Appendix

D

Glossary

abdominal breathing   The QiGong breathing technique whereby the abdominal area, or lower lungs, fills first and then the upper chest fills, fully inflating the lungs. On the exhale, the upper chest relaxes inward as the lungs deflate, followed by the abdominal muscles relaxing inward, allowing the lower lungs to deflate and fully expending the air from the lungs.

acupressure   A massage technique of stimulating the acupuncture points without the use of acupuncture needles.

acupuncture   A medical science that manipulates the flow of Qi, or life energy, through the body to maximize the body’s health systems.

acupuncture maps   Diagrams or models to help acupuncturists locate the acupuncture points on the body.

aura   The sometimes-visible aspect of life energy, whether seen with Kirlian photography or with the naked eye.

biofeedback   A computer program often used to train people to relax under stress by showing their blood pressure, heart rate, and so on, while the participant uses relaxation techniques to normalize those indicators.

Bone Marrow Cleansing   A Moving QiGong exercise designed to cleanse the bone marrow of stress that might inhibit the immune system.

Carry the Moon   A Moving QiGong exercise designed to help the spine stay supple, support kidney function, and promote flexibility throughout the frame.

center   The physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual clarity that T’ai Chi and QiGong are designed to cultivate. Modern psychologists call this homeostasis.

Chen style   An ancient T’ai Chi style and the basis of the Yang style.

Chinese Drum, The   A QiGong warm-up for T’ai Chi preparation.

Chinese Medica   The bible of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), encompassing all known knowledge on acupuncture, herbal medicine, and QiGong.

crisis   The Chinese character for crisis is made of two characters, the character for danger plus the one for opportunity.

dan tien   The physical energy center of the body, located approximately 1¹/₂ to 3 inches below the navel, near the center of the body.

DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone)   Adequate dehydroepiandrosterone levels are related to youthfulness and a more functional immune system. QiGong practice is believed to elevate DHEA levels.

Dong Gong   See Moving QiGong.

energy meridians   In Chinese, jing luo, or channel network. Modern acupuncturists may refer to these meridians as “bioenergetic circuits.” These are the paths that Qi moves through to circulate within the body, although they are not physical vessels like veins or arteries. They are energy channels where energy appears to flow more easily through the body’s tissue. There are 14 main meridians, and 12 of those are directly associated with bodily organs, such as the heart and liver.

External QiGong   A TCM practice whereby the provider allows his or her Qi, cultivated through internal QiGong practice, to flow, usually from the hands, out into the patient to help the healing process.

fan lao huan tong   In Chinese, this means “reverse old age and return to youthfulness.” This is the goal of T’ai Chi and QiGong.

Feng Shui   The Chinese design art for creating flow and balance of energy within homes and other structures.

fight-or-flight response   The body’s reflex response to stress that involves elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, and feelings of subdued panic.

free radicals   Atoms with an extra electron, believed to contribute to the aging process. Regular T’ai Chi practice may reduce the cell damage these free radicals cause.

Grand Terminus   The yin yang symbol, and also the final movement of the Kuang Ping Yang style of T’ai Chi.

holistic   Chinese philosophy that sees the entire universe within each individual part, in much the same way the body’s building blocks of DNA coding are contained within each individual cell in the body.

homeostasis   Modern therapists use this term to describe a chemical, emotional, and mental sense of health and well-being. This is what T’ai Chi is designed to promote.

horary clock   TCM’s understanding of the ebb and flow of life energy patterns within the body. This understanding is used to treat various conditions using acupuncture, herbal, or QiGong therapy for optimal results.

Horse Stance   The basic stance for T’ai Chi, QiGong, and most martial arts.

hypertension   High blood pressure caused most often by unmanaged stress. High blood pressure is the cause of most heart disease.

I Ching   Also known as The Book of Changes, the I Ching is an ancient Chinese book of divination. The book is used to tell fortunes or to inspire people to look more deeply into themselves and their lives before making life decisions.

Jing Gong   See Sitting QiGong.

Kirlian photography   A photography method that appears to capture images of Qi or life energy.

Kuang Ping Yang style   The 64-movement long form of T’ai Chi brought to the West by master Kuo Lien Ying.

Lao-Tzu   The founder of Taoist philosophy.

master   One who cultivates a clarity in life, enabling her to be a nurturing force to herself and the world.

Moving QiGong   Moving exercises, such as T’ai Chi, that stimulate the flow of Qi through the body.

