Qi Gong can be a great route towards health and inner peace
A beginner’s guide to Qi Gong
Qi Gong (pronounced chee gung) is an ancient Chinese exercise and movement system designed for health, mindfulness and meditation. It is traditionally used as a form of self-healing and preventive medicine.
Qi gong was originally developed as a way to maintain good health and vitality. However, over time it has evolved into a form of exercise and movement that can be used for promoting physical and mental well-being.
The practice of qi gong involves slow, deliberate movements combined with deep breathing and mental focus. This combination of physical and mental activity is thought to promote relaxation, improve circulation and boost the immune system.
Qi gong has been practised for centuries in China and is now gaining popularity in the West as an alternative or complement to other forms of exercise and meditation.
Qi Gong is a traditional Chinese exercise and movement practice that is designed to promote health and mindfulness. The history of Qi Gong can be traced back thousands of years, making it one of the oldest fitness modalities in existence.
The origins of Qi Gong are thought to date back to at least the third century BC. One of the earliest written references to Qi Gong comes from the book "The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine", which is considered to be one of the most important texts in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In this text, Qi Gong is described as a system of exercises that can be used to improve health and well-being.
Qi Gong became increasingly popular in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). During this time, many different schools and styles of Qi Gong developed, each with their own unique approach to the practice.
Qi Gong is one of the three internal, or softer, Chinese martial arts along with Tai Chi and Bagua. As well as the health benefits, I often teach Qi Gong to my clients and at workshops as I have seen how many people struggle to meditate and realised Qi Gong was a perfect stepping stone from a noisy head to inner peace. Many people that sit to meditate find their head is noisier than normal, are confronted with thoughts and feelings that overwhelm them, or have no idea what they are doing or what should be happening. Qi Gong fits that gap perfectly as there is more going on than nothing. Overwhelm, difficulty and even anxiety from meditation are common and largely because we are not used to having nothing going on and being ok with it. If you hate boredom, have to be busy and cannot do nothing then you know exactly what I am talking about and also why being present is so hard if you actively avoid it. Now add in some very gentle movement and the brain has enough information to no longer wander off into the abyss of noise and distraction. It also serves a very similar goal as the aim is presence, awareness and complete acceptance of this moment. Meditation does this with very little going on. Qi Gong does this with a little bit more going on. Meditation is mostly seated and aims to reduce sensory input in order to observe thoughts and be at peace with inside and outside, while also understanding the conflict of various attachments and expectations. Qi Gong can also allow that space as observer, but with a bit more info and sensory feedback reaching the brain as you are actively moving. Just like the internal count in the mindfulness of breathing meditation, Qi Gong adds in a physical element and so the head is less likely to fill up with noise and distraction
To get started I have done a basic intro that will cover several extracts and you can train along and add these into your routine as required
