Qigong Articles
What constitutes an integral approach to qigong?
Most Qigong practitioners think that all they have to do to be a good
practitioner is to develop their chi. That is only 25% of an integral
approach. No person is an island unto themselves. We not only have interior
experiences, we must relate to our individual, external reality. We must
also learn to relate with others with interior shared values and external,
collective endeavors. All beings have these 4 aspects to contend with and
if any of them are ignored, our undertakings will be partial and there will
be trouble.
Here is what they look like... 
For instance, if you decide to move to a new city and you don't examine
your motives, (upper left) you may get there and discover you really didn't
want to be there. Also, if you don't checkout the physical location
carefully, (UR) you could be very disappointed later. And if you don't look
into the values of the people living there, (LL) you could be unpleasantly
surprised! And last but not least, if you don't look into the collective,
external realities, such as the economic situation, (LR) you could be in
real trouble. To not have an integrated and balanced approach to these 4
aspects of life, is to court disaster.
So, as a Qigong practitioner, what can you do to be sure your
undertaking is integrated?
- Develop your Qi as much as possible and be truthful about what you can and can not do. (UL)
- Verify and test the reality of your practices. Make sure your not just waving your arms in the breeze and if you practice healing, keep accurate statistics to verify your effectiveness. Experiment and investigate new aspects of your Qigong. (UR)
- Join a group and work toward mutual understanding. What is an appropriate Qigong practice in America? What are fair ethical standards? (LL)
- As a group, help create tangible results in the world, such as an out-reach program, solid promotional pieces, yearly get-togethers, a newsletter etc. (LR)
Some people only develop a rich interior life and end up socially
retarded. Some scientists can tell you all about the objective brain and be
emotionally unstable. Some people have great ideas and can't seem to do
anything with them. Others create vast empires and are morally bankrupt.
These are examples of partial development. If you pursue these 4
quadrants in a balanced and timely manner, no matter what you do in life,
your chances of success will be greatly enhanced.
Mark Johnson
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