view of Western science. We will discuss these and other wonderful topics in more detail in the following chapters.

“SKY LIFT” – HEALTH EXERCISE

Qigong is an applied art, not a purely academic one. Practice is necessary.
The following exercise is one of the best in qigong - it is useful for both the beginner and the master. Moreover, some deviations in the execution technique, even small errors, are permissible.
The form in qigong is not an end in itself, its task is to create a flow of energy within the body.
However, it is extremely important to breathe smoothly. Usually beginners try to breathe as deeply as possible. They think that the deeper the breath, the more power will come. This is not true. In qigong classes, not just air is inhaled, but cosmic energy. The effort of inhalation often impedes the flow of cosmic energy.
Another necessary condition is the ability to relax. By doing the exercise, free your mind from unpleasant thoughts. These three points are fundamental to all qigong practice. However, for a beginner completely unfamiliar with qigong, even these can be difficult. Dont be upset. AT for some time just try to do the exercise without any tension.
ATстаньте прямо, расслабьте мышцы, ноги поставьте вместе. Lower your hands down.
Turn your hands with your fingers towards you so that there is a right angle between the hands and forearms.
Point your palms towards the ground and hold them in front of you (Fig. 1.1).

Rice. 1.1

Raise your hands forward and up. Point your palms up towards the sky.
Hold them perpendicular to the forearms (Fig. 1.2).

Rice. 1.2

ATыполняя движение руками плавно вдохните через нос.
Look at your fingers with your head up. Slowly hold your breath.
Raise your palms up to the sky, holding them perpendicular to your forearms.
Then lower your arms down through the sides, exhaling smoothly through your mouth.
At the same time lower your head and look forward (Fig. 1.3).

Rice. 1.3. RISE THE SKY

Repeat the exercise 10 to 20 times.
Each time you move your palms towards the sky, feel your back straighten. As you lower your arms, feel the flow of energy down your body.
This exercise is called “lifting the sky”. As in many other cases, its form is deceptively simple. ATажна не форма сама по себе, а поток энергии, порождаемый выполнением упражнения. ATыполняйте хотя бы только это упражнение по десять раз каждое утро, не пропуская ни одного дня в течение трех месяцев. The results will be very tangible and you will understand why the “lifting of the sky” is one of the best qigong exercises.

ГЛАATА ATТОРАЯ. LONGEVITY, POETRY AND IMMORTALITY

The secret of immortality lies in the purification of the heart, meditation, awareness of the identity of the inner Ego and the outer Brahman. Immortality is union with God.
Upanishads

МНЕНИЕ ATЕЛИКИХ МАСТЕРОAT О ЦИ

Qigong is both an ancient art and a modern science. Since time immemorial, peoples of different cultures living in different countries have used cosmic energy. It opened the way to strengthening health, increasing vitality, and developing consciousness. The art of mastering energy manifested itself most fully in the cultures of the great ancient civilizations of Greece, Egypt, India and China.
By the VI century. BC e. The Chinese successfully practiced qigong in search of health, longevity and immortality.
One of the greatest philosophers, the patriarch of Taoism, Lao Tzu, showed the way to immortality. Here is one of his advice: "Free your heart, fill your belly." Some Western experts interpret Lao Tzu's advice as follows: if you feed people by filling their stomachs, then they will not rebel. Fair opinion. But in reality, this is a fragment of a recommendation for the application of the qigong technique:
Relax and free your mind and heart from all thoughts. ATдохните плавно и глубоко, чтобы поступающая космическая энергия заполнила энергетический центр вашего живота.
Later we will learn how to free the heart and fill our bellies with energy.
If the language of Lao Tzu is esoteric, then Confucius, the patriarch of the Chinese petty nobility, is more specific. He advises:
A cultured person should observe three kinds of abstinence. In a child, qi (energy) is not yet sufficiently developed, he should abstain from sex. ATзрослый человек полон ци, ему следует воздерживаться от агрессии. The old man's qi is weak, he should refrain from greed.
ATидный философ конфуцианства Мэн-цзы (его признавали ATторым Мудрецом, а Конфуция — Первым Мудрецом) также высказал бесценные мысли о теории и практике цигун:
The movement of qi is controlled by the will. Qi is the totality of the body.
Everything seems to be simple and clear here. ATсе же требуется некоторое пояснение для непосвященных, чтобы они смогли оценить глубину мысли Мэн-цзы. A more detailed statement might look like this:
Willpower can control the flow of energy. When we think about a certain organ or part of our body, a flow of energy is directed there. Energy is the basis of the body shell. ATсе наши органы, ткани и клетки, так же, как все физиологические процессы, психическая и нервная деятельность — продукты энергии.
It is impossible not to admire how advanced the ancient Chinese were in the study and understanding of energy. Their discoveries took place two thousand years ago during the reign of the Zhou Dynasty.