Mulan Quan style   A relatively modern form, rooted in a more ancient style. This may be the most elegant form of T’ai Chi, incorporating both dance and martial arts forms.

postbirth breathing   Normal abdominal T’ai Chi breathing.

prebirth breathing   A form of breathing that requires the abdominal muscles to draw in on an in-breath and relax out on an exhale.

psychoneuroimmunology   The modern science of studying how the mind’s attitudes and beliefs affect physical health.

Push Hands   A sparring tool and/or a subtle tool for self-awareness, whereby two partners (or opponents) engage in a dancelike exchange, becoming aware of one another’s posture and balance. This can be carried to an extreme of pushing the opponent down when he is vulnerable, or merely becoming gently conscious of when he is vulnerable without actually pushing him down.

Qi   Life energy. The Chinese character for Qi is also the character for air, as in breath.

QiGong   “Breath work” or “energy exercise.” There are about 7,000 QiGong exercises in the Chinese Medica (the bible of Chinese medicine).

sensei   A teacher; a term of respect often used in martial arts circles.

sifu   Chinese for “one who has mastered an art.” This term applies not only to martial arts; a master chef or artist might be a sifu as well.

sinking Qi   Settling the weight of the body into the leg you are shifting onto.

Sitting QiGong   Meditative exercises to promote the flow of Qi throughout the body.

Soong Yi-Dien   “Loosen up”; also a T’ai Chi instruction to loosen the body, mind, and heart, encouraging the student to be more flexible and adaptable to all changes.

spirit   The Latin root of spirit is spir, “to breathe,” similar to the Chinese Qi, or life energy, expressed by the same word as air.

stress   In TCM, the result of unmanaged stress is blocked energy and is the source of most physical, mental, emotional, and social problems.

T-cells   Cells that are believed to support the immune system by consuming viruses, bacteria, and even tumor cells. T’ai Chi practice is believed to boost the body’s production of T-cells.

T’ai Chi   A moving form of QiGong. Most Moving QiGong forms have only a few simple movements and lack the continuous flow of the many multiple movements that T’ai Chi forms weave together.

T’ai Chi Ch’uan   “Supreme ultimate fist” or highest martial art.

Taoism   An ancient Chinese philosophy of life that holds that the Tao, the way of life, or the invisible force of nature’s laws, can be accessed in states of alert calm. Regular immersion in the effortless power of life energy (through QiGong meditation) is believed to access the Tao for our lives, leading us to the most effortless and meaningful way to live.

Taoist Canon   An ancient book that held all the early writing on QiGong, although at that time QiGong was called Tao-yin.

Taoist philosophy   Often thought of as T’ai Chi philosophy because the subtle awareness of self and life energy is so directly applicable to Taoism’s goal of getting in touch with the Tao’s natural laws and quiet power.

Tao-yin   “Leading or guiding the energy”; another ancient name for QiGong.

To gu na xin   “Expelling the old energy, absorbing the new,” which was another name for QiGong used in the past.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)   The Chinese health sciences that see the body and mind as a holistic entity united by the flow of life energy, or Qi. The three main branches of TCM are acupuncture, herbal medicine, and exercises such as T’ai Chi and QiGong, often used in combination.

Vertical Axis   The postural alignment for T’ai Chi.

Wan Yang-Ming   Philosopher who fused the physical motions of T’ai Chi Ch’uan with the philosophy of Taoism.

Wu style   A formidable martial art form of T’ai Chi popular in many countries.

Yang Lu-Chan   The great grandmaster of Kuang Ping Yang style, who created it after studying the Chen family style.

Yang style   A form of T’ai Chi very popular in the United States and China.

Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Chinese Medicine, The   The bible of Chinese Medicine in 200 B.C.E. It stressed that “true medicine” is curing disease before it develops.

yin and yang   The Chinese concepts of universal forces. All things are an eternally flowing interaction of two opposites; the ideal is healthful balance in all things. Yin is internal, dark, feminine, and receptive. Yang is external, light, masculine, and dynamic.

Zang Fu   In Chinese, “solid-hollow.” A system that indicates how Qi, or life energy, flows throughout and between organs. It is the model of how the entire body is interlinked by that flow, and shows how treating associated organs or energy meridians can improve others.

zazen   The Zen art of meditation. Directly translated, it means “just sitting.”

zen   An oriental art of being here and now, allowing the mind and heart to let go of past and future attachments so one can be fully immersed in the moment.