Meditation changes temperatures: Mind controls body in extreme experiments

HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

By William J. Cromie 

Gazette Staff

In a monastery in northern India, thinly clad Tibetan monks sat quietly in a room where the temperature was a chilly 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a yoga technique known as g Tum-mo, they entered a state of deep meditation. Other monks soaked 3-by-6-foot sheets in cold water (49 degrees) and placed them over the meditators' shoulders. For untrained people, such frigid wrappings would produce uncontrolled shivering.

If body temperatures continue to drop under these conditions, death can result. But it was not long before steam began rising from the sheets. As a result of body heat produced by the monks during meditation, the sheets dried in about an hour.

Attendants removed the sheets, then covered the meditators with a second chilled, wet wrapping. Each monk was required to dry three sheets over a period of several hours.

Why would anyone do this? Herbert Benson, who has been studying g Tum-mo for 20 years, answers that "Buddhists feel the reality we live in is not the ultimate one. There's another reality we can tap into that's unaffected by our emotions, by our everyday world. Buddhists believe this state of mind can be achieved by doing good for others and by meditation. The heat they generate during the process is just a by-product of g Tum-mo meditation."

Benson is an associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School and president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He firmly believes that studying advanced forms of meditation "can uncover capacities that will help us to better treat stress-related illnesses."

Benson developed the "relaxation response," which he describes as "a physiological state opposite to stress." It is characterized by decreases in metabolism, breathing rate, heart rate, and blood pressure. He and others have amassed evidence that it can help those suffering from illnesses caused or exacerbated by stress. Benson and colleagues use it to treat anxiety, mild and moderate depression, high blood pressure, heartbeat irregularities, excessive anger, insomnia, and even infertility. His team also uses this type of simple meditation to calm those who have been traumatized by the deaths of others, or by diagnoses of cancer or other painful, life-threatening illnesses.

"More than 60 percent of visits to physicians in the United States are due to stress-related problems, most of which are poorly treated by drugs, surgery, or other medical procedures," Benson maintains.

The Mind/Body Medical Institute is now training people to use the relaxation response to help people working at Ground Zero in New York City, where two airplanes toppled the World Trade Center Towers last Sept. 11. Facilities have been set up at nearby St. Paul's Chapel to aid people still working on clearing wreckage and bodies. Anyone else who feels stressed by those terrible events can also obtain help at the chapel. "We are training the trainers who work there," Benson says.

The relaxation response involves repeating a word, sound, phrase, or short prayer while disregarding intrusive thoughts. "If such an easy-to-master practice can bring about the remarkable changes we observe," Benson notes. "I want to investigate what advanced forms of meditation can do to help the mind control physical processes once thought to be uncontrollable."

Breathtaking results

Some Westerners practice g Tum-mo, but it often takes years to reach states like those achieved by Buddhist monks. In trying to find groups he could study, Benson met Westerners who claimed to have mastered such advanced techniques, but who were, in his words, "fraudulent."

Benson decided that he needed to locate a religious setting, where advanced mediation is traditionally practiced. His opportunity came in 1979 when the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, visited Harvard University. "His Holiness agreed to help me," recalls Benson. That visit was the beginning of a long friendship and several expeditions to northern India where many Tibetan monks live in exile.

During visits to remote monasteries in the 1980s, Benson and his team studied monks living in the Himalayan Mountains who could, by g Tum-mo meditation, raise the temperatures of their fingers and toes by as much as 17 degrees. It has yet to be determined how the monks are able to generate such heat.

The researchers also made measurements on practitioners of other forms of advanced meditation in Sikkim, India. They were astonished to find that these monks could lower their metabolism by 64 percent. "It was an astounding, breathtaking [no pun intended] result," Benson exclaims.

To put that decrease in perspective, metabolism, or oxygen consumption, drops only 10-15 percent in sleep and about 17 percent during simple meditation. Benson believes that such a capability could be useful for space travel. Travelers might use meditation to ease stress and oxygen consumption on long flights to other planets.

In 1985, the meditation team made a video of monks drying cold, wet sheets with body heat. They also documented monks spending a winter night on a rocky ledge 15,000 feet high in the Himalayas. The sleep-out took place in February on the night of the winter full moon when temperatures reached zero degrees F. Wearing only woolen or cotton shawls, the monks promptly fell asleep on the rocky ledge, They did not huddle together and the video shows no evidence of shivering. They slept until dawn then walked back to their monastery.

