Qi Gong (pronounced chee gong) is an ancient healing art and one of the branches of the Traditional Asian Medical system. Qi loosely translates to energy and Gong means cultivation, so it literally means “to cultivate energy”. Qi Gong combines posture, breath and focus to help promote the flow of Qi through the pathways or meridians that transverse the body. While Qi Gong has been around for thousands of years, it is still an amazing exercise that is extremely relevant for today’s times and has many benefits. Here are some of the reasons why Qi Gong is all that!
Qi Gong is gentle.
While it is commonly believed that exercise has to involve sweat, “no pain, no gain”, this actually just speaks to one of two types of exercise. Intense exercise, like cardio is considered to be yang (active). Extremely active does not always mean that it is more effective. For ideal health, we want to have both yang type and yin (more still and calming) types of exercise. Qi Gong is a gentle form of exercise that does not cause wear and tear on joints. It is also pretty safe for people of all ages and varying health conditions to use.
Qi Gong improves relaxation.
When Qi is flowing properly through the channels, it helps to balance the body’s energies, which helps the body to feel more relaxed. The conscious breathing done in Qi Gong, further helps to balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems which control fight or flight and rest and digest. This allows one to respond to stimuli appropriately and be less consciously or unconsciously on edge, which can be mentally and physically draining.
Qi Gong improves circulation and is anti-aging.
When doing Qi gong, energy moves around the body through the different pathways (the same channels and meridians used in acupuncture). Increased movement of Qi also helps the blood to flow more as well, which is improved circulation. This is a really important anti-aging benefit, as in Traditional Asian Medicine, it is believed that the movement of proper blood flow tends to decrease with age. Less movement of blood can be a risk factor in chronic health conditions and illnesses associated with getting older.
Qi Gong is energizing.
Qi Gong promotes the proper flow of Qi and blood. When this energy is moving properly, it helps one to feel more energized. For this reason we try to do Qi Gong more in the early part of the day as it is like natural caffeine!
Qi Gong is extremely healing.
As Qi Gong encourages the Qi and blood in your body to move more smoothly in the body’s pathways, the body’s healing energies becomes more balanced. When these energies are balanced, better health is inevitable.
This list just scratches the surface. Research has demonstrated that there are numerous more benefits to Qi Gong including, increased bone density for women, reduction of inflammation and anxiety, healthy immune system functioning, cardiopulmonary fitness, lower BMI (Body Mass Index, an indicator of obesity) and more. In fact, Harvard Medical School endorses Qi Gong for its many health benefits, including reducing hypertension and depression, and improving quality of life in cancer patients. There are thousands of styles of Qi Gong, and in Asia there are hospitals where Qi Gong is done to help facilitate recovery of patients. It is great that modern research is able to show what the ancients knew long ago, that Qi Gong is indeed all that! To join me and experience the many benefits that Qi Gong has to offer, click here.
Take good care.
Love being a woman,
Dr. Danett
