The Origins of Qigong

“The Origins of Qigong” from April 2020:

I have a pretty unusual theory on the origins of qigong in ancient times. I believe that some of this knowledge was born simply out of man trying to deal with the cold. I have a lot of experience sitting in the cold with very little clothing. Posture is important when one is sitting in the cold. If you try to recline, and understand the concept that heat rises, then your body will make a very large heat signature when it leans backwards and it will cool much quicker than if it's in a vertical line where the heat from below will heat the upper parts instead of just radiating out of the body. I stumbled upon these things before thinking about their relation to qigong. Even though I was tired and sleeping in a car, I found that sitting vertically kept me much warmer. The position of the hands, whether making mudras or knots, or simply placing one over the other on your belly, can all be useful in warming the hands.

Sitting on top of your legs helps to keep your feet warm as well as providing a foundation for you to sit vertically. If you breathe in quickly, you take that cold air in through your sinuses quickly, traumatizing your body and losing heat. If you exhale quickly, the exact same thing occurs. Over time, I learned that if I regulated my posture, was mindful of my legs, arms, hands, and feet, and regulated my breathing, I could maintain warmth and comfort more easily. Eventually I learned that if I calmed my mind, then more heat went down below. This is my own personal experience and theory on how one could start the practice of qigong in ancient times. As one sits in this fashion over time, they will begin to accumulate energy. When this energy opens into the higher centers of the brain, some practitioners may pierce the veil to the other side. This is how traditional taoist and buddhist exercises became religion in my opinion.