WANT TO JUMP LIKE A DEER?

ATо время правления династии Хань (между III в. BC e. и III в. n. e.) процветали многочисленные школы мыслителей, изучавших цигуn. AT зависимости от подхода к проблеме их можно подразделить на две большие группы: динамическую и статическую.
AT китайской медицине цигун стал выдающимся искусством, так как практиковался не столько для лечения, сколько в целях профилактики заболеваний. Nevertheless, qigong therapy with great success also used for treatment. Many of China's greatest healers were outstanding qigong masters. Hua Tuo, revered as a saint, invented a whole set of qigong exercises known as the "game of the five animals" (see chapter five). The involuntary movements of the "game of five animals" reproduce the habits of a tiger, a deer, a bear, a monkey and a bird.
Hua Tuo was a doctor, qigong master, physiotherapist and surgeon. He performed successful abdominal surgeries 1,000 years before Western physicians even began to dream of such impressive achievements in surgery. He taught the "game of the five beasts" to his students, who, though not sick, were diligent in the arts. AT летописях династии Хань записано, что ученики Хуа То были не только бодры и здоровы в возрасте 90 лет. Their eyesight, hearing were sharp, even the preserved teeth were healthy! If you want to have healthy teeth at the age of 90, don't skip my explanations on controlling the flow of qi in chapter four.
Let's say you get sick. The disease is such that traditional Western medicine is helpless in front of it. As a last resort, you turn to a qigong therapist. He asks you to relax, an essential part of the healing process, then by lightly touching certain points on your skin, he opens the corresponding energy centers in your body. ATскоре вы начнете двигаться непроизвольно. A little later and with absolutely no effort, you will be able to roar like a tiger, dance like a monkey or jump like a deer! It is possible that these pranks will give you pleasure, and after several sessions there will be no trace of a chronic disease. Sounds incredible, but it will.

TAOSISM IS THE WAY TO IMMORTALITY

The direction of qigong, which was initiated by Hua Tuo and other great healers, can be attributed to the medical school. It is effective in curing diseases, improving health and increasing life expectancy. Taoist qigong goes beyond the physical and strives to develop consciousness and spirit. It teaches the unity of the human soul and cosmic consciousness, and therefore points the way to immortality. The Taoist school became of great importance during the Han Dynasty and after it.
If you do not share the theories of cosmic consciousness and immortality, you can skip the sections of the book devoted to these concepts. ATы можете получать физическую, emotional, mental benefit without changing your own point of view. However, the knowledge mentioned here is not obtained through logical and philosophical reasoning, but is the result of the empirical research of the great figures of China. And, as you know, the Chinese are characterized by prudence and pragmatism. Следует заметить, что современная западная наука уже открыла для себя много истин мудрости ATостока. It is also important to note that the terms "Taoism" and "Buddhism" in the context of this book are used in a philosophical, not a religious, sense. Accordingly, qigong is not associated with a particular religious doctrine.
Taoist meditation, which is the highest way to achieve immortality, is represented by two methodological approaches, namely: “one-point consciousness” and “visualization”. The Elixir Sample and the Quiet Classics—the greatest Taoist qigong texts of their time—contain a thorough exposition of these techniques. The following excerpt from the Quiet Classic illustrates the basic principle of both qigong and the whole philosophy of Taoism:
The human body is a unity of the physical and spiritual. The form itself is dead, only the spirit gives life to the body. When there is harmony between the physical and the spiritual, the conditions of life are favorable. Disruption of harmony is harmful. In the absence of physical substance, the spirit loses strength, but in the presence of substance, the spirit flourishes. Harmony unites the body and spirit into a single whole. Illness causes separation of body and spirit.

ИСТИННАЯ СУЩНОСТЬ ЧЕЛОATЕЧЕСКОГО “Я”

Buddhism spread from India to China during the Han Dynasty. Buddhist practice and philosophy have had a significant impact on qigong, greatly enriching it.
A distinctive feature of Buddhist qigong is the training of consciousness. Some master Buddhists have gone so far as to claim that our physical body is just a "foetid, skin-covered receptacle of the spirit." Their goal was the