It's 'chee,' not 'qwee'
By Bob Condor Tribune staff reporter
Published June 15, 2003
The word "qigong" is peculiar enough to make one wonder if
this form of physical activity can become popular. It can be dif-
By self-admission, Nate head rather than literally
ficult to get enthusiastic about something you can't pronounce.
Davison was once the proto- bang it into walls.
typical Angry Young Man.
To eliminate such obstacles, here's a quick primer, compli-
Qigong (pronounced "chee-
ments of all things "Q":
"I was so angry and full of gung") is a centuries-old
rage that I would punch Chinese healing art that
"Qi" is pronounced "chee" and means energy, vital force or
walls," said Davison, 28, of Americans are rediscover- breath of life. It is sometimes spelled "chi."
Barrington. "I mean, punch ing. Some upscale health
"Gong" is pronounced "gung" (calling it "kung" seems to be
a hole right through." clubs and spas have added
acceptable but definitely not "gong"). It translates to practice,
classes, and companies such
skill or mastery. What you are practicing is self-discipline.
Davison seemed a prime as Prudential Financial and
candidate for a martial arts Mattel are offering qigong
To impress your friends, you can casually mention that
discipline. But he picked workshops for employees.
qigong once was closely guarded from commoners by
one, qigong, not known for
Chinese elites. It was later forbidden during the Cultural
its punching, kicking or Even golfers, including
Revolution, and a recent form has been suspected as a reli-
gious cult by the current regime.
screaming. His daily qigong some competing in Sunday's
-- B.C.
practice helped him use his final round of the U.S. Open
at local Olympia Fields, are much more than a matter of tai chi classes (especially the dead-end warehouse job to
exploring the possibilities inhaling and exhaling air. stretching variation) than pursue his lifelong love of
on strength of a rumor that qigong, not currently on the music. He now plays regu-
Tiger Woods practiced Breathing with purpose schedule. larly with blues, jazz and
qigong as a child. rock bands while teaching
"A deep breath alone will "It's a tougher discipline of guitar to a steady list of
Qigong is appearing on not bring you more oxygen," learning," she explained. clients.
exercise class schedules in said Roger Jahnke, an
New York and Los Angeles osteopathic physician based Burrows said the same phe- On Thursday nights he
clubs, which, per usual, in Santa Barbara, Calif., and nomenon occurs with yoga. teaches qigong class ("I tend
means that Chicagoans like- author of "The Healing People might take a class for to attract people who are
ly will follow. For instance, Promise of Qi" (McGraw- gentle movement and 20-somethings") at the
Sports Club/LA offers Hill/Contemporary Books, stretching. Then as a yoga Tiger Kyuki-DO martial arts
"SynerChi Sculpt," a class $24.95). "You must get practice intensifies, mem- school in Barrington.
that combines qigong, yoga yourself into a state of relax- bers realize "it's one of the
and weight lifting. ation to benefit from deeper, hardest activities." "Once I understood the par-
more purposeful breathing." allels between playing guitar
"It's not just about the tro- Burrows, like others who and qigong, I took to it," said
phy body anymore," said Make no mistake. The mus- spot exercise trends for a liv- Davison, who has been play-
Norris Tomlinson, who cular movements of qigong, ing, hears a distant but ing music since age 12.
supervises exercise pro- such as squeezing and advancing drumbeat for "There are the same rigor-
grams for the nearly 400 releasing the sphincter mus- qigong. The mind-body ous training and repeti-
Bally Total Fitness clubs cle (which controls urine aspect of the workout tions."
across the country. flow), are demanding. appeals to anyone who is
Qigong students routinely burned out on, say, running Davison encourages new-
Some of us might better rec- work up a river of sweat. or power lifting. comers to be patient, not
ognize the martial art as tai always a staple in the
chi ("tie-chee"), though The mental component According to the Chinese American mind-set.
there is a distinction. requires total focus, but belief system, qi is naturally
qigong fans say the work- occurring energy or life "It takes time to understand
Qigong is a series of what outs result in feeling more force (some call it "bioener- how the qi moves in your
appear to be simple deep- clear and less stressed out. gy") within the body. The act body," Davison said. "If you
breathing exercises and sub- of cultivating, refining or stick with it, you will feel it.
tle movements, such as flex- Jahnke said qigong students mobilizing this life force for Then you see the positive
ing torso muscles. learn to get into such relax- healing purposes is called changes it can create in your
ation states within seconds "gong." The mind guides the life."
Tai chi could be called a sub- for numerous mini-breaks. body's qi.
set of qigong. Tai chi's gen- The theory is that you are Gary J. Clyman is a 51-year-
tle, flowing exercises are moving life energy through- "We incorporate qigong into old qigong teacher who
part of the large number of out your body. a number of our martial arts tutors Davison along with
qigong movements that are classes," said Tomlinson. thousands of others who
prescribed by Chinese tradi- The discipline creates body "Members are more educat- have attended his work-
tional medicine practices to awareness. That makes it ed about knowing they need shops, bought his video and
"move" someone's "qi," or different from many popular a combination of activities book or scheduled private
energy. forms of exercise, which to be fit and well. I recom- lessons since 1983 (check
allow for TV viewing, read- mend people combine out www.chikung.com). He
Tai chi is a sort of introduc- ing or socializing. qigong with some cardiovas- said it is not uncommon for
tion to qigong taught at cular and strength workouts his students to experience a
many health clubs and fit- "We are definitely seeing a [lifting weights, yoga or first few weeks of frustration
ness centers. The East Bank bigger interest in the martial Pilates] each week." once they commit to a
Club in Chicago offers tradi- arts than we have in quite a qigong practice.
tional tai chi and a tai chi while," said Nancy Burrows, Results can be dramatic,
stretch class. director of exercise pro- especially for the mind and "People start moving the
grams at the East Bank quality of life. energy around," said
Qigong, despite its outward Club. "Movies like `The Clyman, who first learned
similarity to sitting or stand- Matrix' motivate people." Escaping a dead end qigong in 1978. "They real-
ing meditation, is more ize they aren't happy. They
intense and exhausting for Nonetheless, Burrows said Davison started his qigong figure out ways to rework
body and mind. Its deep- East Bank Club members practice five years ago. their marriage and or ask for
breathing component is are more inclined to attend Within weeks, he quit a a raise."
As a master teacher, he sees For example, one client who lawyers and business con- A reinvigorated life
his role as both moving talked about selling her con- sultants. But he also works
energy himself in a person's dominium and moving to with security guards and Clyman's qigong lessons
body and teaching the stu- Costa Rica did just that financial traders. awaken a person's sense of
dent to do it on his or her within six weeks of following "deservingness." He charac-
own. The goal is moving the Clyman's qigong practice. In fact, his trader clientele terizes the workout routine
internal energy to create was booming in the late as much more than a way to
internal power. Clyman said he routinely 1980s to the point that one sweat off pounds or reduce
"fixes marriages" and "helps firm provided an office for stress.
"I call it flexing the muscle people project the desired him to see traders during
of your will," Clyman said. results of a business meet- work breaks. "When you practice qigong,
"Learning to move energy ing" through recirculated qi. you stop slouching off, you
around is about 30 percent "There was a period when stop taking what's less, you
physical and 70 percent Clyman's client list includes that's all I was doing," stop procrastinating, you
mental." the expected doctors, Clyman recalled. stop having bad relation-
ships," Clyman said. but acknowledges that some infomercial on local stations in the
Americans will pursue qigong in years coming weeks.
Such dividends require persistence, he ahead to feel calmer and more ground-
said. His qigong routine that can be ed. "Something is happening," Clyman
performed at home in a 6-foot-square said. "People are going past wanting
space gradually engages students in 28 "There are many different flavors and muscle strength and weight loss and a
individual movements. levels of qigong and tai chi," Clyman better appearance. They are looking
said. "My suggestion is you pick a sim- for a new wave of anti-aging and ener-
"We start with low repetitions, then ple series of exercises to get started." getics."
build word by word, sentence by sen-
tence," Clyman said. Laughing, Clyman said he "thought the
wave was then" during his heyday of Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune
The qigong master teacher eschews the training up to 100 traders in the late
self-massage segment of ancient 1980s. Yet his phone and Internet site
Chinese qigong teachings ("it's just a have been noticeably busier in the last
bunch of lip rubbing and ear pulling") few months. He will be airing an