Qigong is the Mind-Body Exercise That Heals You
As I continue my conversation with Qigong expert and natural healer Dr. Erlene Chiang, and David Zurun, who has been teaching me Qigong, I learn more about this mind-body system. As Dr. Chiang explains, this is a system of self-healing that is natural, effective and sustainable while being completely non-invasive. It is precisely what we need to counter today’s pill-popping culture that wants a shortcut to good health. Right now, modern medicine may help us to temporarily ease the symptoms of disease but we also end up with a bunch of side effects. In this scenario, we miss tackling the root cause of disease.
Mindfulness and sharpening focus.
So as my podcast guests explain to me, Qigong is the sort of mind-body exercise that helps remove blockages in the body to resolve our health issues. For instance, Dr. Chiang told me about a woman taking her class, who found that within seven weeks of taking the class, her hot flashes were completely gone! So Qigong is seen to have an actual physical impact on the body – helping regulate the endocrine system, the pituitary and circulatory systems. They speak of how Qigong helps us develop muscle memory in ways that will make us more coordinated and less prone to falls, tripping, and so on.
This mind-body discipline clearly helps us remain well for longer physically, and it also has a positive impact on our mental wellbeing. I myself have felt refreshed attending class after a long and stressful day, after which I’ve enjoyed a great night’s sleep as well. So the meditative component of Qigong comes into play here. We become more aware of things around us, and of every part of our bodies and the way we move. When we do things mindfully, we develop greater focus so that we learn better. We make fewer mistakes and enhance our memory, the ability to effectively recall what we have learned.
64 movements of Qigong.
As I have mentioned before, David Zurun has been a great teacher, and thanks to him I have been able to grasp the 64 movements of Qigong quite quickly. The history of this goes back 1700 years, but this is still as relevant today because of the benefits it demonstrably is seen to have. A number of studies have found this to be true. A Meta study examined over 40 studies and reviewed thousands of people with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression or memory loss. Study participants that were doing Qigong experienced significant improvement in their symptoms naturally over the course of one year.
The physical movement and the mental awareness actually frees up the energy or the qi in the body, which then helps the blood to move. Dr. Chiang speaks of the grandmaster from China who was a part of a study teaching Qigong to elementary school kids. After just one semester, their grades were seen to improve – memory, focus and performance were all seen to improve. In another study, they measured the impact of just six minutes of Qigong on the blood pressure of participants. The mind-body system also has a perceptible impact on tumors, helping them shrink, says Dr. Chiang.
One doesn’t have to do Qigong for hours each day. Just about 15 minutes of daily practice can help free up stuck qi and deliver tremendous mental and physical benefits. Listen to my podcast with Dr. Erlene Chiang and David Zurun to know more about the power of Qigong. This is the mind-body system that may be just the thing you need to take charge of your mental and physical wellbeing – now and in future.
