The validity of Qigong for Westerners

[z00se]

Yes i know qigong is good, and i have gained very much from it, but i haven't really done any western spiritual practices so i don't have anything to guage it by.

 

My question comes because even though having lived in China for 2.5 years and knowing the culture to be a total back flip from ours here in Australia, i've been back in Australia for 4 years now and maybe forgot the differences. However after attending a Chinese wedding i'd just like to mention a few points that are obviously different to Australian weddings.

 

Firstly everyone was drinking water. There was only another aussie bloke there drinking alcohol. Even the bride and groom were on the water. (I know in China they do drink but the way it's done, it's different to Australia)

The peak of the party was when there were a room of sober Chinese jumping around to ganam style, followed by YMCA.

 

In Australia ganam style was hugely popular but because it was so funny, especially the video clip, but nobody would ever dance to it full heartedly without being drunk, and laughing at themselves for being stupid. Same with guys dancing to YMCA because it was sung by a gay band, we feel uncomfortable with prancing around on the dance floor to a gay song, something Chinese obviously don't understand. Australians miss out somewhat on the fun and joy compared to Chinese who so freely express themselves and have fun. However we live in a place where people laugh at the rediculousness or lameness of dancing to ganam style, and i feel comfortable with that. I like my culture and the way we do things. I wonder how my opinions differ from Americans, or other countries? (I think there are alot of Americans on this board)

 

Anyhow, back to the original point of the topic. If qigong was developed by chinese, who are naturally more yin anyway and are so different from us, wouldn't western practices be more suited to us?

 

I do karate and my teacher, a shihan, very high level dan has damaged hips and needs a hip replacement. Another neidan is only 40 odd years old and his hips are worn too. They say that asian bodies are built different to ours and we can't cope with the high kicks. I think with proper internal training it may not be a problem, but the fact is that we need to do that internal training, while perhaps they don't.

 

I also wonder about a barbarian sword weilding warrior vs a samurai. Samurai are from a more recent time so perhaps the stories are more fresh, however when it comes to physical combat, i wonder how a barbarian would fare against a samurai. Or even fencing vs samurai. Before bruce lee started making movies were asian martial artists even respected in the west?

 

Who are the skilled western magicans? is there anyone who can do anything like master zhou on rippleys believe it or not? I have heard of Merlin, but is there anyone who is alive now?

[joeblast]

let me put it this way,

 

my best friend's younger brother was 5 years younger than us. growing up, he wanted to play football with the big kids - so he was given town league pads and a helmet, and was ran the f over a million times - but given that he had pads, every so often he'd give one back good. was always taught "proper" tacking, put your head in the box and plow 'em over. by the time he was playing town league, he ran kids over like crazy, became a defensive wonder, had his high school team arrange their entire defense around him and his play, they won the state championship that year...almost a pity he graduated at 17, because that extra year of maturity would have done him well in college and he might have gone somewhere instead of not getting along with the coaches.

 

but my point to the story is, from very young, this kid, with a helmet, was beating things like he was a ram and not a human being. the stories of head butt competitions were pretty brutal, because those were usually drunken at parties, but never did he lose not once, no matter how big his opponent or how big their head was. too bad he was only 5'10 (but weighing in at 235, he had to wear size 40 waist to get his thighs through pants at the peak of his training) so that basically precluded him from being an NFL linebacker, he was too short for the position in college - if he'd just listened to his older brother and focused on being a running back, I have no doubts he'd ....be at about ready to retire now at 34 or so.

 

point is when you train for something from a very young age like that, the abilities that come out are just amazing. its interesting having a collection of rare creatures like that in one's life.

 

so this whole "ah westerners arent really designed to do lotus" or "do high kicks" or "asians arent designed for this or that" I say its a bunch of bullshit, it is all what you have been conditioned to do throughout your life.

 

westerners tendons only shrivel up because of the relatively unhealthy lifestyle, underuse, and non stretching. so all indications of not being very energetically open.

 

that can be changed, but its far easier when its a part of one's life from when one is small.

 

my nephew had a hockey tourney his team went to, in the final game they won he scored 9 goals...he'll be 11 sometime this year and has had ice to skate on since he could walk, basically...

 

my son was able to recite the entire alphabet and was speaking in pretty much complete sentences before he was a year old....when things are cultivated properly....

 

I bought him a geology hammer this year for xmas.

[zerostao]

"Who are the skilled western magicans?"

high level mage or poet tends to stay hidden, the reasons seem obvious to me

[z00se]

Yeah you are right, conditioning does make up for it, but starting midway through life we already have 30 odd years of a different kind of conditioning that makes it harder to walk the same path. Another big problem with karate is the push yourself to the limit mentality, it can make one survive in a desperate situation, but can also be very destructive.

[dawei]

I think this topic has great insight into a cultural difference and understand it goes way beyond training/preparation.

 

In short; Chinese bodies are generally softer, more flexible and empty.

 

When I was doing Taiji from a Taiwan master, I was going to the 'western class' but he invited me to the 'eastern class'... it was taught quite a bit different due to inherent softness.

 

In sports, look at how early Li Na and Yao Ming retired...

 

Their bodies (in general... please) are well suited for eastern practices but not the rigor of long term western sports.

 

Now... the other great question was: wouldn't western practices be more suited to us?

 

I would answer YES if the goal is more competitive but no if the goal is more balance.

[thelerner]

I remember reading from a well informed european sword expert that in a set tournament a katana/samurai would lose to an equally skilled fencer but on a chaotic battle field where there was less finesse and the killing stroke meant everything, the samurai sword and technique would have the advantage.