Qigong is a system of coordinated physical exercises and breathing control aimed for health and spiritual purposes. This exercise system has its origin deeply rooted in Chinese medicine, martial arts, and Chinese philosophy. It is over a century old.
It is aimed at helping you cultivate your qi, which is interpreted as life energy, and learn balance.
The practice has had worldwide spread and is popularly done as a means of preventive medicine, relaxation, recreation, even for martial arts training.
Qigong consists of two aspects:
Yin qigong and
Yang qigong
Yin is interpreted as being it, yin qigong involves more of relaxation stretches, meditation and breathing exercises.
Yang qigong, on the other hand, involves more of aerobics and flexibility exercises. Yang means doing it.
This exercise practice moves your qi through twelve channels primarily and an extra eight, for a smooth flow of energy, and increased strength and balance. The practice has prospered in medicine for its use in preventing ailments, harmonizing your body system and vital organs, maintaining overall health, and ensuring longevity.
It has also known non-medicinal applications in martial arts engagements, recreation, and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
Benefits of Qigong
Like we pointed out earlier, the practice has its advantages both in medicinal and non-medicinal aspects, some of which are:
It helps prevent ailments: qigong restores harmony to your entire body system and brings a kind of peace to your inner being.
It helps in extending longevity: this exercise system fosters a long life, traced to monasteries where monks learn to infuse the extra eight channels with life energy and through the channels to the bone marrow cleansing and strengthening the body system. These monks were observed to live for up to a hundred and fifty years.
Even though we cannot effectively practice it as intensely as monks do, even a little practice can have a real good effect on our quality of life.
It helps maintain health: this exercise brings inner peace, and a state of oneness of body and soul, thereby keeping all-around calmness in the body system. It also helps ease stress. The most essential step of qigong is to release, letting go. It is a system in contrast to what most of us are familiar with when we think of exercise. It is stress-free, calm, smooth, and involves intense concentration.
PERFORMING A QIGONG EXERCISE
The Gentle Sway
To perform the gentle sway:
Move your arms across your trunk sideways, and then back and forth.
Bend your knees slightly, swaying your humps.
The key is to clear your mind first of all; you require extreme focus and intense concentration. Let go of stress and worries and connect with your qi.
This particular practice is more like a warm-up exercise.
The Accordion
This enables you to feel the qi.
To perform:
Close your eyes partly, focusing your mind on your palm.
Breathe slowly and easily; this step creates a trance.
Touch your palms together, fingers pointing upwards; this step is to release your palm chakra(Laogong), situated at the center of your palms. Chakras are where qi emanates in the body.
Move your hands gradually compressing the air in-between like an accordion.
You should feel the warmth and slight tingling at the center of your palm.
Move your arms continuously back and forth, and repeat in different directions horizontally, diagonally and vertically.
It is aimed at helping you cultivate your qi, which is interpreted as life energy, and learn balance.
The practice has had worldwide spread and is popularly done as a means of preventive medicine, relaxation, recreation, even for martial arts training.
Qigong consists of two aspects:
Yin qigong and
Yang qigong
Yin is interpreted as being it, yin qigong involves more of relaxation stretches, meditation and breathing exercises.
Yang qigong, on the other hand, involves more of aerobics and flexibility exercises. Yang means doing it.
This exercise practice moves your qi through twelve channels primarily and an extra eight, for a smooth flow of energy, and increased strength and balance. The practice has prospered in medicine for its use in preventing ailments, harmonizing your body system and vital organs, maintaining overall health, and ensuring longevity.
It has also known non-medicinal applications in martial arts engagements, recreation, and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
Benefits of Qigong
Like we pointed out earlier, the practice has its advantages both in medicinal and non-medicinal aspects, some of which are:
It helps prevent ailments: qigong restores harmony to your entire body system and brings a kind of peace to your inner being.
It helps in extending longevity: this exercise system fosters a long life, traced to monasteries where monks learn to infuse the extra eight channels with life energy and through the channels to the bone marrow cleansing and strengthening the body system. These monks were observed to live for up to a hundred and fifty years.
Even though we cannot effectively practice it as intensely as monks do, even a little practice can have a real good effect on our quality of life.
It helps maintain health: this exercise brings inner peace, and a state of oneness of body and soul, thereby keeping all-around calmness in the body system. It also helps ease stress. The most essential step of qigong is to release, letting go. It is a system in contrast to what most of us are familiar with when we think of exercise. It is stress-free, calm, smooth, and involves intense concentration.
PERFORMING A QIGONG EXERCISE
The Gentle Sway
To perform the gentle sway:
Move your arms across your trunk sideways, and then back and forth.
Bend your knees slightly, swaying your humps.
The key is to clear your mind first of all; you require extreme focus and intense concentration. Let go of stress and worries and connect with your qi.
This particular practice is more like a warm-up exercise.
The Accordion
This enables you to feel the qi.
To perform:
Close your eyes partly, focusing your mind on your palm.
Breathe slowly and easily; this step creates a trance.
Touch your palms together, fingers pointing upwards; this step is to release your palm chakra(Laogong), situated at the center of your palms. Chakras are where qi emanates in the body.
Move your hands gradually compressing the air in-between like an accordion.
You should feel the warmth and slight tingling at the center of your palm.
Move your arms continuously back and forth, and repeat in different directions horizontally, diagonally and vertically.