Overcoming obstacles

Working in isolated monasteries in the foothills of the Himalayas proved extremely difficult. Some religious leaders keep their meditative procedures a closely guarded secret. Medical measuring devices require electrical power and wall outlets are not always available. In addition, trying to meditate while strangers attempt to measure your rectal temperature is not something most monks are happy to do.

To avoid these problems, Instructor in Psychology Sara Lazar, a Benson colleague, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of meditators at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The subjects were males, aged 22-45, who had practiced a form of advanced mediation called Kundalini daily for at least four years. In these experiments, the obstacles of cold and isolation were replaced by the difficulties of trying to meditate in a cramped, noisy machine. However, the results, published in the May 15, 2000, issue of the journal NeuroReport, turned out to be significant.

"Lazar found a marked decrease in blood flow to the entire brain," Benson explains. "At the same time, certain areas of the brain became more active, specifically those that control attention and autonomic functions like blood pressure and metabolism. In short, she showed the value of using this method to record changes in the brain's activity during meditation."

The biggest obstruction in further studies, whether in India or Boston, has always been money. Research proceeded slowly and intermittently until February 2001, when Benson's team received a $1.25 million grant from Loel Guinness, via the beer magnate's Kalpa Foundation, established to study extraordinary human capacities.

The funds enabled researchers to bring three monks experienced in g Tum-mo to a Guinness estate in Normandy, France, last July. The monks then practiced for 100 days to reach their full meditative capacity. An eye infection sidelined one of the monks, but the other two proved able to dry frigid, wet sheets while wearing sensors that recorded changes in heat production and metabolism.

Although the team obtained valuable data, Benson concludes that "the room was not cold enough to do the tests properly." His team will try again this coming winter with six monks. They will start practice in late summer and should be ready during the coldest part of winter.

Benson feels sure these attempts to understand advanced mediation will lead to better treatments for stress-related illnesses. "My hope," he says, "is that self-care will stand equal with medical drugs, surgery, and other therapies that are now used to alleviate mental and physical suffering. Along with nutrition and exercise, mind/body approaches can be part of self-care practices that could save millions of dollars annually in medical costs."

Wellness Therapies by Dr. Weil

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03176/Qigong-Dr-Weils-Wellness-Therapies.html

What is qigong?
Originating in China, qigong dates back nearly 5,000 years. The name derives from the Mandarin words qi, meaning energy or life force, and gong, meaning work or skill. It is a mind-body practice as well as an energetic form of movement done to enhance the flow of qi in the body. By integrating posture, body movements, breathing and focused intention, this practice is designed to improve mental and physical health. Though its roots date back before Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it has been incorporated into the system of practices that TCM practitioners use today.

The existence of qi - an energy force that can move through, yet exist independently of the body - is controversial in the West, as it does not lend itself to independent verification and analysis via scientific instruments. The skeptical view of qigong holds that any health benefits it conveys are due to the acknowledged benefits of gentle exercise, the placebo effect, or both.

What conditions is qigong used for?
Qigong can be used by nearly everyone. Bill Douglas, founder of the International Health Education World T'ai Chi and Qigong Day, who is also Dr. Weil's expert advisor on the therapy, recommends qigong as a highly effective stress management tool. Along with decreasing daily stress, he contends that qigong may boost immune system function, improve balance, tone the cardiovascular system, lower blood pressure and modulate disorders of mood.

Different forms of qigong have a unique focus, each with varied indications. For instance, medical qigong concentrates particularly on improving qi to strengthen the body's organs, tissues and systems (respiratory and immune, for example) for the purpose of achieving optimal health and lessening the effects of aging. Spiritual qigong is done to lead the individual closer to his or her spiritual source,  whatever they presume that to be, and to enhance those cultural and religious practices with which they align themselves. Martial qigong, better known as tai chi, is used to increase strength, flexibility and balance by bringing qi into the muscles, bones and tendons through specifically designed routines.

What should one expect on a visit to a practitioner of qigong?
Qigong is done as either a movement practice or hands-on therapy. The movement practice is typically taught in individualized or group settings by a qualified teacher. Qualifications can be ascertained by looking into the teacher's training and medical background. Those with TCM training are often well-suited to teach medical qigong. Videos can often be effective teaching tools and useful alternatives when one can't find the right instructor.

