Casey/onyomi and I are having an important discussion in the comment section of the post about qigong standards. It’s so important that I don’t want to keep it in the comment section, but write a new post to address the issue. He brings up some great points that I’d like to discuss.
Here’s his comment:
These are some good points. Below is my response.
One, most people that talk more on Internet chat forums represent BGQ and XYQ lineages that don’t seem to stress those arts as qigong (perhaps I should say mis-represent). (However, not everyone that posts on the Internet falls into this category. There are exceptions.) The fact that these are mainly foreigners that are practicing these arts in the States is part of that equation as well. So there is a real misrepresentation of the arts going on in the public forums because of people’s obsession with fighting. With that obsession in place, there’s likely no room to consider that BGZ and XYQ might have qigong components. So you really have to consider your source when you’re looking for information.
The first style of bagua that I studied was the nine palace style of Liu Xing-han, and I studied under a disciple from that lineage. We started with circle walking and then the eight mother palms (as many BGZ styles outside of Taiwan do) and the whole purpose of the practice was to build up qi within the body. The other benefits of connectivity, structure, leg strength, etc. were all secondary, not primary as is often talked about on the Internet. I haven’t talked about that experience much yet because it was profound and I still don’t know what to do with it. One of my biggest problems was that I joined the army and moved away, meaning that I couldn’t continue my training. So my practice of it had to stop.
But the whole purpose of circle walking, in general, is to sink the qi to the dantian and allow it to accumulate over time. The peculiar bagua twisting towards the center of the circle creates a type of lock just above the dantian that prevents the qi from rising. So breathing into the dantian sinks the qi, and the lock prevents it from easily coming back up. Thus the accumulation happens. The 8 mother palms (and the single palm change) stretch the limbs and torso in a manner much like the yijinjing and allow the qi to circulate throughout the body. I never got far into that stage because I left but it was made very clear to me that that was the intent of the training.
This leads to point number two: not everyone is aware of this or maybe even agrees with it. As I already stated, those with only fighting in mind won’t agree with what I just wrote. But people who don’t train bagua probably won’t know either. And unfortunately, that applies to teachers as well. Teachers who have never trained bagua and who have never had exposure to it as a qigong practice likely won’t recognise it as qigong. Perhaps some who have been exposed to it may still think it’s not qigong, but at that point it’s a matter of opinion.
Third, from what I know, post-heaven qigong is a means of strengthening the body that does include practices such as taiji forms, exercises, hou-tian bagua, tan tui, etc. These practices are meant to work the body vigorously to “pump” and heat the blood, leading to increased bone marrow production ala xisuijing — the marrow washing classic.
The problem is, a lot of physical exercise can fall into that category and trying to exclude it may cloud the principles behind post-heaven qigong. Studies showing that weight-lifting by senior citizens leads to increased bone marrow production is just one example. Now I’m not suggesting that basketball players, etc. are qigong experts 
but according to my understanding of the pre and post- heaven qi paradigm, this is how it works.
The final point that I’d like to make is that any attempt to firmly ground this material on TCM will only succeed relative to the definition of TCM that you’re using. Afterall, a lot of TCM doctors now scoff at the five element theory because it doesn’t account for several important phenomena. Many of the other traditional theories also have come into question. Bascially, the defintion of qigong and TCM that you get will differ even among experts depending on how far you push it.
This is just my opinion, but instead of trying to figure out standards for qigong, I would suggest people look for the following type of qigong teacher:
1. one who has a clear definition of qigong — even if it differs somewhat from what others use (note: most of the info in popular qigong books is wrong or incomplete!)
2. a clear training method that has different levels and a progression and yet, a knowledge of how the components work as parts and as a whole
3. a reasonable answer as to how and why the components of the system work the way they do
4. feedback mechanisms that allow you to verify the results
5. a method that addresses a broad range of issues (assuming that someone does’t have cancer and is looking for a specialist, etc.)
6. and most importantly, proof positive from the teacher’s body and the way that he moves that his qigong method will produce the results he/she says it will
I think that focusing on these requirements will allow someone to find a qualified qigong teacher.
Once this type of teacher is found, other considerations come into play. But perhaps that should be saved for another post.
BTW, none of this addressed at any particular individual or group. I just thought that Casey’s comment raised some good points and provided an opportunity for a larger discussion.
As always, feedback is welcome.
