Abstract

This study provides an experiential ground for exploring the significance of qigong as an intentional bodily practice and presents a "physiological and organic knowledge of the body" based on the metaphor of "the body as a flow of qi." This project is situated within the context of increasing interest in the body in academia, in which the Cartesian dichotomy of the body and mind is a problematic issue. In order to overcome such a dichotomy, this study proposes the significance of exploring the intentionally chosen bodily practices, and takes qigong as an example. Then, discussing some theoretical issues of body image and body schema, as well as enactive metaphor, this study also proposes a research agenda to investigate such bodily practices, based on the phenomenology of the body by Elizabeth Behnke and the philosophy of language and experience developed by Eugene T. Gendlin. ;Along with this agenda, this dissertation presents a phenomenology of qigong based on interviews with three practitioners, in which a variety of qigong experiences are described in three categories: fundamental notions in the practice of qigong, unique experiences emerging from particular styles of qigong, and the discrepancy between theory and experience. Since qigong has such a variety of styles and such a large number of practitioners all over the world, the descriptions presented here are not comprehensive but exemplary, so that other researchers and practitioners can collaboratively explore and widely accumulate such descriptions.* ;*Originally published in DAI Vol. 63, No. 10. Reprinted here with corrected author name