The Five Healing Sounds of QiGong

The Five Healing Sounds of QiGong

By Tracy L. Hackett, AP, DAOM

What is QiGong?

QiGong is the core practice of TaiChi and other martial arts. It has been practiced since at least the Neolithic period in China, exemplified by illustrations carved into stone.

Additionally, Dao-Yin, the ancient word for QiGong, is characterized in the Mawangdui silk scrolls from 168 BCE.

So what do these legendary practices have to offer to people living now?

A path toward inner peace and deeper awareness becomes more available with regular practice.

There are many masters and teachers with books, DVDs, classes, and workshops. However, how do you know if it’s even for you?

Trying a few simple exercises may give you a reasonable idea of what could be in store while studying with a teacher who resonates with you.

Understanding Qi and Visualization Practice

Let’s start with a preliminary visualization and activity to build a foundation, then add what is referred to as the Five Healing Sounds.

The beginning of any practice of this nature must start with the cornerstone concept and experience of Qi.

Think of Qi as both a particle and a wave. It is part of the substance of things, but also that which gives form.

There is no concept of ‘zero’ in Yin-Yang theory and no such thing as ‘nothing’ per se.

You are a vital energetic being in a soup of energy that is constantly changing form and transitioning through states.

All of this flux of matter, energy, and consciousness is of varying densities and vibrations of Qi.

All organized aspects of Qi have a vibrational quality. Some of these vibrations are healing and harmonizing, while others are not.

The pivot is a neutral state that rests within the quietest place in our minds and intentions.

The Microcosmic Orbit Meditation

We can tap into those inner most intentions, in part, through a meditative practice called the Microcosmic Orbit.

Sit in a comfortable position with your feet planted on the floor about hip distance apart.

Rest your palms on your thighs with your arms comfortably extended toward your knees.

Close your eyes and focus on the sensation of your breath and how its rhythm moves your body.

Breathe deeply and slowly. Then become aware of your spine and your head sitting atop of it.

Place the tip of your tongue just behind your front teeth.

Next, visualize a pearl of bright, clear diamond-like light at the very base of your tailbone.

As you breathe, visualize the pressure of your breath moving that pearl up your spine, over the top of your head, and down your midline back to the tailbone.

Do this circuit three times while watching the pearl become larger and brighter each cycle.

At the end of the third cycle, visualize the pearl resting about three finger widths below your navel and inside your abdomen between 1-3 inches deep, depending on body weight. This area is called the Lower Dan Tian.

As you breathe, visualize the light becoming brighter, then see it separate into two more pearls.

Move one pearl up to your solar plexus, also known as the middle Dan Tian.

Move the third pearl up to the area between your eyebrows, known as the upper Dan Tian.

It may take some practice, but you can hold the feeling of the three pearls with your breath and inner awareness.

Typically, a deep sense of calm develops with this practice alone.

Once you feel comfortable with this visualization and the vibrational aspect of your being, you can add the sounds.

The Five Healing Sounds and Chinese Medicine

The Five Healing Sounds correlate with the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine.

These elements also connect with several other sets of five aggregates, including tastes, colors, and smells, which have relationships with specific organs and energetic connections with the mind-spirit.

Applying the Healing Sounds in Practice

For example, say you worry too much and think through a problem to the point of fixation with multiple competing narratives of possible outcomes.

This would be considered “Overthinking,” and the organ energy most negatively affected by this emotion is the “Spleen.”

In TCM theory, the organs are partially related to the actual physical organ in the body.

The “Spleen” is also viewed as an energetic pathway of function related to digestion or assimilation.

Additionally, it connects to the energetic aspect of spirit related to intellect and discernment.

The sound or vibration that helps balance the Qi flow in these energetic relationships is “Hoo.”

It is a sound made as the breath passes through the lips rather than a sharp spoken word.

As a result, you can feel the vibration resonate throughout the body.

The same concept follows for the other organ relationships.

Remember, there is no primacy to these relationships. Each aspect and quality in the system has its own importance.

Think of them as interconnecting circles rather than a line of hierarchy.

This concept is related to the meridians, energetic channels, that run along the body and create an integrated system of systems.

It is a large concept to digest all at once. Therefore, start with the basic meditation and one emotion that you struggle with most.

Then, notice how your body and mind respond over time.

About Tracy L. Hackett

Tracy L. Hackett, AP, DAOM is an Acupuncture Physician and Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine practicing in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.