Personal Cultivation for a Bright Life
The ancient art of Qigong can lift your spirits, nourish your body & calm your mind
You may be curious, “How can the art of Qigong help me? And what’s the benefit of an ongoing practice?”
These are legitimate questions to ask yourself. It’s tough to develop new routines and maintain activities. In this blog series, we’ll start to unveil some answers, so we can see how Qigong can benefit us in our daily lives.
First, what is Qigong? Wikipedia says:
Qigong is a millennia-old system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation[2] used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training.[3] With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, qigong is traditionally viewed by the Chinese and throughout Asia as a practice to cultivate and balance qi (pronounced approximately as “chi”), translated as “life energy”.
When I began my Qigong journey more than five years ago, I associated with other activities like yoga. As many westerners, I saw it as a physical activity or exercise. I had a very basic understanding of the benefits, but mostly as it related to my physical body. I had experimented with meditation and quiet time in nature, but as I began to understand, this ancient practice has deep benefits beyond the physical.
Because of its rootedness in the idea of moving meditation, Qigong supports the natural flow and function of our internal organs. The slow flowing movements, deep rhythmic breathing and calmness of mind promote self-healing and the connection we have with our own bodies, minds and spirits.
During historic times (post COVID Pandemic) when our mental health and physical wellbeing are challenged, Qigong is a simple, deeply connected practice we can easily engage. From a mental health perspective, Qigong can improve mood and decrease our body’s stress reaction. It’s been shown to decrease anxiety and lessen depression. While most scientific studies have examined psychological factors secondarily, studies have shown decreases in cortisol, a hormone produced by the body in response to stress.
So the question becomes, “Do I have time?”.
For me the answer is, yes, I really need to take care of myself and this will be helpful and enjoyable.
To get you started, here is a video from one of my favorite Qigong instructors, Mimi Kuo-Deemer. The practices are simple, clearly explained and very calming. Set aside 10-15 minutes in the morning, just for you, and start the day invigorated and of clear mind.
I wish you well as you start your Qigong journey. Check back soon as we continue our discussion in this series about Personal Cultivation.
Take good care & be present.
RBB.
References & Additional Information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong#History_and_origins
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tai-chi-and-qi-gong-in-depth
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3085832/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpxvNKewxHU
