These basic concepts behind quantum physics informed what came to be known as quantum mechanics, consisting of a well-defined set of universal rules. But here is the crux of the matter behind quantum mechanics: what the set of rules predicts about the world is not how the world appears.
It is this last idea that holds the most fascinating implications in terms of a transformative experience vis-à-vis our everyday world. For central to the understanding of quantum mechanics is quantum vibration – the vibration of a chemical bond in a molecule, which can be described from lower to higher vibration energy states, called vibration modes. Moreover, it is through the articulation of the effects of these quantum modes at various levels that we can become informed of a fundamental paradigm shift to viewing all sorts of phenomena that affect our lives – from all forms of physiological activities in our physical world, including our own bodies, to our modes of thought and interaction with other human beings, our rapport with the environment; effectively every aspect of our manifested existence in this world.
The Qi Factor
The concept of quantum vibration is precisely where there is room for a constructive dialogue between quantum physicists and those who are familiar with basic principles that inform the concept of qi. An important early contributor to this dialogue is the physicist Fritjof Capra, whose seminal book, entitled The Tao of Physics (1972), came to the attention of a wide readership outside the traditional parameters of the discipline; a bestseller, so to speak. In his book, Capra consistently draws parallels between Eastern philosophy, most notably “the Way of the Tao” and the ‘crazy’ new ideas coming out of research being done in quantum physics. Key to this argument, Capra covers the concept of qi (vital energy), which he thought had the most striking resemblance to the concept of the quantum vibration field described in modern physics. Although this book had a tremendous influence on how Eastern philosophy and mysticism might serve to answer some of the most intriguing contemporary scientific conundrums, this is not to say that Capra’s ideas went unchallenged. Much of the criticism was aimed at the author’s predilection for drawing close connections between Taoist concepts and physical phenomena informed by quantum mechanics simply through “accidental similarities of language” (Bernstein, 1982).
Nonetheless, a very exciting window of intellectual pursuit had now been thrust open, and there simply was no way of shutting it again. Since then, the power of findings regarding the activity of energy/particles at the sub-atomic level has transcended the boundaries between disciplinary fields concerned with the ‘inorganic’ to those dealing with the ‘organic.’
Quantum Concepts in Relation to Macroscopic Systems
Of all the perplexing findings (and ensuing assumptions) that originate from research done in quantum physics, three of these have had most profound implications for the organic world, and more precisely, the human experience. When transposed from the ‘micro’ to the ‘macro,’ these principles can potentially transform the way we see the world.
The first of these principles is the role of the observer. Essentially, what this principle describes is a fascinating phenomenon that is almost counter-intuitive: matter and light exhibit the behaviors of both waves and particles. Most significantly, “quantum theory shows that every property of nature, at the most fundamental level, is represented by a wave function of quantum probability. This wave function ‘collapses’ into a single state upon observation, but experiments make it clear that prior to the observation, the reality of the situation is the probability wave. In certain highly specialized quantum situations, the choice of experiment actually determines what will be observed” (Zimmerman Jones; About.Com: Physics). Albeit this collapsing of the probability wave occurs at an infinitesimal level, we still have to recognize the fact that the probability rules of the microscopic world do interface with the macroscopic world. Of course, the ultimate question is; at what point, or scale, do the probabilistic rules of the quantum realm give way to the deterministic laws that govern the macroscopic world?
Since the discovery that an observer (camera or human) can affect the way an electron behaves, it has been very tempting for some researchers, particularly those delving into the realm of human consciousness, to extrapolate on the significance of this phenomenon (e.g. Eccles, 1989; Marshall, 1989; Walker, 1970). The crux of these works is to explore how “mental events influence at least some physical outcomes within the range allowed by quantum mechanics” (Thompson, New Dualism Archive). In more ambitious works, this idea has been supplemented by an account of how these small effects are amplified to affect macroscopic outcomes (e.g. Goswami, 1995; Wolf, 1985).
A second crucial concept put forward by theoretical nuclear physicists is called ‘entanglement.’ What this term refers to is a quantum mechanical phenomenon, where the quantum states of two or more objects have to be described with reference to each other, so that one object can no longer be adequately described without full mention of its counterpart — even though the individual objects may be spatially separated. Once more, although quantum entanglement appears everywhere in the microscopic world, its macroscopic implications are left to much speculation among experts. Having said that, there are nonetheless scientific investigators who are thinking outside the standard interpretations of quantum mechanics, and who are suggesting intriguing applications in many fields such as medicine and neuroscience (Lipton, 2005). And, most important to the theme of this book, within this wider spectrum of applicability there is also the possibility of including alternative medicine, such as bioenergetics as a form of healing, including a Chinese form of bioenergetics called qigong. For example, Hu and Wu (2005) suggest that unconventional healing effects reported in using qigong “can be explained as the results of quantum entanglement between the quantum entities involved in the diseased processes and the quantum entities in the healing sources, such as a healthy biological entity, and the effect of the former on the latter processes.”
