What is Craniosacral Qigong?

Craniosacral Qi Gong is a subtle energy exercise designed to regulate and improve the Craniosacral System.

Qi Gong literally means energy exercise or work. The Chinese have been practising it for a few thousand years as an effective means of keeping up health. Among the many schools of Qigong, one of the most common is called the Postnatal Breathing Qigong, which is based on the practice of different pulsonary breathing techniques. That is why Qigong sometimes is loosely translated as 'Breathing Exercise'.

In contrast, there is a less common, slower and softer kind of Qi Gong, called the Prenatal Breathing Qi Gong. This school emphasises the recovering of the Prenatal Breathing Mechanism and the processing of the body's hidden Prenatal Energy. By regularly engaging in this Qigong activity, the body may be kept more often in a deeper state of relaxation.

The craniosacral system is a physiological system, which starts functioning before the first breath and which can even outlast the last breath. It protects and nurtures the brain and spinal cord, and oversees the relatively slow rhythmic mechanism of production, circulation and reabsorption of cerebro-spinal fluid. This mechanism, also called the Primary Respiratory Mechanism by W.G. Sutherland, thus provides a favourable habitat for the central nervous system. Sutherland is an American osteopath who made many discoveries concerning the cranial field and subsequently developed an effective cranial healing discipline. Anatomically, the craniosacral part of the body mainly refers to the cranium, vertebrae, sacrum and their contents, the meninges and cerebro-spinal fluid.

As both craniosacral Practice and Prenatal Qi Gong focus on the regulation and improvement of the Primary Life Force before birth, one can often magnify the result of bringing the body into a qiqong.htmldeeper state of relaxation if one succeeds in merging both practices into a unique healing discipline, viz. Craniosacral Qi Gong.

What is Craniosacral Qi Gong good for?

Craniosacral Practice can take care of various problems associated with the neuromusculoskeletal system and other systems also. Qigong practice can keep away daily stress and general malaise.

Therefore, Craniosacral Qigong can be used as a preventive and effective measure against many varied health problems especially those related to acute or chronic stress, be it superficial or deeply rooted, and to blockage or pain such as headaches, neck and back pain, hyperactivity, chronic fatigue and depression, emotional and coordinate disorders, etc...

Who benefits from practising Craniosacral Qi Gong ?

Anybody interested in healthcare whether professionally or not professionally can practise Craniosacral Qi Gong and thus enhance his or her understanding and application skills concerning the subtler aspects of Bioenergy or Primary Life Force. Since Craniosacral Qi Gong can also act from a distance, it can be practised with or without direct bodily contact. In the latter case, many hands-on practitioners, like craniosacral and massage therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists can even practise with their hands off after learning Craniosacral Qi Gong.

How Liu Wai Sang came to develop Craniosacral Qigong

"According to the Chinese, the Prenatal System is associated with Prenatal Breathing and Energy, Primary Life Force and the skeletal system especially the head, spinal column, and their contents. I was very much interested in this system and tried to study more and work well on this when I took up Tai Chi Chuan and Taoistic meditation at a very young age. In the late 80s, I was able to develop the Qi Gong Hand System to monitor and make use of the different rhythms and physical properties of myriads of living and non-living things. Yet I was still fascinated by the relatively hidden and serene rhythms and wonders produced by the Prenatal System. So I went on to develop the Macrotaoistic Massage to continue the study and work on this system. I thought I was quite alone in this field until three years ago, when I was introduced to the Craniosacral Healing System by coincidence. Since then I have been studying this relatively new Western system from the West and incorporating it into the relatively old Chinese Qi Gong Healing System from China." (September 1999)

Craniosacral Qigong explained

Craniosacral Qigong is a subtle energy exercise or work designed to regulate and improve the Craniosacral System. Qigong literally means energy exercise or work. The Chinese have been practising it for a few thousand years as an effective means of keeping up health. There are many schools of Qigong. One of the most common Qigong is called the Postnatal Breathing Qigong based on the practice of different pulmonary breathing techniques. That is why Qigong sometimes is loosely translated as "Breathing Exercise". In contrast, there is a less common yet more slow and softened kind of Qigong called the Prenatal Breathing Qigong which emphasises the recovering of the Prenatal Breathing Mechanism and the processing of the hidden Prenatal Energy of the body. By regulary engaging in this Qigong activity, it often brings into the body the possibility to reach a deeper state of relaxation.

Anatomically, the craniosacral part of the body mainly refers to the cranium, vertebrae, sacrum and their contents, the meninges and cerebro- spinal fluid. The Craniosacral System is a physiological system which starts to function before the first breath and even can outlast the last breath. It protects and nurtures the brain and spinal cord, and oversees the relatively slow rhythmic mechanism of production, circulation and reabsorption of cerebrospinal fluid as to provide a favourable habitat for the central nervous system. Such a mechanism is also called the Primary Respiratory Mechanism. Its less obvious presence can be detected everywhere all over the body yet is not so easy to observe without proper training. By enchancing the performance of this mechanism, sometimes through the facilitation of a well trained Craniosacral practitioner, the body can often enter a deeper state of relaxation.