Firstly, I want to thank you so much for reading my post. As an owner of a holistic acupuncture and wellness center I have a passion for natural healthcare solutions and love passing along helpful information.

I’m excited to share some news on the new chi kung online program I will be rolling out very soon. I’ve worked hard to put it together. In this 3 part series ( one, two, three ) I want to highlight my reasons for creating this chi kung program and how it can benefit you.

I’ve been interested in chi kung for more than 20 years. My interest in chi kung began with my personal health issues. As a teenager, I struggled with back and knee pain. I remember spending a couple of months, in high school, on crutches. My knee swelled up and conventional medicine didn’t have any answers as to why.

The trouble with crutches is in the loss of leg strength. Carrying most of my body weight on 1 leg causes the muscular symmetry to become unbalanced, as one leg becomes stronger than the other. After a couple of months I saw a specialist who told me to simply get off the crutches. I couldn’t understand why I was told to get on the crutches in the first place. I was confused and so was my body.

I struggled for the next several years with knee pain, muscle strains and continued backache with no resolve. If anything, the pain got worse. A chiropractor told me I had a slight touch of scoliosis – a crooked spine. Adjustments were helpful but not long lasting. I felt I wasn’t getting any real answers and I realized I needed to take charge of my health.

I began the search for some personal methods of self-care. I realized I needed to learn early practices in prevention. The valuable lesson I learned here is that reacting to a health problem after it has taken root is much more difficult to treat. It’s better to prevent it before it happens.

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.

My chiropractor gave me a paper handout listing some exercises for me to try but that paper wasn’t very inspiring. I joined a gym with a friend thinking the buddy system will keep me motivated but I lost interest. Dragging myself out of the house early in the morning to go to the gym wasn’t practical for me time-wise.

I knew I needed exercise but I needed a style that would motivate me and hold my attention – something more mindful, something more interesting.

Along my journey I finally discovered the health-rejuvenating practices of tai chi and chi kung! Tai chi (taijiquan) is a soft-style martial art utilizing the ancient Qi-cultivating principles of chi kung (qigong). Chi kung is the secret health-rejuvenating foundation that tai chi is built upon.

I can surely say the benefits of chi kung with its ancient wisdom and profound philosophy has made my life journey in health more fulfilling.

Perhaps this is a lot to consider if you’ve never tried tai chi or chi kung but I’ve experienced some amazing benefits and can attest to how these practices helped realign and strengthen my body.

In 1992, I started to dedicate myself to the practice of tai chi and chi kung. After a couple of years of practice my constant knee and back pain became a distant memory.

Tai chi and chi kung helped me develop an increase sense of awareness about my body and, more deeply, about my very being. It not only helped me restored balance and symmetry in my body but it turned my attention inward to develop a more interesting and mindful perspective on health.

Chi kung is a health rejuvenating art form that offers a higher level of practice in self-care that I refer to as self-cultivation.

Look for the next article here where I will explain in more detail how chi kung can benefit your health.

>Part 1 of this 3-part series ( one, two, three ).