How does Qigong work? - Tensegrity & Transformation
Today I would like to explain to you what happens in our bodies when we practice Qigong. We can achieve many different effects through our exercises and therefore there is not just one single function. Of course there are multiple things that happen inside. An important role, for example, play our hormones, enzymes, or other biochemical processes in the body. However, in this post I mainly want to focus on the concept of tensegrity.
Through practing Qigong we will be able to bring back the natural state of tensegrity in our tissues. This serves as the foundation for further body-development through Qigong.
First of all, I'll explain what this term actually means.
The word “tensegrity” is made up of “tension” and “integrity” (In this case referring to structural integrity.) In order to better understand this concept, I will use a small model to show you how the tissues in our bodies behave. Of course, this is only for clarification and not 100% transferable. (After all, our tissues have no wooden sticks and rubber bands.) In the picture you can see what a tensegrity model looks like.
Before I go further into how Qigong works, I have to explain the basic framework of this example.
The aim of Qigong is an unhindered flow of our Qi (life energy), health and vitality, but to achieve this, the body must also be stressed and stimulated to a certain degree. Yes, this might sound strange in the beginning, but it’s a fact. I’m aware that most people think that Qigong is all about relaxation. Even though this is partly true, through relaxing the large muscles we want to stimulate other regions in the body. When the muscles are relaxed down while the bone structure is elevated and the joints are open, the connective tissues, fascia and Huang will stretch and “be stressed”. This is an important part of the Qigong body-development that’s often overlooked.
The question we can ask ourselves is, how can we heal our body through Qigong and bring it back to its natural, elastic and vital state?
So first of all, you have to know that we are assuming that the body is no longer in its natural state. This is no surprise and happens all by itself with age, work, posture, unhealthy lifestyles and so on. Many of these things contribute to the fact that the body is brought out of its natural balance and that chronic tension builds up in the body. These tensions have a negative effect on the free flow of our Qi, on the quality of our tissues and on the body functions. So we want to restore this balance in order to function perfectly again physically and mentally, so that the body is optimized as nature intended it to be.
So how does this relate to tensegrity now? Take a look at the two pictures so that you can get an impression of this model. (If you prefer to watch this post in the form of a video, then you can scroll down to the very bottom.) In the left picture (or above on the mobile phone) you can see the opened model and on the right you can see how it looks deformed.
This model consists of several wooden sticks that do not touch each other. They are only held in place by the rubber bands attached to the ends. The rubber bands are under tension at all times. They ensure that the model does not collapse. This construct is very stable and is also used in architecture, among other things. It is very resilient because it has great flexibility and still always comes back to its original shape. This shape can go through strong phases of deformation and still jumps back to the original shape.
This model can be compared directly with our body, especially with our connective tissues and fasciae.
When the tissues are healthy and vital, they have a strong elasticity and tensegrity. With age or with an unhealthy lifestyle, the tissues lose this elasticity and remain deformed. In the case of severe chronic tension, this structure can even “get stuck”. If we look at babies or young children, we can see that they have very good bio-tensegrity in their bodies. They are very flexible, can twist and make the strangest contortions and yet the tissues keep coming back to this natural position of healthy tensegrity. Among other things, this has to do with the fact that the joints are still open, there is no chronic tension and your Qi can flow unhindered through the body, including into these tissues.
The older we get, the more this model can deform, as this rebound effect becomes weaker and weaker. As already said, there are many reasons why the efficiency and structure of our body can decrease and this effect can worsen.
But don't worry, you can not only slow down this effect, but also reverse it to regain your youthful vitality.
If you look at the deformed model you can see that in some areas the rubber bands are no longer under tension, and in other areas the rubber is very tight. This is exactly what happens in our body. Some muscles shorten and others become too loose and weak. Remember, it is not only about the muscles, but also about the structure of the connective tissue. In short, it affects the whole network in the body.
Now it would (theoretically) make sense to train the muscle that is too weak. Right?
But no, the opposite is true. If we now train this muscle, for example, and thus shorten it again, then we will only pull this model closer together and deform it even more. We'd also add more tension elsewhere.
You could of course also say that you practice a little yoga to stretch the areas (rubber bands) that have too much tension. (So now don't get me wrong, I think yoga is great and, depending on the method, it can also be practiced holistically, but this is about how Qigong affects the body <3)
In this situation, too, arbitrary stretching can have a negative effect on the constitution of the tissues. If our condition is already unfavorable (deformed model) and we specifically stretch different parts of the body, we pull the rubber bands longer, but this also has an effect on the other side of the model and we simply do not come to this natural state of tensegrity in our body.
Stretching the muscles is of course very good for the body, but you can see here if we are unlucky, depending on what condition we are in, we can counteract a general improvement. However, one must also be able to distinguish between stretching the large muscles and the tissue network in the body. Stretching exercises are healthy and also good for the body, but to rebuild the natural elasticity and vitality of the tissues, another method is required.
So how can we answer the question in the beginning and practice to regain our health and elasticated qualities in the tissues?
The whole point is that we mostly try to be smarter than nature. The natural healing ability of our body knows exactly how we can return to this natural state. We only have to allow this inner intelligence to take action and we can support it through our Qigong exercises. We do not focus on the effect directly, but only on the cause. So that the body can use its universal healing ability inherited from nature and guide the body through the necessary processes. We create an environment, so to speak, so that the natural healing intelligence of the body can bring about a positive change and bring the tissues of our body back into the state of this tensegrity.
Qigong roughly translated means “energy work” or more precisely “the ability to do something with our Qi”. So it's not just about relaxation as many people think (although that is of course a wonderful by-product.) The “work”, the active part in Qigong, is, among other things, aligning the body so that we can structure the tissues with the help of our positions and movements. When we come into our special Qigong alignment, we allow the body to slowly relax the areas in this model that are too tense. NATURALLY.
Together with our breathing and associated sequences of movements or static positions, we support this natural process in the body so that this model returns to its original state of tensegrity. We naturally bring back the elasticated qualities in the tissues, vitality in the body and can bring about these countless other positive changes such as improved health and optimized body functions.
Imagine you’re in the state of lots of accumulated chronic tension (deformed model) in which some of the elastic bands (tissue) are weak and loose and other regions have too much tension. If you look at the picture you can see that most of these tissues (rubber bands) are under particularly high tension. (Chronic tension in the body) We breathe deeply, expand and open the tissues, cultivate a relaxed body, if necessary help with other gentle movements so that slowly but surely this natural state of our body will be regained. Step by step the tension will ease away and the model can begin to rebound in its original shape.
This holistic function is also one of the reasons why I have specialized in Yijin Jing Qigong. With the very precise approach of the Yijin Jing, which is really deeply focused inside the body and its tissues, these goals can be achieved in an effective way.
BUT...
Tensegrity is only the first step of this transformation. Simply by regaining our natural tensegrity we are not changing the tissues in the body to get a tendon-like quality. This can only be achieved through various processes of development through Yijin Jing Qigong.
In this video I explain the whole theory and show you how the model of tensegrity behaves in the body. Feel free to click subscribe. ;-)
Yijin Jing Qigong is a very effective Qigong system that brings the body back to its natural state and beyond. But there is much more, because if we develop the right qualities in our body, we don’t only bring back our vitality, but also develop a robustness and strength, as well as a completely optimized healthy body and mind. To learn more about it, take a look at this Yijin Jing Qigong program. In over 65 videos with more than 19 hours of content I will guide you through the entire journey of this Qigong-method.
