What is Fierce About Fierce Qigong?

Qigong is often called the "mother" of Tai Chi, which is often called the mother of Kung Fu, and yet there is no concept in qigong of an opponent or enemy as there is in the martial arts. In qigong we do not strive in competition with the "other." How then is the idea of fierceness applied to qigong?

When I was in primary school, I was a very small for my age. I was often bullied by some of the larger boys. One of them used to enjoy tackling me on the school grounds in front of the other children and sitting on me while pushing pine straw into my face and telling me to eat it.

I was not strong enough to defend myself from my attacker but I did have one thing under my control. I refused to eat that pine straw. No matter how humiliated, no matter how bruised and sore, I endured the ordeal, knowing that eventually, classes would resume and my assailant would have to let me go. Then I would dust myself off, find my friends and resume my day just like everyone else.

That experience has stayed with me and has provided a behavior model that carries me through the tough times even today. The tag line for Fierce Qigong is "Life comes hard and fast: be ready for it!" And life does come hard and fast just like that young bully in my elementary school days.

If I can avoid obstacles, I do. If I can overcome obstacles, I do that too. But if a challenge comes along that I can't handle any other way, I gather all my resolve and endure it, knowing that nothing is permanent and that this obstacle will eventually run its course and life will get better.

This intent becomes a stubborn resolve, although I prefer to say that it becomes a fierce intent. When I hold this intent in my heart during qigong practice, the surge of energy fuels the intent and I become more than enough to meet the challenge.

Today I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, which much like that young bully from school is an attacker that I can't completely defend myself against. I do ward it off as much as possible with diet, pilates and qigong. Diet keeps the inflammation down; pilates strengthens the core muscles so that the back doesn't become my worst enemy; qigong increases my range of motion and flushes the inflammation from the trigger points.

Still, arthritis is a pernicious disease and no matter what I do to avoid it, the day comes when I am attacked and demands are made on me to live with the limitations of the disease--extreme pain and limited mobility. But, just like those days in elementary school, I have one thing under my control--fierce qigong. When I practice qigong with a fierce intent, I can flush the inflammation, increase my range of motion and lower the level of pain. Fierce Qigong makes it possible for me to recover quickly and get back to living life like everyone else.