Hands-on medical qigong is similar to other forms of touch therapy. The patient dresses in comfortable clothing and sits or lies on a massage table. The practitioner will apply hands on or in front of various places along the body where "energy blockages" are discerned. Slow, deep breathing is encouraged, and sometimes a practitioner may recommend certain guided imagery exercises or visualization during therapy. Heat may be felt at the site of treatment, usually coming from the hands of the practitioner. Afterwards, feedback may be requested about the therapy and home exercises may be recommended. Due to the deep states of relaxation that energy work can often cause, one should always be cautious and get up slowly after a treatment and drink plenty of water afterward.

Are there any side effects or situations where qigong should be avoided?
Bill Douglas has taught qigong to professional athletes, corporate executives, maximum security prisoners, drug rehabilitation patients, the wheelchair-bound, elderly individuals with advanced Parkinson's disease, children with ADD, students with learning and developmental disabilities, and people with AIDS. Anyone with an existing condition is well advised to consult their physician before beginning any exercise program, but qigong is an extremely gentle practice; it does not even necessarily require the individual to stand, as many movements can be done while sitting. Consequently, it can often be used for even the most delicate conditions with minimal, if any, side effects.

Is there a governing body that oversees or credentials practitioners in qigong?
At present, there is no international standard for certifying qigong practitioners. An ongoing effort to set standards has involved several countries, orchestrated by the World Academic Medical Qigong Society in Beijing. However, a standardized program of training in qigong has yet to be agreed upon.

Two organizations provide direction in finding practitioners and training programs. The International Institute of Medical Qigong (IIMQ) offers training programs and certification based on a curriculum from the Medical Qigong College at Haidian University in Beijing, China. The National Qigong Association (NQA) also offers professional certification for their members as an opportunity to enhance and highlight the experience of affiliated practitioners. Both organizations offer databases to help in locating practitioners.

Are there other therapies that might work well in conjunction with qigong?
Qigong is often used within the system of TCM, which includes treatment modalities including acupuncture, Chinese medicinal herbs, and aspects of a Chinese system of bodywork called Tuina. Craniosacral therapy and other forms of osteopathic or chiropractic manipulation along with other types of bodywork can  work well with qigong. Other mind-body therapies and stress management strategies like breath work, guided imagery and visualization can also meld well with qigong practices.

What is Dr. Weil's view of qigong?
Dr. Weil recommends both qigong and tai chi as part of a program of health maintenance that is suitable for nearly anyone. In any city in China you can see thousands of people of all ages practicing these movements throughout their day. He believes that qigong promotes flexibility, balance, and good body awareness. It is beautiful to watch and to do, and may be particularly good for the elderly because it can reduce risk of injury from falls.

Daoist Wisdom for Healthy Living

Qi Magazine || Issue 60 || April 2002

By Adam Wallace

Qigong training not only encompasses breathing, movement, and meditation but should also include basic knowledge of Chinese medical theory and philosophy. ‘Dao De Jing’, written by Laozi over 2,400 years ago, is a source of wisdom, which when applied becomes high level Qigong skill.

 The following is merely a sampling together with some personal comments for clarification. 

“When a person is born he is soft and supple. 

When he dies he is stiff and hard. 

All things are soft and tender at birth and at death they are withered and dry”.  

When the body and mind are relaxed and soft the Qi flows properly which is essential to health. A stiff body is caused by straining while working or exercising and a stressful mental state. Gentle movement and remaining mentally flexible aids longevity. 

“In concentrating the Qi to achieve flexibility can you be like a baby?”

In the womb babies breathe from the Dantian, which stores Qi. Breathing with the lungs uses Qi. Dantian breathing saves much biophysical energy, which is then converted to True Qi, and serves as an internal massage for the vital organs. 

“Do not swerve from your innate nature and return to the state of infancy”. 

The newly born are pure of mind, without passions or ambitions, etc, and can let go of their emotions. They cry and quickly forget. As adults we internalise our problems, which affects our Qi and health. Meditation is the tool to enable us to return to the peaceful state of infancy and transcend our emotions. 

“A tall tree grows from a tiny sprout. 

A tower begins from the earth up. 

A journey starts with a single step”.

Everything grows from small to big. This is the way of nature. It is a mistake to rush the natural process. Businesses collapse because owners miss this principle and expand too quickly. Qigong practice is no exception - to rush or take short cuts can be disastrous. With regards to illness, listen to your body and catch any problem when it is still small and has not become too big to control. Better still, practise Qigong and prevent disease altogether. 

“If your hallis filled with gold and jade, it cannot be protected. 

If you are wealthy and honoured, pride follows, which can attract mistakes and misfortune. 

When the work is done retire; this is the Dao of heaven”. 

