Chi Kung - Nei Kung

Chi Kung (also known as Qigong, Nei Kung, or Neigong) is an essential part of training for internal kung fu. Through this training we gain both mental concentration and better control over breath and body. There are a vast number of different training methods, many apparently unrelated to one another, that go by the name "Chi Kung". Below we describe some of our methods.

Breath Training
"Hou Tien Chi" training is one type of meditation that we teach. In western terms, it could be described as training in breathing effectively. The abdomen is divided into three sections, and you will learn how to employ each section fully before putting all of the sections together for "complete breathing". In eastern terms, is is training in how to use the breath to direct and control the flow of Chi (Qi) or energy within the body. This falls under the description of "Nei Kung", or using internal methods, such as breath or mental concentration to direct energy flow.

Hua Tuo's Five Animal Training
Hua Tuo is one of China's most famed physicians. He lived during the Three Kingdoms Period (around the second century AD) and was a skilled surgeon, herbalist, and acupuncturist. He created a set of therapeutic exercises based on his observations of five wild animals: bear, tiger, monkey, crane, and deer.

Other Training
We also teach several different sets of breath exercises, including Eagle Claw Breathing and I Chin Chings. These sets make some use of "Wai Kung", or external methods of of generating and directiong chi. In these cases, energy is accumulated and directed by the use of muscle tension in combination with breath.