Women’s Qigong in America: Tradition, Adaptation, and New Trends

Abstract

187 Women’s Qigong in America Tradition, Adaptation, and New Trends ELENA VALUSSI This article examines the following ten publications on women’s qigong techniques: Videos Chia, Mantak, 1998. Slaying the Red Dragon. Lee, Daisy. n.d. Radiant Lotus: Qigong for Women. Liu, Yafei. n.d. Nüzi qigong (Chinese/German). Books Chia, Mantak. 2005 [1986]. Healing Love through the Dao: Cultivating Female Sexual Energy. Destiny Books. Davis, Deborah. 2008. Women’s Qigong for Health and Longevity: A Practical Guide for Women Forty and Over. Shambhala. Ferraro, Dominique. 2000. Qigong for Women: Low‑impact Exercises for Enhancing Energy and Toning the Body. Healing Arts Press. Hsi Lai. 2001. The Sexual Teachings of the White Tigress: Secrets of the Female Taoist Master. Destiny Books. Hsi Lai. 2006. White Tigress, Green Dragon: Sexual Secrets for Youthful Restoration and Spiritual Illumination. White Tigress Society. Johnson, Yangling Lee. 2001. A Woman’s Qigong Guide: Empowerment through Movement, Diet and Herbs. YMAA Publication Center. Zhang, Tinna Chunna, 2008. Earth Qigong for Women: Awaken Your Inner Healing Power. Blue Snake Books. 188 / Journal of Daoist Studies 3 (2010) The point of departure for this article is my research on female meditation tech­ niques in China, also called nüdan 女丹 or female alchemy. Over the last few years, I have described the historical emergence of the nüdan tradition and its Chinese development both in my dissertation and several articles (see Valussi 2003; 2008a; 2008b; 2008c; 2009). Simply put, female alchemy is a textual tradition of Daoist meditation and physiological exercises for women, which emerged in China in the seventeenth century and devel‑ oped throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.1 It is part and parcel of the much older tradition of internal alchemy (neidan 內丹), which advocates the possibility to achieve immortality through the pro‑ gressive refinement of the body, aided by meditation, breathing, visuali‑ zation, and massage exercises. Unlike neidan, though, nüdan followers adapt theory, practice, and language specifically to the female body. My research reviewed most of the historical literature available in Chinese on meditation techniques for women, as well as contemporary publications on female meditation techniques in Chinese and English. When talking about contemporary publications on the topic,, while Chi‑ nese publications are mostly a contemporary rendition of historical texts, those in Western languages and especially in English reveal a vast con‑ temporary market of healing, spiritual, and meditative techniques for women inspired by Chinese traditions. For the purposes of this paper, I chose to concentrate on American publications simply because I am more familiar with them, but I am aware that these techniques have reached Western audiences outside of the U.S., and one of the items on my list was produced in Germany (Liu Yafei video). Historical Context Historically, nüdan texts were produced within the Daoist tradition, mostly during sessions of spirit‑writing, a form of communication be‑ tween gods and the community of believers, starting in the seventeenth century. They were religious texts, guiding practitioners to immortality 1 We know of nüdan because the texts that describe its practices have been resurfacing in China in the past twenty years. This resurfacing does not only encompass nüdan, but most religious and spiritual texts and practices that lay dormant during the period between the 1940s and the 1980s in China. Valussi, “Women’s Qigong in America” / 189 and ascension into heaven. This is definitely not the context in which these techniques are described, taught, and performed in the United States. Their aim, rather than complete transcendence, is health and well‑ being. Even though there is often, but not always, a clear spiritual com‑ ponent in these publications, it is seen as yet another way to help the healing process. Offerings available on the American market are wide and varied. In some instances, language and techniques are quite similar to what is found in historical nüdan texts; in others the practices seem to have no link whatsover with that tradition. Some contemporary publications have a strong focus on sexuality and its importance in the physical and spiritual well‑being of practitioners: this is not present in nüdan works and generally uncommon in the neidan tradition. Yet despite the...