Many people are obsessed with collecting valuables. The more belongings you acquire, the more responsibilities and worries you have. In the end, you no longer possess the valuables, they possess you. Throughout life, we need to let go of our attachments so that we can truly be free. This includes our emotional baggage. 

“No disaster is greater than not knowing what is sufficient. 

No crime is greater than avarice. 

One who knows sufficiency will always have enough and avoid danger”. 

Desire is a disease. The more you accumulate the more you want. ‘What is a rich person? Someone who has everything he or she needs. If your needs are few and you have everything you could want, then you are richer than the person who has has financial wealth but is never satisfied. 

“The five colours cause blindness. 

The five tones cause deafness. 

The five flavours cause the inability to taste. 

Racing about on horseback and hunting cause madness”. 

Overexposure to visual stimulation i.e television, computers etc. expends Qi and damages eyesight. When the eyes are tired rest them or meditate. Constantly listening to loud music impairs the hearing. Those who move to the countryside from the city and find the quietude disturbing have already lost their balance with nature. Choose specific times in the day for silent contemplation. Perpetually eating rich or spicy food damages the palate’s ability to distinguish flavours. Those addicted to high-speed thrills and dangerous situations who only feel ‘alive’ when adrenaline is pumping have also lost balance. 

“Rare commodities cause mankind to do wrong, 

so the Sage concerns himself with his abdomen and not his eyes”.

Gold and rare jewels may seem substantial and worthwhile possessions but you cannot take them with you after you die so they are ultimately worthless. Dantian Qi, on the other hand, may appear intangible but it is more real and valuable as it cultivates your health and spirit, and bestows longevity. The eyes generally look outwards and we are tempted by what we see. Hence, it is beneficial to routinely shut the eyes and look inwards. Sometimes the blind perceive more than the sighted. 

“What is dearer, fame or health? 

What is more valuable, health or wealth?”

Everyone should ask themselves this question. You cannot enjoy your wealth or fame in sickness. Health is also the only factor over which you have complete control.

The Five Origins of Traditional Qigong

Qi for Life

By David Cowan

Traditionally, all qigongs come to us from five distinct schools of philosophy—these are the Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, Martial and Medical schools of qigong. Each qigong school shares similarities in form and principals of practice but emphasizes a distinctly different goal.

• Confucian qigong—as practiced by the ruling elite—the goal was to train oneself to remain emotionally detached and centered no matter what the situation.

• Daoist qigong focused primarily on increasing longevity which led to the pursuit of alchemy—the turning of base metals into gold—and an attempt to discover: Dan, the ‘Elixir of Life.’ The goal of Daoist qigong is Immortality.

• Buddhist qigong focuses on the attainment of Enlightenment. The goal of all Buddhist practices is to become a Buddha sustained by undisturbed inner-peace gained through the practice of meditation.

• Martial qigong’s goal is to become invincible in any fight—a supreme martial artist. Kung fu masters train themselves to become impervious to injury and perform amazing feats of skill and agility due to their years of intensive physical, mental discipline, and their heightened body awareness.

• Medical qigong’s goal is the alleviation of illness, freedom from sickness, good health and long life.

Many medical qigongs are Daoist in origin, but Indian and Buddhist yoga is strongly influential too. Interestingly, the fateful blending of Chinese Daoism and Indian Buddhism gave rise to a powerful new branch of Buddhism known as Chan Buddhism—or as it is commonly known in the West—Zen. 

A Field Guide to Qigong

Taken from the Huffington Post

By Sat Hon, Founder, New York Dan Tao Center

How does Qigong differ from Taiji?

If we look at the evolution of the Qigong family tree, Taiji is a grandchild of Qigong. It is a branch that sprouted and developed into a martial art form while continuing to retain the healing effects of Qigong. In recent scientific studies, Taiji has been shown to have significant health benefits. It improves balance in senior citizens as well as helping to resolve the knots of clinical depression in mental patients. However, it is just one of thousands of arts that has evolved from the Qigong tree.

As a field guide, I would list some of the Qigong systems that I have personally practiced:

• Medical Qigong: Medical Qigong practice works to heal and help in the recovery from chronic sickness or in battling cancer. Medical Qigong is an integral part of the complementary healing programs in most major oncology wards in China as well as Taiwan. During my residency in China, I would lead a line of cancer patients in the practice of the slow, laborious walk of Medical Qigong.
  
  
• Alchemical Qigong: Alchemical Qigong classes are composed of dancers, personal trainers, martial artists, Buddhists, and Taoists. Most are in good health and want to improve their physical and psychological well-being or develop spiritual insight through the practice of alchemical cultivation. Alchemical Qigong is a vigorous regiment of expansive motion and powerful breathing patterns such as "the Breath of Fire" or "the Lion's Roar".
  