A third mystifying premise that arises from quantum theory is the concept of ‘space’ or ‘vacuum.’ The theoretical viewpoint holds that the vacuum is the quantum state with the lowest possible energy. The term "zero-point field" is sometimes used to describe the vacuum state. Moreover, the vacuum state is not thought to be truly empty, but rather contains fleeting electromagnetic waves and particles that pop into and out of existence (Lambrecht, 2002). As with the other two above concepts of basic quantum mechanics, interpreting the meaningfulness of the zero-point field to the human level of consciousness has produced a wealth of conjecture in more popular (i.e. new age) literature, and certain authors have even propounded that the zero-point field is the secret force of the universe, which can then be used to explain metaphysical and paranormal phenomena (e.g., Puthoff, 1998). In a similar vein, Lynne McTaggart (2003), whose book The Field : The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, collects evidence from interviews with many scientists researching various aspects of quantum physics. In a nutshell, her book tells the story how scientists all over the globe have obtained research findings that strongly suggest how the energy field -The Zero Point Field - connects everything in the universe, and, most germane to our interest, that we are an intimate part of this vast dynamic web of energy exchange. This is not to say that books such as McTaggart’s have not raised certain controversy in the scientific community, but the body of information presented by this investigative journalist makes for a worthwhile reading, especially as many of the physicists interviewed are sharing data collected from research that goes well beyond the conventional confines of physics per se.
Quantum Biology
One of the most fascinating disciplinary ‘offshoots’ from mainstream physics can be found in biology. A relatively new term, quantum biology, has come to the forefront of cutting-edge research in these times of interdisciplinary research. As a general definition, it is the use of quantum theory to study fundamental biological processes that involve the conversion of energy into forms that are usable for chemical transformations. These transformations are believed to be quantum mechanical in their nature (e.g. Reiher, 2007). The processes in question involve chemical reactions, light absorption, formation of excited electronic states, transfer of excitation energy, transfer of electrons and protons, etc.
Although quantum biology has a new millennium feel to it, in actuality, even eminent pioneering quantum physicists, such as Fritz London and Niels Bohr suggested that quantum phenomena might be essential for life processes. They argued that the study of living organisms is much more relevant when quantum physics is joined to molecular biology (e.g. PSRAST). Research findings in this area suggest that a key dimension to DNA is essentially a 'quantum mechanical bio-wave computer,' and, as such, electromagnetic signals are of key importance in the regulatory functioning of DNA. Of greatest interest is the work being done on the ultraviolet luminescence in bio-photons that play a crucial role to enhance metabolism. In this field of research, the work of Fritz-Albert Popp has generated a great deal of discussion (Chang and Popp, 1998). The ideas proffered by such biophysicists suggest that bio-photons may be important for the development of larger structures, such as organs and organisms, including humans. In his book on the quantum world of energy healing, Adam (2006, p.57) describes bio-photons this way: “the communication and flow of subtle energy and information in the form of light between living cells and organisms.” Gerber (2000) also puts forth this related notion; cells possess a non-chemical form of information transference, a light-based communication system, allowing cells to actually emit weak pulses of light.
Another very important body of research in this area is what is called ‘bio-photonic signaling.’ According to scientists working on this intriguing subject, bio-photonic signaling would play a crucial role in the reception, transmission, and processing of electromagnetic data in any living organism. In other words, this form of signaling would constitute an electromagnetically mediated "language" for communication between cells throughout the organism. Naturally, confirmation of the presence of this bio-electromagnetic language would have far-ranging implications in our understanding of the transference of information in our bodies not only at the molecular level, but also at a macro level between larger structures (i.e. tissues and organs). In fact, this is the kind of radical new biological paradigms presented in McTaggart’s book, entitled The Field (2003). In this book, she describes how on our most fundamental level, the human mind and body are not distinct and separate from their environment, but are encapsulated as a 'packet of pulsating energy' constantly interacting within a much vaster energy sea. Explained another way, the body can be regarded as a complex energetic system, and since all energy vibrates and oscillates a different rates, then the human body is really comprised of different kinds of vibration energy (at least at the atomic level) (Gerber, 2000; Pearl, 2001).
