Qigong Made Personal

A client just asked "I am wondering why I have good energy for work at the moment, but my body's resilience to stress if very low" There are many answers to this question and one occurs. We are built to cope with physical and mental challenge very well.  We are great survivors as a species, able to travel vast distances and make good decisions for the sake of our selves and tribes/families. In terms of health, it seems it is good for us to give ourselves these physical and mental challenges throughout life. So work and energy for work - that which we find relatively familiar with maybe a few daily challenges -leaves us at our optimum for potential well being. The unfamiliar or overwhelm - think our ancestors encountering a herd of lions, or having to travel one hundred uncounted for miles - is a different matter. In this case, the nervous system switches into sympathetic mode - fight or flight. The blood is redirected to the muscles and away from the vital organ...

https://youtu.be/qPjS51f4baQ Some Qigong for Immunity. Spiral Qigong may help to build Wei Chi, in Traditional Chinese Medicine likened to a fine mist that surrounds and protects us. www.qigongcoach.net

The Microcosmic Circulation is comprised of the Conception and Governing Vessels. In Embryological terms this vessel is formed when the single cell first divides into two. It is a reservoir of original or source Qi, said by the ancients to preserve Qi (energy) that is passed on to us by our lineage. Two of the eight extraordinary vessels of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Conception and Governing vessels 'feed' the organs and smaller meridians that we may be more familiar with. We can replenish these reservoirs through Qigong.  Here is some specifically to nurture the micro cosmic circuit. https://youtu.be/9G6zulHeqjE

Here is a Qigong form for the Belt or Girdle Vessel. One of the 8 Extraordinary Vessel of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Extraordinary Vessels are more like streams or reservoirs of Qi. Formed early in in our in-utero development, they are often worked during big transitions. The Belt Vessel is relevant to pregnancy and motherhood, sexuality, circulation in the legs.... https://youtu.be/QzaBrbUu_sA

There is a fair amount of research, some by the Institute of Aviation, about the brain waves of regular Qigong Practitioners. Most fascinating to me is that the more proficient a practitioner is, the nearer to 8Hz frequency are the alpha waves. There is a so-called Humannwave at the frequency of 7.83 amongst the Earth's magnetic field. Qigong becomes a practice which illustrates Chinese Medical Theory  "Heaven and Man are united in Oneness''. Xie, Huan Zhang The scientific Basis for Qigong, 1989

Qigong has an effect on the electrical  activity of the brain and there is well documented evidence around this. Specifically 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) increases (2 to 3 times in regular practitioners) in the Central Nervous System. Simply put this chemical intervention increases Serotonin. The implications are greater immunity, less need for food intake and better sleep. 5-HTP is imbalanced in Bi-polar and Schizophrenic patients. It is also implicated in Parkinson's disease where the production of dopamine is imbalanced - Qigong is increasingly becoming the exercise of choice for such patients. Lin Yagu. Nanjing University Press, 1993

Controlled trials indicate regular qigong practice (daily, 6–8 weeks) produces improvements in core domains for fibromyalgia ( pain, sleep, impact, and physical and mental function) that are maintained at 4–6 months compared to wait-list subjects or baselines. 2014 Jana Sawynok and Mary Lynch https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/379715/

Here is a medical Qigong form for vision. I practised this for 20 days daily and then noticed results including less need to use glasses. Now I practice it every now and again. https://youtu.be/x8cUFlSyUbY Sally www.qigongcoach.net

This is a lovely story of 2 women whose paths coincide. As well as being historically of interest from a Qigong point of view. h ttps://medium.com/@charlierusso23/the-forgotten-history-of-two-trailblazing-women-who-spread-tai-chi-around-the-world-190940ba10a2

There is much research available as to the effects of regular qigong practice on mental health. The effect on the kidneys (and so adrenals) of this slow meditative movement is the most significant. Just a little a day and the effect is cumulative. Here is The Iron Bridge Qigong. It is deceptively simple and yet effective at restoring parasympathetic response - a calmer way to greet the day! https://youtu.be/lIFptVqhhM0 Here's some research references: Anxiety decreased significantly for participants practicing Qigong compared to an active exercise group (Cheung et al., 2005; M. Lee et al., 2003; Tsai et al., 2003). Depression was shown to improve significantly in studies comparing Qigong to an inactive control, newspaper reading (H. W. H. Tsang et al., 2006) and for Tai Chi compared to usual care, psychosocial support or stretching/education controls (Chou et al., 2004; Mustian et al., 2006; C. Wang et al., 2005). General measures of mood (e.g, Profile of Mood States)...

Thousands of years ago Taoist masters discovered that a healthy organ vibrates at a particular frequency. They found six sounds with the correct frequencies to keep each organ in optimal condition.  It was great to reconnect with the 6 healing sounds this morning at the weekly qigong class with Agate.   www.manchesterbuddhistcentre.org.uk

https://youtu.be/JuB1MtYGwGY As the v shaped forms of pink foot geese warble overhead on their way North, here is Sue Johnson performing the 1st 64 movements of Wild Goose Qigong. It is the most ancient and original of all qigong forms having been mentioned in the original Yellow Emperors Classic. There are over 700 Forms to Wild Goose Qigong...some are just a single, subtle move. Sue travels to China every year to get updates from her Grand Master, now in his 90's and still teaching. She teaches a class in Manchester where I felt honoured to join  her last weekend..tI am trying hard to learn the form!

https://www.neuromeditationinstitute.com/nmi-blog/2017/5/the-brain-of-a-qigong-master Here the brain waves of a Qigong Master are measured whilst he is healing.