  
• Immune Qigong: A system using gentle mudras (hand gestures) and silken movements to activate and balance one's endocrine and immune systems.
  
  
• Taiyin Qigong: Supreme Feminine Qigong arises from the female Taoist master, Sun Bei-er (1400 AD). She wrote the fundamental guide for women to help in their cultivation of meditation. These practices aim to open the inner channels, and ultimately, to help women attain the grand achievement of immortality. This is a rare, esoteric Qigong system guarded over the years by the Taoist sisterhood. During the Cultural Revolution, some of the teachers decided to divulge its secret to a few students in order to preserve its transmission.
  
  
• Shaolin Yijin Zhing: The Shaolin Temple's Inner Sanctum Qigong is based on the semi-yogic practice of the foreign Buddhist monk Boddhidharma who transmitted this physical cultivation to the Chinese monks. This martial Qigong works on the physiology, biological systems, and connective tissues: ligaments, sinews and muscles. In modern China, the central government has sanctioned an abbreviated version of Shaolin Qigong.
  
  
• Hua Shan 36 Spherical Qigong: Flower Mountain 36 Circular Qigong is attributed to one of the ancient Taoists, Chan Tuan whose chief Qigong practice was Taoist Dream Work. Unfortunately, some historians have mislabeled it Sleeping Qigong. Hua Shan Qigong has a formless quality; it uses circular movements on three specific planes. From my perspective, I feel this Qigong shares many of the qualities of the Mevlevi Sufi's whirling practices. In both these practices, the spherical spinning creates a funnel to draw in the cosmic energy and cultivate a sense of great stillness as in the center of a spinning wheel.
  
  
• Soaring Crane Qigong: A newly minted form by the late Qigong master, Zhou Jin Xing who based its movement on the totemic Crane dance. It also emphasizes the cultivation of spontaneous movements that occur during Qigong practice. These spontaneous movements originate from the body's own intuitive healing power which generates semi-autonomic movement to heal one's own illness. Widely popular in the 1980s, it has been restricted by the Chinese government in its recent crackdown on Qigong.
  
  
• Pan Gu Qigong: A recent addition based on the ancient silk scroll of Qigong movements discovered at the grave of an imperial minister who died around 500 BC. This Qigong emphasizes the circulation of the palms in order to create a bio-energetic field. Its practitioners have the ability to project powerful Qi/energy emanations -- in other words, they generate a tremendous amount of healing Qi to transfer into patients.
  
  
• Zhineng Qigong: A recently developed Qigong from Master Pan who opened one of the few Qigong hospitals in China. During its peak, 3,000 patients occupied the hospital/retreat center on the outskirts of Beijing. One of its chief Qigong movements is the Tree Squatting exercise that resembles someone squatting down slowly facing a tree. Zhineng Qigong is a comprehensive system that encompasses the vast wisdom tradition of Taoist alchemy. They pioneered some of the early scientific studies in Qi emission to promote the growth of plants, shrink tumors and help in the recovery of paralysis caused by stroke.
  
  
• Gou Lin New Qigong: Master Gou Lin's Qigong spearheaded the development of Qigong within the therapeutic paradigm. She shifted Qigong from its martial and alchemical landscape into hospital and oncology wards. Gou Lin discovered and created this Qigong in order to heal her own late-stage, metastatic cancer. Her Qigong has been incorporated into Medical Qigong.
  
  
• Er Mei 12 Posture Qigong: This originates from an ancient classical Qigong sect from the Er Mei Mountain Taoist Temple. In the 1930s, a monk named White Clouds transmitted this form to a young man, Chou, who was suffering from an acute fainting sickness. Later on, Chou propagated this form at one of the Qigong retreat centers and wrote a definitive book on its theory and cultivation. Er Mei Qigong has qualities similar to yoga utilizing stretches, bending, and static postures. However, hidden in its Qigong movements are also martial applications. Hence, Er Mei Qigong cultivates both health and martial aspects.
  
  
• Yi Quan: A Qigong evolved from the martial art system: Xi Yin Quan. Its chief practice is akin to standing meditation. One maintains a standing posture of hugging an imaginary tree, hence their Tree Hugging pose. I love its stillness with the dynamic flow of inner energy zooming within the psychic channels. The founder Wang Xing Zhi wrote that when the physical body is still, the inner energetic body is awakened.
  
