Simple yet effective, the practices in this book will help you get your energies humming. Beginning with a clear explanation of the fundamental concepts of Chinese medicine, the book presents simple meditations and traditional physical exercises based on this theory. Regularly practicing these exercises will lead you into greater awareness of your body, and gradually restore your health from the inside out. The Five Element Questionnaire will help you know your personal Element type so you can target your exercise program to your own needs. QIGONG FOR SELF-REFINEMENT TOTAL HEALTH with the 5 ELEMENTS By CHRIS SHELTON Balboa Press Copyright © 2013 Chris Shelton All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4525-7474-5 Contents FOREWORD...................................................................xiINTRODUCTION...............................................................xiiiHow to Use This Book.......................................................xixChapter 1: FOUNDATIONS.....................................................1Chapter 2: THE NATURE OF QI................................................9Chapter 3: THE MERIDIAN SYSTEM.............................................15Chapter 4: YIN AND YANG OF THE ORGANS......................................21Chapter 5: THE VESSELS AND GATES...........................................25Chapter 6: FIVE ELEMENTS IN DETAIL.........................................31Chapter 7: FIRE ELEMENT....................................................35Chapter 8: EARTH ELEMENT...................................................43Chapter 9: METAL ELEMENT...................................................49Chapter 10: WATER ELEMENT..................................................55Chapter 11: WOOD ELEMENT...................................................65Chapter 12: STAYING PRESENT................................................71Chapter 13: THE FIVE ELEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE.................................77Chapter 14: FIRE ARCHETYPE.................................................79Chapter 15: EARTH ARCHETYPE................................................85Chapter 16: METAL ARCHETYPE................................................89Chapter 17: WATER ARCHETYPE................................................93Chapter 18: WOOD ARCHETYPE.................................................97Chapter 19: THE EMOTIONAL COMPONENT........................................101Chapter 20: CONCLUSION.....................................................107APPENDICES.................................................................109FIVE ELEMENT CHART.........................................................109FIVE ELEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE.................................................110FIVE ELEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS.........................................116SELF-REFLECTION CHECKLIST..................................................117RECOMMENDED READING AND REFERENCES.........................................122 CHAPTER 1 FOUNDATIONS People know when they are sick; they also know how they feel whenthey are well. This is a matter of awareness of what the Chinese call"Qi." The practice of Qigong (pronounced chee-gung ) focuses on refiningthis awareness. Which part of the body is sick? What is wrong with theQi? Is it stuck? Is there too much or too little? Through the meditationsand exercises of Qigong, we can answer these questions—and learn howto remedy problems. By practicing them, we can experience and createvibrant health. Just as we know in our bodies when something is not quite right, wecan also feel differences in the weather, as well as in people, even beforethey speak. All of this awareness involves energy. The ancient Chinesedevised a universal system to describe the various forms of energy, notonly in the human body and in the weather, but also in space (in landscapeand geography) and over time (in history and astrology). By understandingthat everything in the cosmos is an expression of Qi, from the material tothe insubstantial, one can glimpse the ultimate truth of the universe andcome to a deep understanding for and appreciation of the natural world,including one's own true nature. The core text of Chinese philosophy is the I Ching , or the Book ofChanges . Its basic premise is that energy evolves from the unmanifested tothe manifested realm. These manifestations maybe broadly described as Yinand Yang. Beyond Yin and Yang, all manifestations may be more precisely(but still generally) described in terms of the Five Elements. Beyond that,there are the "ten thousand things," all of which are permutations of thesebroader concepts. Health is an expression of the smooth flow of life-giving Qi in the body.Disease manifests when the flow of Qi is blocked or stagnant, or when thereis too much or too little. Physical and mental exercise can clear blockages,dissolve stagnation, reduce excess, and supplement deficiency. I will usethese terms "excess" and "deficient" often t