Dr. Yang Ming, a Chinese Chi Gong teacher, describes the process of Chi Gong practice in The Essence Of Taiji Qigong (1997), “Taoist Chi Gong aims for longevity and enlightenment, but to reach this goal you need to be in good health and know how to cure sickness,” (10) This statement shows Chi Gong’s many possibilities for transformation within the mind, body, and spirit. Chi Gong is designed to work on all of these levels to bring back harmony within one's being.

Many of today's societies, particularly those in North America, have moved into the belief that a person does not have the power to heal or transform himself or herself without the assistance of an outside force. This has led to enormous health corporations and hospitals. The modern world has made multitudes of new discoveries about health, yet so many people are still sick and don't know how to heal themselves. Consequently, people give away their power to doctors and believe that is the only way they will be healed. The Taoists have a much different perspective. Over thousands of years of internal sciences such as meditation, Chi Gong, and T'ai Chi Ch'uan, the Taoists found that the body, mind, and spirit, when in harmony, have the ability to cure any sickness. Most people do not know this though, because they have become so out of tune with their whole selves, and because the media has gotten so large and powerful that it has the ability to shape people's minds. Through the practice of Chi Gong the Taoists have known that it is indeed possible to take control of one's health and that the power to do this comes from within. This is an extremely profound perspective that has given inspiration not only to Taoists, but also to a modern world that is searching for new ways of healing.

Chi Gong healing is based on the existence of chi. Within every being is a certain amount of chi. A normal individual receives chi from food, air, sunlight, etc., and then uses this chi to perform actions. In Awaken Healing Light Of The Tao (1993), Mantak Chia states that most people use more energy than they cultivate and that over time they are constantly getting weaker and less healthy. Chia then goes on to say that from the Taoist perspective, health and healing depend on the quality and quantity of chi in the body (37). Chi Gong is designed to increase the amount of chi in the body so that there is always an abundance of good healthy chi.

It is also believed by the Taoists that all sickness and dis-ease are a result of either a lack or stagnation of chi. If there is a lack in chi, then bacteria and viruses have the ability to affect people. If there is stagnation in the flow of chi through the body's energy channels, then certain parts of the body won't have the needed energy to heal itself. Through practice in Chi Gong enough chi is cultivated to transform these problems. Roger Jahnke, a western scholar and practitioner of Chi Gong has described the process in The Healing Promise Of Qi: Creating Extraordinary Wellness Through Qigong And Tai Chi (2002); "By using Qigong to cultivate and enhance the Qi, the most highly refined resource ­the healer within— is being created and circulated to foster maximal healing.” (15)

Highly advanced practitioners of Chi Gong can gauge the level and flow of chi within their bodies. If any place is lacking in chi, through simple movements or the :lower mind, chi will move to that area and restore it back to harmony. Where in the western world are such amazing feats such as these heard? People have to consult a doctor to find out the level of their health and how to fix it. Chi Gong practitioners have learned to sense their inner bodies and how to transform them. The western world is lost in frustration and confusion because its inhabitants have become extremely disengaged from internal processes. Chi Gong is a highly refined practice, which has been tested over thousands of years. According to the Taoists, it has the ability to empower an individual and restore perfect health, so that a person can have a long and happy life. This in itself is a lofty and worthy goal. However, the Taoists took their practice one step further by searching for enlightenment through Chi Gong practice. Master Shou-Yu Liang, a highly advanced Chi Gong practitioner and teacher, began studying Chi Gong at the age of 6 and is considered one of China's top Coachesof Excellence. In Qigong Empowerment (1997), Shou-Yu Liang describes Taoist cosmology, Chi Gong practice, and its ability to transform an individual spiritually; “To return to the Dao one must first have an abundance of energy and a strong, healthy body to attain longevity. Daoism views the existence of the Small Cosmos (human body) through this process `Void changes into Spirit, Spirit changes into Pure Energy, Pure Energy changes into Pure Essence, and Pure Essence produces the physical body.’ Based on this belief, in order for humans to reunite with the Dao, humans will have to reverse this process to become free from this physical existence and achieve immortality. Thus, the process of cultivation will start from training the physical body, training jing (essence), training qi (energy), training shen (spirit), and finally returning back to the Void and uniting with the Dao.” (90)

Chi Gong works on all these levels. The void refers to what birthed the cosmos. At the deepest level of Chi Gong practice this void can be intuited. Spirit is said by the Taoists to be that which controls and regulates life, and also that which gives rise to higher realization. This spirit is within each being, and by practicing Chi Gong and internalizing awareness one can find this presence and learn from it. If people only engage in the rational and intellectual mind they will not find this spirit or higher mind. Chi, our innate energy, is experienced, developed, and understood through Chi Gong practice. Jing, or essence, refers to the sexual energy within the body. The Taoists highly valued their sexual energy and noticed that it depleted during sexual emission in males, and menstruation in females. They therefore developed Chi Gong practices that would increase the sexual energy, and also developed ways to control emission and menstruation (sexual Chi Gong). Lastly, yet still highly valued, the physical body could be maintained and healed through Chi Gong practice. Through cultivation of chi the physical body always has enough energy to work with to maintain health. Also the slow moving Chi Gong poses keep the body exercised and supple. By working on all these levels and through dedicated practice, Liang says that a person will awaken realization of the process of cosmic manifestation and how to reverse that process and achieve the highest Taoist state, immortality. This is how Chi Gong practice becomes a search for enlightenment.

Chi Gong practice elicits awareness of all parts of the self, both physical and spiritual. The transformative effects of Chi Gong are numerous and quite profound, such as healing the body and mind, achieving long life, and awakening the spirit to the Tao. On a very practical level these practices can bring awareness to the lost inner world that so many are seeking.