mental & physical healing with qigong
during the last lockdown i was exploring different ways to move through it all and calm my nervous system and not feel so stuck or stagnant. daily sunlight, healthy food, water, breathing techniques and kundalini yoga helped so much and also qigong! during a lecture in a course i was doing, the teacher looked about 10 years younger then he actually was and explained that his daily practice of qigong was the main reason for this. so naturally i got very curious and started to learn about it and began practicing before bed. each night after a shower, some abhyanga self massage (sharing a post on this next week) candles, i’d do an evening flow and immediately noticed how calm and peaceful i felt, followed by the best sleep ever. qigong has been a powerful tool to help me take internal stressors and convert them into energy and vitality.
WHAT IS QIGONG?
qigong (pronounced chee-gong) is a moving meditation exercise composed of soft, flowing body weight movements. the exercises date back nearly 3000 years to ancient china. the movements are designed to stimulate the acupuncture meridian and their associated organs to promote self healing.
“qi” is a concept from traditional chinese culture that roughly means vital energy, information, breath or spirit. the second character in qigong, "gong," means cultivation or mastery. qigong is therefore sometimes translated as "vital energy cultivation" or "mastery of your energy."
there are many forms of qigong practiced throughout the world. some of these forms involve breathing and meditation to promote spirituality and health while others are more vigorous and include martial arts exercises. tai chi, a widely practiced mind-body exercise, is sometimes referred to as a form of qigong because it cultivates, moves and helps manage qi.
by performing choreographed sets of of physical movements, combined with specific breathing patterns and mental visualisations, qigong reconnects the mind, breath and body creating a moving meditation. this has the effect of lowering stress hormones and stimulating natural healing opiates.
© henri cartier-bresson/magnum photos.
CHINA. beijing. december 1948.
SOME OF THE HEALING BENEFITS OF QIGONG
helps get you into the “flow state”
it’s very grounding
strengthens bones and muscles
can release old trauma, stress and tension from the body (that has often been there for years)
increases the supply and flow of energy throughout the body
increases radiance and vitality
harmonise, strengthen, and have a healing effect on the functioning of all the internal organs
increases production of natural opiates like serotonin and dopamine and lowers stress hormone cortisol
increases circulation and lowers blood pressure
has a very calming and balancing effect on the mind to calm stress and anxiety
improves sleep
improves digestion
boosts immune system
CLICK BELOW FOR A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE QIGONG VIDEOS/TUTORIALS
