''Neigong'' (internal strength or internal skill), also spelled ''nei kung'', ''neigung'', or ''nae gong'', refers to a series of internal changes that a practitioner goes through when following the path to '' Dao'', and these changes may be achieved through practices including ''

qigong Qigong ()) is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation said to be useful for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial arts training. With roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese medicine, Chin ...

'' or

tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...

. ''Neigong'' is also associated with '' xingyi quan''. Neigong practice is normally associated with the so-called "soft style", "internal" or ''

neijia ''Neijia'' ( 內家) is the collective name for the internal Chinese martial arts. It relates to those martial arts occupied with spiritual, mental or '' qi''-related aspects, as opposed to an " external" approach focused on physiological aspec ...

'' Chinese martial arts, as opposed to the category known as ''waigong'' or "external skill" which is historically associated with

Shaolin kung fu Shaolin kung fu (), also called Shaolin Wushu (), or Shaolin quan (), is the largest and most famous style of Chinese martial arts, kung fu. It combines Chan Buddhism, Chan philosophy and martial arts. It was developed in the Shaolin Temple in ...

or the so-called "hard style", "external" or '' waijia'' Chinese martial arts. Both have many different schools, disciplines and practices and historically there has been mutual influence between the two and distinguishing precisely between them differs from school to school.

Internal martial arts

The martial art school of ''neigong'' emphasises training the coordination of the individual's body with the

breath Breathing (spiration or ventilation) is the neuroscience of rhythm, rhythmical process of moving air into (inhalation) and out of (exhalation) the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the Milieu intérieur, internal environment, mostly to flu ...

, known as "the harmonisation of the inner and outer energy ()", creating a basis for a particular school's method of utilising power and technique. ''Neigong'' exercises that are part of the ''neijia'' tradition involve cultivating physical stillness and or conscious (deliberate) movement, designed to produce relaxation or releasing of muscular tension combined with special breathing techniques such as the "tortoise" or "reverse" methods. The fundamental purpose of this process is to develop a high level of coordination, concentration and technical skill that is known in the martial arts world as ''neijin'' (). The ultimate purpose of this practice is for the individual to become at one with heaven or the ''Dao'' (). As

Zhuang Zhou Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; also rendered in the Wade–Giles romanization as Chuang Tzu), was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States p ...

stated, "Heaven, earth and I are born of one, and I am at one with all that exists ()". Martial ''neigong'' is about developing internal power. One way to possibly achieve this is to train particular exercises regularly where the breath is matched with movements of blood or to effect the movement of blood throughout the body. Through these exercises it can be possible to move the blood to a particular area during a particular movement to have a particular result. One of the benefits of martial ''neigong'' exercises is the relaxation of blood vessels, nerves, muscles and sinews to help the body move more freely. With the body moving freely and an excess of blood moving to a particular area with little or no effort, the practitioner can possibly develop many benefits. These benefits may include: * faster recovery from injury to the hands * an ability to hit with more force * an ability to move faster (speed is crucial in martial arts) * the health benefits of being relaxed * an increase in connection to your legs, spine, arms and head * increased stamina * increased athletic ability and health * regulation of blood pressure * actually experiencing the channels of the body as they truly are, which can possibly be different from the books * developing an authentic '' dantian'' that is consciously nourished and deliberately formed which is not defined in the books * greater sensitivity for sparring and fighting Anyone looking to learn ''neigong'' sincerely is more likely to learn it from a good teacher of internal martial arts like '' xingyi quan''. It is rare to learn authentic Daoist practices from a true master of the subject as quite a lot of the ''neigong'' skills are an essential part of a complete system of martial arts. ''Neigong'' is not a philosophy, but a technique and an art of inner cultivation. There are intellectual guidelines to the practice of ''neigong'', but it is "Inner Work" which means effort has to be put in to develop real, substantial and testable skills. This is not something that can be imagined or talked about, only from direct experience and hard effort can an understanding of neigong develop.

In popular culture

Wuxia ( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...

'' and '' xianxia''

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

often portray the training of neigong as giving practitioners superhuman powers. For example, one may use '' qi'' to attack opponents without physical contact, fly with '' qinggong'', or harden the body to resist weapon attacks. These can be seen in novels by Jin Yong and Gu Long, films such as '' Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'', '' Shaolin Soccer'' and '' Kung Fu Hustle'', as well as video games such as '' The Legend of Sword and Fairy'' and '' Xuan-Yuan Sword''.

References

External links

Neigong.net is a site devoted to original texts of neigong, neidan, neijia and qigongVideo of Nei Kung practitioner, John Changwebsite for Xing Shen Zhuang practice as a foundation training
{{Authority control Chinese martial arts terminology Meditation Qigong Neijia Taoist practices Taoist philosophy

Internal martial arts

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links