Molecules of Emotion and the Mind-Body Connection
The premise that humans are in essence comprised of packets of pulsating energy has very revolutionary implications, to say the least. Nonetheless, it is one that is being pursued by prominent researchers in across the scientific world of quantum and biology. For example, Candace Pert is a neuroscientist who discovered the opiate receptor – the cellular bonding site for endorphins in the brain. In her seminal work, Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine (1999), she expands on several ground-breaking ideas concerning the human system: 1) the mind is not just in the brain – it is also in the body; 2) the vehicle that the mind and body use to communicate with each other is the chemistry of emotion; 3) the chemicals in question are molecules, short chains of amino acids called peptides; 4) the chemicals inside our bodies form a dynamic information network, linking mind and body. Perhaps the most radical concept to glean from her vast body of research is that emotions exist both as energy and matter, in the form of vibrating receptors on every cell in the body. In her effort to map out the intricacies between mind and emotions, more specifically the potential for this vital interplay of chemical and energy to bring us greater wellness, Dr. Pert zeroed in on neuropeptides. Calling these neuropeptides the ‘molecules of healing,’ Pert describes them as having very special characteristics, being produced primarily in the brain. Pert also calls neuropeptides 'messenger molecules' because they apparently send chemical messages from the brain to receptor sites on cell membranes throughout the body. Keeping this function of the healing molecules in mind, Pert then refers to what she terms the “Mind-Body Connection” – implying that the human biological system exchanges neuropeptide information as one integrated unit that does not clearly separate mental and physiological dimensions of existence. Most fascinating, she explains that it is the internal feeling state (i.e. emotions) that elicits neuropeptide responses throughout the body. In other words, it is the mind-body connection that regulates every change in the mental-emotional state, which then causes physiological changes in the body. Likewise, every change in the body physiology causes a change in the mental-emotional state. Of greatest interest here is one kind of biochemical substrate for emotions – endorphins – which Pert calls “the molecules of bliss.” Pert discovered that there is an unusually high concentration of endorphin receptors in the cells of the frontal cortex in our brains; the area of the brain believed to allow us to experience higher-consciousness states, including bliss and altruistic love. From this evidence, she deduces that we humans are biologically predisposed to blissful states of higher loving awareness!
In a second book on the subject of molecules of emotion, Pert explores more deeply the intricate connection between emotions and consciousness. She states that “emotions trigger altered states of consciousness, each with different memories, behaviors, postures and even physical processes” (2006, p.50). This last assertion is quite fascinating, for other researchers in the medical field have obtained findings that also show evidence of the incredible strength of the energy/chemical effects of the mind-body connection. For example, research conducted on people exhibiting the multiple personality syndrome, also known as dissociative identity disorder, indicates that some people affected not only change behavior, but that their brains and their bodies also change. Different personalities within one person have different brain wave patterns, different handedness, and different allergies. Eyeglass prescriptions and such objective measures as eye pressure and corneal curvature differ. A person may be nearsighted or farsighted in different personalities or even be colorblind in one but not another (Norris, 1985; Adam, 2006). The magnitude of such rapid transformation in the physiological makeup of a human is truly incredible; as they change from personality to personality, these people actually experience dramatic physical characteristic changes as well.
Additional findings of just how intricate this mind-body connection really is come from the work of Dr. Paul Pearsell, who wrote a book, entitled The Heart's Code: Tapping the Wisdom and Power of Our Heart Energy (1998). As a heart surgeon specializing in heart transplants, Dr. Pearsell was able to collect the scientific evidence that the heart literally thinks, remembers, speaks to the brain about its own unique feelings, and connects with other hearts. Most astoundingly, his book reveals evidence of cellular memory; some heart transplant recipients reported receiving memories and personality characteristics of their donor. Gerber (2000) affirms a similar premise in his work on vibrational medicine, that cells of the body have their own inherent intelligence, allowing them to understand and use coded information in order to maintain the body in a state of equilibrium and health. Childre and Rozman (2003) have also investigated the power of the heart to bring mind and emotions into coherence through rhythm patterns.
Vitalism
The body of literature presented above seems to point to a pioneering way of seeing the human system. Actually, many of these seemingly novel ideas can be correlated with another a much earlier scientific view of human biology, called ‘Vitalism’– the theory that life processes arise from or contain a 'nonmaterial vital principle' that cannot be explained entirely as physical and chemical phenomena. It is a very old theory found within both, Western and Eastern medical philosophies. In the Western tradition, expressions of vitalism of can be traced back as early as Aristotle and Hippocrates, who discussed some nonphysical 'vital force' that was associated with the four temperaments and humors. In Eastern medical philosophies, similar views were expressed in terms of qi or prana (Svoboda, 1996). As such, vitalism appeals to a more intuitive approach to understanding human biology, and just as important, one that views disease as first and foremost the result of some imbalance in the vital energies. From this viewpoint, then, healing takes on a more holistic dimension, one that involves a much closer connection between body, mind, and 'heightened consciousness' (i.e. spirit).