Qigong is a Meditation with Movement. The research on meditation and mindfulness and it’s benefits is vast, when we practice Qigong, we follow the breath with complete acceptance of how it is in this moment. All the benefits of a meditation practice are available to us! Calmer More centred Health and wellbeing benefits Research also shows a lowering of crime rates in communities where people meditate regulatly While the slow repetitive movements massage us on a deep level. Over to you! I would love to know, if you practice qigong, why it makes you feel better! www.qigongcoach.net

Magnetic Hands Qi is everywhere. Another way of saying this is that everything living has a magnetic field and has bioelectricity. The measurement of Qi emission (bio electricity) from a practitioners hands is 100 of times more than a general person. If we are filled with moving energy and substance, our hands can start to influence where that goes. We can direct healing energy. Both for ourselves and others. So for example, when we track the front of the body with our hands, we start to move the blood, the organ cells and fascia, we are able to send healing deeper. This is often why people on Qigong retreats get very tired. There isn’t much apparent movement, but it is deep and often touches places that have remained static for years. www.qigongcoach.net

                           For good sleep Sacred space Bed is for sleep not working, emailing or social media. Your body will learn this over 30 days if you cease with the machines now! Make your bedroom like a spa...soft lights and no clutter.  This applies in daylight hours to.... keep it sacred..this is a life changing practice to build! Subtle messages When you sleep you open to the unconscious - to a different knowing. Your body and mind will sense when your phone updates, receives messages etc.  Keep the phones OUT of the bedroom - even on silent or switched off they subtly disturb you. Routines Sleep is best when you have routines. Stop working (including work emails and social media) well before bedtime to signal to the mind and body that it is in 'down time'. A little yoga, qigong or swimming is a great way to wind down.  Here is Fa Soon Gong..a qigong form ...

So why does qigong make us feel better?... While we are moving slowly, in time with the breath, we imagine beautiful scenes..forest, oceans, sky. Here are examples https://youtu.be/bhCDL8IfQ5Y This video of qigong moves where we mostly employ integral imaging to increase wellbeing is inspired by an article on 'blue health'. https://beyondgreenspace.net/2019/10/03/coastal-living-mitigate-health-inequalities/ which outlines research on how living close to the coast increases mental health. We can't all live next to the sea, however imagining on a deep level is akin to being there according to sports psychology. "When I imagine kicking the ball into the net at just such a velocity and at just such a target..it increases my confidence, I relax, mind and body come together, I perform better!" (Netball playing client 2016)

So why does Qigong make us feel better...part 3! Since the Earth has a magnetic field and since we do too, when we imagine being as one or connected to the Earth then we join a huge reservoir of resources. The whole Earth in fact!  This is simple sports science. If a tennis player imagines the perfect serve, her next serve will be faster, stronger and better aimed. This fact is used by top sports professionals and coaches worldwide. Using the same science, when we imagine our feet going deeper into the Earth, we extend our field down. Because it is a magnetic field we literally expand downwards. Likewise when we imagine our hands can extend to each horizon, our intention expands us outwards. The blood has more space to flow, the lymph gathers up more toxins. The nerve pathways expand so potential pain is less. To add to all that, the body and mind, perceiving us expanding (a safe space) not contracting (a fear state), gets messages of safety..so more expansion along with more o...

So why does Qigong in particular make us feel better? Yesterday I posted about the benefits of manipulating biomagnetism. This movement can be measured during a qigong session and causes expansion in the body.... so blood, lymph and nerve pathways are more effective. It is true to say that many practitioners and healers would seem to manipulate biomagnetism. So why qigong in particular? In 2006 a study by Windrider isolated the practice of ‘witnessing’ – emotional awareness without involvement - in addition to visioning (intention), as profoundly changing ones ability to emit Qi or bioelectricity from ones hands. This Qi emission has been shown to calm anxious animals,  accelerate wound healing and generally promote wellness. QIGONG forms typically have all the right ingredients  – visioning, relaxation, witnessing the breath and slow movement. www.qigongcoach.net

QIGONG Why it makes us feel better ....part one! The nearest that the Western world can get to a definition of Qi, is bioelectricity and , since we can now measure significant bioelectrical  changes in our magnetic field when we do Qigong, this would seem to add up! All electrical currents create a magnetic field around them as they move. The systems of our bodies are no exception. The movement of our blood , pumped as it is by the heart and containing magnetized particles of, for example, iron, creates a magnetic field around us - as do many other automatic processes. What is extraordinary however is that the field around the hands of experienced Qigong practitioners increases in magnetic activity approximately 1,000 times after 15 minutes of practice. Experiments with Qigong masters and copper coils show that a master of Qigong can alter the electromagnetic environment at variable distances. At this point, it is worth saying something about the word ‘field'. The magnetic s...