  
• Wild Goose Qigong: A classical, comprehensive Qigong was conceived in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Kunlun Mountain Taoist Sanctuary has a bronze case of 12 wild geese in various totemic poses. Its lineage holder is the late granddame of Qigong, the 120 year-old Madame Yang Mei Juan. At the age of 102, she visited the United States and amazed audiences with her agile imitation of a wild goose flapping its wings. Its movement retains the silk route's influence of Persian dance and Indic/Greco curves.
  
  

In summary, the dawn of Qigong in the West has arrived. Qigong can be likened to an ancient, giant tree continually sprouting and branching to create new forms which in turn help to feed the development of its massive trunk. Facing the challenge of choosing the right style out of these many possibilities, the beginner should first observe a class before enrolling in a school. Furthermore, it is crucial that he/she speak not only with the teacher, but also with the students. After all, the students are a reflection of the teacher.

Qigong in the News

'Yoga standing up' routine provides physical, mental benefits
Excerpts from The Springfield News-Sun (Ohio)
Original Article by Robin McMacken, Staff Writer

May marks Exercise is Medicine Month, an initiative by the American College of Sports Medicine, and Diana Sebaly, 71, can testify regular workouts have not only lowered her blood pressure to the point where she doesn’t need to take medication anymore but also were key to losing weight. The Oakwood resident works out with a personal trainer four times a week, focusing on cardiovascular exercise and strength training, and she also practices Qigong (pronounced chee gung) weekly with Sharon Trekell, director of the Inner Well Institute in Kettering. Sebaly says “qigong is a marvelous way of strengthening and building balance in a calm and controlled way.”

Qigong, which, like Tai Chi, is often referred to as yoga standing up, combines movement, postural alignment, breathing and mental focus to balance and enhance energy, according to Trekell, who is a certified integral Qigong and Tai Chi instructor. Sebaly, who has had both knees replaced, says her doctor is “delighted” with her overall health. “Qigong is so slow, and it’s a wonderful pick-me-up to do in the afternoons. I feel energized,” she said.

Dana Penn, 57, of Washington Twp. turns to Qigong, which she started in January with Trekell, for its calming effects. “I started Qigong to help me with stress, basically,” she said, adding her job as a business analyst for a software company was particularly demanding.  She also does yoga at Inner Dance Yoga Studio in Oakwood twice a week. She practices Qigong daily for 20 to 25 minutes before breakfast and attends Trekell’s class every Tuesday night at the Church of the Cross United Methodist in Kettering. “I think Qigong is so powerful. I am just in love with it,” she added. “I get a lot of peace from it. I miss it when I don’t do it. ... It’s a different type of movement than yoga, and it challenges the body and the mind in different ways.”

According to the National Qigong Association, Qigong is an ancient Chinese health care system that can be classified as martial, medical or spiritual. Some practices increase the qi (energy); others circulate it, use it to cleanse and heal the body, store it, or emit qi to help heal others. Practices vary from the soft styles such as Tai Chi, according to the association, to the external, vigorous styles, such as Kung Fu. However, the gentle movements of most Qigong forms, of which there are 5,000, according to Trekell, can be easily adapted for all age groups and fitness levels.

Trekell began studying Qigong while she was working on her graduate degree in the early 1990s, and she, too, was looking for a way to ease the pressures of daily life. “It’s a wonderful contemplative practice that keeps you in state of equanimity,” she said. “I just don’t get ruffled much. It’s very grounding and centering. ... Qigong is fabulous for increasing vitality and longevity. We have an extraordinary medicine, called qi, in ourselves, and if we can circulate that, we will have optimal health and stress relief.”

Mary McDonald, 70, of Yellow Springs, cites Qigong as instrumental in helping lower her blood pressure, to the point where she doesn’t need to take medications, and lose weight. With regular Qigong and yoga, McDonald said “my energy level is sufficient for my age, and I am a lot more attuned to my body and what it needs and wants.”

“Qigong in the U.S. is parallel to yoga, in the sense that people want something to feel more alive in their bodies and to be able to calm themselves from the overstimulating qualities of our culture,” said  her instructor, Brad Fraley.

Penn encourages people to consider Qigong as one way to get active. “You have to experience it, and you need to go in with an open mind. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like it’s very much physically, but it is very powerful. It’s not easy to do; the more I do it, the more I am able to focus inward and be very mindful of the movements and what their purposes are. “I am just happy I discovered Qigong,” Penn said. “I am glad I was led to where I am. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I can’t imagine not having in my life.”