My name is Rob Iorio, I started practicing Chung moo doe in 1988; completed first degree black belt in 1991. I learned many forms at chung moo doe; some I enjoyed, some I did not. One of the forms I learned is called Pal Gye. Pal Gye is a Korean version of Chinese Shaolin Lohan Qigong, meaning “18 chi movements” or what some call the original 18 drills that Bodhidharma introduced to the Shaolin monks. If it is not the first movements introduced to the shaolin monks, well.. it is fine with me, since it works so well developing my mind body and qi. In my opinion, it may or may not have been altered over the years, who really knows. but forms can and will always be adjusted my masters. We have learned that from the Gracie family.

Pal Gye helped me transform both my muscles and tendons quite differently than weight lifting. This form is also massages the organs and physically flushes them of harmful toxins. I have had great success incorporating this wonderful and powerful form into my personal health program and continue to practice Pal Gye to this day and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

The Chinese character for qi in qigong means air in Chinese. Jeff Primack suggests it is possible ancient masters (Yellow Emperor, Lao Tzu etc.) saw the direct link between breathing techniques and the “electrical force” that moved through their nervous system. Gong means discipline or skill, so qigong is therefore breath or energy skill. The term was not widely known until the 1980’s during a period some call the “Qigong Wave” where groups of 10,000-40,000 people regularly gathered inside Chinese stadiums to practice qigong together. Many in the Chinese government became concerned that qigong could turn into a political weapon and in 1999 banned all large qigong gatherings. Many practitioners wanted to see qigong studied scientifically and not be affiliated with a political agenda or any superstition, but these efforts have largely failed in China as they still do not allow classes to be offered publicly to the citizens. Currently there is a movement underway in the United States, Europe and other western cultures to preserve the valuable aspects of these traditional Chinese practices.

Attitudes toward the scientific basis for qigong vary markedly. Most Western medical practitioners and many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the Chinese government, view qigong as a set of breathing and movement exercises, with possible benefits to health through stress reduction and exercise. Other practitioners view qigong in more metaphysical terms, claiming that qi can be felt as a vibration or electrical current and physically circulated through channels called meridians. Many testify a reduction or elimination of pain through the use of qigong.