The word Qigong (氣 功 - pronounced "chee gong") is a combination of two ideas: "Qi" means air, breath of life, or vital energy of the body, and "gong" means the self-discipline skill of working, cultivating, and balancing Qi. The art of Qigong consists primarily of the use of intention, meditation, relaxation, physical movement or posture, mind-body integration, and breathing exercises. Practitioners of Qigong develop an awareness of qi sensations (energy) in their body and use their mind to guide the Qi for improving their health, all of which can easily be learned by almost anyone.

At present, there are thousands research studies on qigong, and over 1800 studies on tai chi. A small list of benefits from regular Qigong practice includes: reduced blood pressure, increases in sex hormone levels, better balance, improved bone density, increased blood levels of the anti-oxidant Superoxide Dismutase (S.O.D.), improved immune function, and much more! (CLICK HERE for a detailed research paper on the benefits from practicing Qigong regularly.)

There are countless schools of Qigong that have developed over the thousands of years that it has been practiced. The key is not to learn a variety of techniques, but to learn the fundamentals properly and practice regularly. Qigong teaches you to regulate the body, the breath, and the mind. You can name the result whatever you want, the key is to follow the steps on the path with proper guidance.

There is a broad range of skill requirements for Qigong practice, from the simple to the complex. You could spend a life time practising and never run out of lessons. The good news is that anyone can start at any time, it's never to early or too late to begin on the path to strength and peace of mind.

This has a very simple answer: no. Though there is a deep mental component to the advanced levels of practice, Qigong is not religious at all.

I ask my students to practice for 10-15 minutes, preferably twice per day but once will do. WIth the amount of time that people spend doing other things that clutter their minds (newsmedia, youtube, facebook), we all have the time to clear out minds. We just need to get in the habit. It may even be MORE important with all of the distraction in the modern world than ever before!