Neigong
- Details
- Parent Category: Elements
- Category: Neigong
- Published on Friday, 05 April 2013 09:29
- Written by Ian Sinclair (adminsinclair)
- Hits: 137
Neigong "Internal Skill" 內功 Nèigōng
Neigong is at the very heart of the "Internal" martial arts like tai chi, xingyiquan, baguazhang, liuhebafa, and others. This is where the main difference between such arts and other martial arts begins. Other martial arts are sometimes called "External" martial arts because of their focus on waigong "External skill" (外功 Wàigōng). Waigong trains muscles and bones in coordination with each other, but in a way which often isolates muscle groups and which requires different parts of the body to work independently.
In contrast, tai chi and other internal arts cultivate a profound relaxation in order to fascilitate an extremely efficient alignment of fascia. No muslce group is permitted to exceed its optimal range, and all parts are required to coordinate with the core muscles below the navel. This not only encourages the most efficient use of the body, but also encourages the student to avoid confronting any force head-on.
Through standing meditation, subtle breathing exercises, and other methods, the student learns to enter a state of bliss, which the student later learns to maintain through form practice, partner training, and even in the face of external conflict.
Neigong is extremely effective, but few schools put much emphasis on it, simply because it is difficult to explain to beginners. It is even more difficult to get beginners to practise it. Once they get past the first 12 weeks, however, most students are able to appreciate the many bene