The ancient Chinese practice of Qigong believes that there is a living force in all living beings. This life force can be controlled through an ancient practice.
Qigong ensures the wellbeing of your mind, body, and soul. It involves gentle exercises, meditation, and breathing that helps to reduce stress, improves metabolism and strength. It is a practice to improve your overall living. It also cures diseases and helps you to reduce weight.
Qigong is a great practice, but you have to learn the techniques very carefully if you want to benefit from it. Here are some instructions to follow for a proper qigong healing:
#1. Proper Breathing Techniques
Breathing is an integral part of Qigong. You can either sit or lie down while doing it. Take a deep breath through your nose. Fill your belly completely with air.
Take a minute after you breathe in, and then collapse your belly while exhaling out. Exhale slowly. It is going to be a little difficult in the beginning, but you will get into a rhythm once you start doing it regularly. This technique is called Tortoise Breathing.
#2. Proper Tai Chi Stance
A proper stance is important if you want to perform Tai Chi. Stand straight while bending your knees a little. Keep your back straight. Tuck in your chin to keep your vertebrae aligned.
Keep the toes of one leg at a 45 degree angle from the other. Place your body’s weight on the leg that is straight while you keep the other foot balanced on the toe. Practicing this daily can cure back pain.
#3. Eye Exercises
There are several eye exercises in Qigong. You can perform an acupressure technique to relieve tension from your eye. Gently press and massage the area between your nose and eyes. This helps your eyes to moisten up and release the bad energy stored in them. This exercise makes your eyes relax and removes the tension.
#4. Qigong Rainbow Meditation
This meditation is a little difficult, but you can master the technique with practice. Arrange for a dimly lit room. Sit on a chair with a straight back, with your feet on the ground. Keep breathing in the Qigong technique.
Imagine a colorful rainbow at a distance. Relax and focus on the colors. The rainbow is going to move towards you. Imagine them on top of your head, with the colors streaming into your body through your head.
The Benefits
These four ancient techniques of Qigong ensure all round healing. These techniques, along with proper diet, can provide you with a wholesome experience. When you keep doing these four practices regularly, you will notice a distinct change and betterment in your metabolism, energy, and strength. You feel better, with a great surge in energy and seldom get tired and sick.
No pain, Big Gains
Although tai chi is slow and gentle and doesn't leave you breathless, it addresses the key components of fitness — muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and, to a lesser degree, aerobic conditioning. Here's some of the evidence:
Muscle strength - Tai chi can improve both lower-body strength and upper-body strength. When practiced regularly, tai chi can be comparable to resistance training and brisk walking.
"Although you aren't working with weights or resistance bands, the unsupported arm exercise involved in tai chi strengthens your upper body," says internist Dr. Gloria Yeh, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "Tai chi strengthens both the lower and upper extremities and also the core muscles of the back and abdomen."
Flexibility - Tai chi can boost upper- and lower-body flexibility as well as strength.
Balance - Tai chi improves balance and, according to some studies, reduces falls.
Proprioception - the ability to sense the position of one's body in space — declines with age. Tai chi helps train this sense, which is a function of sensory neurons in the inner ear and stretch receptors in the muscles and ligaments.
Tai chi also improves muscle strength and flexibility, which makes it easier to recover from a stumble. Fear of falling can make you more likely to fall; some studies have found that tai chi training helps reduce that fear.
Aerobic conditioning - Depending on the speed and size of the movements, tai chi can provide some aerobic benefits. If your clinician advises a more intense cardio workout with a higher heart rate than tai chi can offer, you may need something more aerobic as well.
Intro and Physiology of Tai Chi and Qi Gong [videos]
The ancient practice of Tai Chi and Qi Gong has a large number of practitioners. You can get in touch with them or watch videos online to learn the proper techniques.
Check the following videos to get an idea of TaiChi and QiGong:
References:
Mayo Clinic.
American Council on Exercise.
Janke, R. American Journal of Health Promotion, July-August 2010.
Harvard Health Publications: "The health benefits of tai chi."
