Soft as Water
Qi gong we practice is based on Daoist ideology. Daoists believe that living things are soft and flexible while dead things are hard and stiff. For example, human babies have flexible joints and soft body. As humans get old, their body gets stiff and tight. When they die, their bodies are hard and their joints cannot be bent. In order to maintain healthy body, Daoists believe humans should keep their bodies flexible and soft. Daoists believe as human bodies get tighter and stiffer, they get closer to unhealthiness and eventually to death. Therefore, our exercise include many stretching movements which would maintain our bodies flexible.
The idea of softness as sign of life can also be applied to liquids such as water or blood. In order for a water to be clean and fresh, it needs to be continuously flowing, evaporating, and precipitating. If we put water in a cup and leave it for a week, the water spoils. The same thing can be said for our blood. In order for humans to maintain healthy body, their blood must keep flowing. If blood flows are not good, our bodies would be unhealthy. Therefore, our exercise includes some breathing techniques which make our blood circulation smoother.
