I’ve blogged about Qigong quite a few times in the past because I think it’s one of the best (and easiest) things we can do for our body, mind, and spirit. I want to share some information that you may (or may not) know, including some unfortunate misconceptions I recently discovered when talking to several of my students.
Most readers are aware that Qigong is older than (some say the Mother or even the Grandmother of) Tai Chi and many martial arts. Its roots date back over 3,000 years in ancient China. Qigong (which has gone by several different names in the past)has been around even much earlier. The focus is finding and correcting any disharmony, stagnation, excess or deficient energy flows in the body by using the “complementary and opposing forces” of Yin and Yang. The result is a balanced flow of Qi energy leading to a healthier mind and body.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Qigong movements stimulate (either directly or indirectly) circulation of blood and Qi throughout the body. Keep in mind that your emotional state also has an affect on the energy in your body. Qigong can be either dynamic (slow flowing movements) or static (still positions with only inner breath movement). There are many different methods, styles, and “forms”. Evidently the Shanghai QiGong Research Institute identified over 1,200 distinct systems with each style having one or more areas of focus. According to Kenneth S. Cohen (The Way of Qigong), there are thousands of styles and schools of Qigong; all use the common principles of proper body alignment (posture), correct breathing, relaxation, and balance.
According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Qigong has been accepted to reduce pain, fatigue, anxiety, stress, hypertension, improve breathing, and mental and motor function in cancer patients. Cleveland Clinic Integrative Medicine, Dr. Lin has done numerous studies on the array of benefits enjoyed by Qigong practitioners. The lists of benefits are recognized by many major health institutions.
Qigong (and Tai Chi) improve your performance, whether it be sports, music, dance, singing, etc. Several years ago, I wrote a blog on celebrities (stars, athletes, etc.) who do Qigong and/or Tai Chi. Whether you like him or don’t, Tiger Woods is (or was) a Qigong Practitioner. Shirley McLaine, Mel Gibson, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and the names go on and on.
Why we should be doing Qigong?
First of all, it seems that any “set of breathing” or techniques for circulating Qi, is often called “Qigong” as long as it improves your health, prevents illness, and/or strengthens your body. And this is precisely why many medical specialists (Western and Eastern) prescribe Qigong for their patients. The purpose is to balance the patient’s energy in order to rid or prevent any disharmony in the body.
On the plus side, the movements (if any) don’t have to be perfect and you don’t need very much room or time. It is easy on your body and can definitely be done by anyone with the capacity to breathe and be present. Benefits are numerous and go beyond preventing disease and health improvement: stamina, body awareness and alignment, confidence, control, etc. It totally depends on your intent and your goal.
Of course, when you think of Qigong, you usually think of deep slow breathing. The very same thing that almost every magazine or internet article talks about for calming down when you are upset. Obviously, Qigong has an amazing impact on your lungs. We also know that as we get older, we don’t breathe as deeply as we did when we were younger! In actuality, we probably need it more than we did when we were younger! So why aren’t more seniors and those with lung or breathing conditions doing Qigong?
Possible reasons why more people aren’t doing Qigong
Some possibilities: people may not aware that all Qigong is not static? Some people may not be attracted to Qigong because it doesn’t move much. I have to admit, I personally only practice Dynamic (moving) Qigong. There are options!
Maybe they have never heard of it and think it’s something weird or even religious. I have no idea! What I do know is that quite a few years ago, I was teaching a Qigong/Balance class, and one of the students (who had severe balance problems plus hearing loss) thought the whole thing moved too slow. She wanted something more active! OK!!!
In a Tai Chi class a few years ago, a student came up to me and noted my cross (It was my deceased brother’s). She asked how I could teach Tai Chi and still consider myself Christian! Wow! I DO NOT teach or talk about any religion in my classes. We then had a short talk about meditation and who meditates. I mentioned the Pope, Mahatma Ghandi, priests, and so on. She seemed to consider this and actually continued classes for a time. I am not sure if she took my word for it.
Here’s something distressing that I recently learned in one of my favorite senior classes. It had to do with the class and being “AntiChrist”! Seriously! We are working on body alignment, breathing, proper posture, flexibility, etc. I am working with this population to show them how to move properly and to teach them some self-healing techniques to improve their quality of life!
One of the instructors from Club Qigong stated that some people think energy work “is an attempt to control the Holy Spirit”. And that Qi is evil. Obviously, it’s not. Evidently, his grandmother really wanted to do yoga, but was concerned that it might be “anti-Christian”. His comment was that “a foreign exercise” might help Christians be in their best health. Cultivating Qi will make practitioners feel good and may prevent some illness. No religion involved and no, you will not go to Hell if you practice Qigong. Well, at least not because you practice Qigong!
Admittedly, because some form of Qigong has been around about 8,000 years, it does carry “elements from the ancient cultures” - Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. And it’s probably true that some ancient Qigong practitioners were “shamanic tribes connect with nature spirits” - key word “nature”.
Life Energy
Let’s talk a little about “life energy” (what we call Qi). It may sound like something paranormal or outlandish to the uninformed who don’t realize that way back (470-377bc), Hippocrates believed in a balanced state of the body as a sign of health. What he referred to as forces of life. When out of balance, illness and pain resulted. Indigenous people in Africa called it “num”. Native American tribes recognize subtle healing energy. They refer to the “Winds” giving life to humans. Every culture has some methods and beliefs when it comes to healing the body. Among the healing exercises today, Qigong and Yoga are the most popular according to Kenneth Cohen.
Bottom line:
Call me naive! I’ve been doing/teaching Tai Chi and Qigong since the late 80s and truly had no idea that even a portion of the population were concerned about Tai Chi, Qigong, or even Yoga, being evil.
Here’s the really sad thing: we live in a complex, confusing, stressful, constantly changing world. Do we ever really relax or rest? According to Martin Mellish in “A Tai Chi Imagery Workbook”, instead of a relaxed state of being, today we spend most of our time cycling between “active” and “emergency” states! We fail to use our abdominal breathing (efficient as it is) to help us feel relaxed. By “efficient”, Mellish means the “amount of oxygen inhaled for a given amount of effort”.
Wouldn’t we all benefit from doing Qigong more often?
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