The 4 Paths of Taoist Qigong

There are generally 4 paths to choose in our school of Qigong. These are typical paths in Taoist schools in China as well. The 4 paths are:

1. Scholar Qigong
2. Medical Qigong
3. Martial Qigong
4. Monk Qigong

In our system of Baguazhang Qigong we teach the first three paths.

Scholar Path

Traditionally in China the people who went down the scholarly path of Qigong were the more educated and wealthy crowd including royalty. The scholarly path of Qigong is the exploration of human potential. They wanted to go beyond the normal limitations that most human beings live under. Some wanted to achieve great powers, others wanted to test the boundaries of reality and their physical capabilities.

Medical Qigong

Practitioners of Medical Qigong are typically Chinese Medicine doctors, healers and experienced martial artists who want to learn to heal as well. They focus on learning the healing aspects. They will specialize in Organ Qigong, Bone Qigong and 14 Meridian Flow Qigong.

Martial Qigong

These are typically martial artists who want to increase their martial power. They will use the various techniques for increasing their ability to increase Qi projection.

Monk Qigong

The purposes most Taoist monks train Qigong is to reach spiritual enlightenment.

Monk Qigong is beyond the scope of our practice, as you would have to remove yourself from society and lead the life of a monk. If you come and train with me and reach a high level I will introduce you to some monks who you may possibly be able to train with, but that takes a serious commitment. I suggest you throw out your book, “Monk in A Minute” as there is no such thing.

In our school of Qigong in Bali, you may choose one of these 3 paths to focus on. You can often use the same movement or Qigong form and use it for one of the three paths mentioned above.

How to use the 3 Paths of Qigong for Primordial Breathing Qigong

Let’s take Primordial Breathing Qigong as an example. A practitioner of Scholarly Qigong may use this Qigong to see to how long they can make their inhalation of exhalation. They may test and increase their abilities to hold their breath. The Medical Qigong practitioner will use the fire and water methods of Primordial Breathing to adjust their own body’s water and fire or Yin and Yang. They may also add the Golden Elixer practice to make a complete medical Qigong set from the Primordial Breath. The Martial Qigong practitioner looking to increase their martial power will use the Primordial Breath to learn to expand their Qi field in order to be able to project Qi. In Monk Qigong they go beyond this as their purpose is for spiritual enlightenment.

If you are interested in Medical Qigong don't miss our Medical Qigong Teacher Trainings.