~<br >Chi Kung<br >Breath power<br >Chi Kung is the simplest but by no<br >means the most superficial of the soft or<br >internal martial arts. Though it is<br >concerned far less with martial ability<br >than the other arts， it is through mould-<br >ing the body s energy in Chi Kung that<br >the strength to practise all the other arts<br >emerges. Chi Kung literally means<br >"energy work". In common with the<br >other soft arts it has a central principle<br >or goal - that is， the cultivation of Chi，<br >the vital energy. Chi has many meanings<br >- it is energy， it is the life force， but it is<br >also air and breath and even nourish-<br >ment. It is the fundamental force in the<br >Universe which the martial arts teach<br >you to sense and then to generate， so as<br >to harmonize its flow (see also p.24).<br > Although each of the soft martial arts<br >is a complete and unified system in its<br >own right， people in China tend to prac-<br >tise them jointly， or to progress from<br >one art to the next (see p.17). Most<br >commonly， students begin with a<br >combination of Chi Kung and T ai Chi<br >Chuan. As a starting point for training，<br >Chi Kung aims to instil deep natural<br >breathing， and to focus and balance the<br >mind. Included in this chapter is Ba<br >Duan Jin (pp.26-33)， a sequence of<br >eight exercises that is often practised<br >with Chi Kung.<br > All the exercises taught here are won-<br >derfully simple but perfectTng them<br >can be a life s work. Chi Kung is mas-<br >tered above all by constant practice.<br > Most teachers of the other arts also<br >practise and perfect Chi Kung， but there<br >are many masters who practise Chi<br >Kung alone. Chinese masters of Chi<br >Kung can perform extraordinary feats<br >of strength and endurance by develop-<br >ing the use of Chi， the life force， and<br >concentrating it in specific parts of their<br >bodies. But building up thosc powers<br >can take years of dedicated training.<br > Chi Kung is the most fundamental of<br >the martial arts. Diligent practice every<br >day will keep you in good physical and<br >mental shape and promote vitality， and<br >the exercises can be used at any stage in<br >life - in childhood， in adulthood， in<br >pregnancy， and in later life. The belief<br >in the benefits of cultivating } our Chi，<br >or vital energy， goes back nearly 3，000<br >years in Chinese history. One of the<br >classics of ancient Chinese literature， the<br >Nei Ching， or Yellow Emperor s Classic<br >of Internal Medicine， records the idea<br >that Chi may be developed through<br >breath control. The Chinese have been<br >practising various exercises similar to<br >Chi Kung ever since， using them to<br >maintain health and to restore it after<br >illness， as well as to strengthen them-<br >selves for martial arts practice. As<br >Chapter 6 shows (pp.172-88)， Chi Kung<br >can also be practised to alleviate many<br >types of illness and pain and， since the<br >basic movements are very gentle， many<br >people who suffer from chronic debili-<br >tating conditions can embqrk on a<br >course of therapeutic discipline without<br >risk of injury or strain.<br ><br >