According to Eastern thinking, vital energy (ki or qi) flows continuously throughout the human body. The existence of this flow is the fundamental basis of Eastern medicine, acupuncture, martial arts and meditation. Through this paradigm, the cause of disease can be seen as a blocked, irregular or discontinuous flow, described in Eastern medicine as an imbalance in the system. This imbalance has two origins:

1. Physical injury or degradation.
2. Mental tension, which often leads to poor life habits and subsequent destruction of the body. The practice of qigong (also spelled "chi kung") develops the ability to apply the mental and physical principles which allow a continuous, regulated and natural flow of qi. It improves our awareness of that flow, and thus gives us the power to control it for the purposes of improving health, as well as physical ability for sports or martial arts. The awareness and control of the qi flow brings us to an experiential understanding of its origin, where we can transcend the functions of the mind and body.

"Qi" means "vital power" and "gong" can be translated as "work" or "effort". Start Here