Disease Prevention through Harmony: Qigong
As the work of Candace Pert and her colleagues suggest, neuropeptides play a central role in maintaining a healthy balance in the human system. Unfortunately, reaching and maintaining this healthy balance is highly challenging for almost anyone living in a modern society, and the main culprit is identified as (negative) stress. Again, if we refer to the literature on this subject, great importance is attached to the proper functioning of natural killer cells in the human system. We also now know that these cells have highly specialized receptors for various neuropeptides, including those released during stress. The crucial link that needs to be made here is that natural killer cell activity might be modulated by a person's emotional responses. For instance, one of the better known stress hormones is cortisol, and if it is released in abnormally higher amounts in the human system for extended periods of time, the long term effect is that it can impair the systems’ immune functions, eventually leading to permanent damage.
With this in mind, it would stand to reason that finding ways to achieve overall balance in one’s life should be a primordial goal to obtaining optimal health. This is precisely what Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda, Director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine addresses: “There are a lot of factors which affect the anti-disease ability of the organism, but the leading one has to do with whether the spirit, nervous system, and various defenses of the organism are perfect. A lot of evidence proves that those who are optimistic and undertake exercises, such as qigong, tend to have healthy and sound function of the nervous system, strong physiques, and naturally great anti-disease ability and immunity.” (http://www.itmonline.org/)
Well, what is qigong? This concept had been introduced in earlier papers of mine (Beaupre, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008), but for the sake of clarity, the term merits a quick definition here as well. Qigong (or ch'i kung) refers to a wide variety of traditional “cultivation” practices that involve movement and/or regulated breathing. The ‘qi’ in ‘qigong’ means breath or gas in Chinese, and, by extension, ‘life force,’ ‘energy’ or even ‘cosmic breath.’ ‘Gong’ means work applied to a discipline or the resultant level of skill, so ‘qigong’ literally means ‘breath work’ or ‘energy work’.
In the past decade or so, qigong has received a great deal more attention in the new age literature as one technique to achieve wellness and balance in life. In fact, the concept of qi has reached mainstream status in the contemporary literature on body, mind and spirit. For example, this is how Eckhart Tolle, in his widely popular book, The Power of Now (1999, p. 131), describes this concept: “Chi is the inner energy field of your body. It is the bridge between the outer you and the Source. It lies halfway between the manifested, the world of form, and the Unmanifested … Chi is the link between the Unmanifested and the physical universe.” Gerber’s (2001) description of qi is also very useful here: “Ch’i is an energy of both nutritive and cellular-organization characteristics which supersedes the energetic contributions of ingested food and air.” These are helpful descriptions, ones that can serve to lead us into the following fascinating section of this book.
Qigong
There are different classifications of qigong. It can be classified into health-protecting qigong, therapeutic qigong and martial art qigong, or classified into hard qigong and soft qigong. Hard qigong is also called kungfu qigong. Soft qigong includes health-protecting qigong and therapeutic qigong.
Soft Qigong
In its more developed form, soft qigong is effective in adjusting the functions of the nervous, respiratory, digestive, blood circulation and endocrine system. In short, soft qigong proves to be able to prevent and treat diseases, protect and strengthen health, and prolong life (Lin, 1997, 2002). For the sake of convenience, the therapeutic effects of soft qigong can be described as being beneficial for the following human biological systems: (1) the nervous system – using qigong allows an individual to enter into a tranquil state, allowing the brain to be oriented towards a higher level of consciousness; digestive system – digestion and absorption are enhanced; (2) the cardiovascular system – qigong reduces the burden on the heart by calming a general state of excitability all too common in today's humans; (3) the respiratory system – the calming effect of qigong also slows our respiration rate, leading to a lowered metabolic rate, and decreased energy consumption, which is thought to aid in the recovery of proper bodily functions; (4) the endocrine and immune systems – qigong enhances hormonal regulation, allowing for better overall immune functions within the body.
Qi and the Seven Emotions of Traditional Chinese Medicine
The connection between health and emotions is not new to those familiar with the principles of qigong, especially as framed within Traditional Chinese Medicine (Vercammen, 1996). In Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM), human emotions are considered the major internal causes of disease. Within normal limits, emotions cause no disease or weakness in the body. However, when emotions become so powerful that they become uncontrollable and overwhelm or possess a person, they can cause serious injury to the internal organs and open the door to disease. Again, it is not the intensity as much as the prolonged duration of an extreme emotion which causes damage to the human system. In his seminal book on vibratory medicine, Dr. Richard Gerber expresses this same viewpoint, stating “emotional and spiritual factors are of great importance to the sustenance and support of the tissues and organs of our bodies … emotions are influenced by a greater, spiritual energy field that encompasses the entire physical body and nervous system” (2000, p.10). With this premise in mind, we can now examine which emotions identified in TCM that are thought to have the greatest impact on the human system: