Can Chi Kung Provide the Transformation You Need in Your Life?
Part 2 of this 3-part series ( one, two, three ). will cover some key points on how chi kung can be a transformative force for health in your life. Thanks for taking the time to read this article and let me know if you have any questions on the topic.
The following points will be covered in this article:
- Learn how chi kung supports 2 of the 4 major fundamentals for self-care
- Chi kung vs conventional exercise
- Chi kung is less about doing and more about opening
- My definition of stress
- Unifying principles and mind-body connection
In the 1st article I explained how my health has benefited from daily chi kung practice. If you haven’t had a chance to read it you can click here and check it out.
I did mention how chi kung was life-changing for me so much so that after 9 years of experiencing the benefits of tai chi and chi kung (qigong) practice, I decided to go even deeper in my studies of qi-cultivation and obtained a Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Degree (AOM) in Hawai’i.
This education gave me a different set of tools for health and healing but the underlying principles are the same comparing AOM to chi kung. Together these disciplines helped me understand and experience the benefits of these healing arts much more deeply. What excites me the most is being able to share with you what I’ve learned and how self-care practices like chi kung can be transformative in your life.
Exercise is 1 of 4 major fundamentals to support health (diet, sleep, exercise, stress management). Chi kung is a thoughtful and a very practical method to manage both exercise and stress. Practical because you can take it with you and practice it anywhere – work, home, vacation. When you know the principles you can customize the practice to suit your needs. Chi kung is a mindful practice that turns your attention inward to develop a deeper level of awareness about you, your body and your health. Self-awareness is an important principle for prevention and self-care. Your connection between mind and body strengthens. Coordination and balance improves. You feel grounded and relaxed with a consistent level of energy. When it comes to supporting your health prevention is a much better starting point than reacting to health problems.
How does chi kung compared to conventional exercise? There are many differences. I’ll share one difference that might not be obvious. Conventional exercise spends energy contracting muscles which tightens or strengthens the body. Stretching is very much needed but not often practiced. Too much tightening and not enough stretching or loosening can lead to imbalances. Yin Yang principles teaches balance to be the key for optimal health.
Chi kung is less about doing exercise and more about opening. Chi kung opens the body to promote Qi (vital life force) circulation – an altogether different concept. Chi kung can be very energizing. Chi kung not only opens the body to promote qi circulation it also generates and receives qi that can be accumulated and stored. Qi is a traditional Chinese medical concept that can be defined as functional energy or vital life force. Qi and blood like yin and yang are inseparable and circulate together in the body.
Remember, the key to Good health is good circulation. Chi kung practice offers a more proportionate form of stretching and strengthening for balanced. Electricity needs a positive and a negative to create a potential difference to create an electrical current or flow. The movements in 4 Seasons Chi Kung typically stretch(-) and strengthen(+) opposite sides of the body at the same time to promote circulation. These seemingly simple movements also require a coordinated effort that exercises and strengthens the mind-body connection.
Stress is a major drain on health. I define stress as chaos. The constant daily drip of stress we experience today in modern society causes chaos in the body. Unifying the efforts of the mind, body and breath is an important principle for greater health. Under modern day stress the mind, body and breath are not synchronized. This creates chaos in body function. The mind is racing with thoughts. The body physically wants to express what the mind is thinking but that would look ridiculous. So the body becomes tense to maintain a “normal appearance”. This also makes the breathing constricted and shallow. You become a human pressure cooker and you feel like you’re going to pop!
Being aware of the effects of stress is the first step. Finding a practice to manage stress just makes good sense to safeguard your health. A mindful practice with stretching-strengthening body movements and synchronized breathing techniques makes chi kung a unifying force for optimizing health.
The only thing that remains the same is change. Everything changes. Being prepared to roll through those changes is simply healthy.
The 3rd and final article will be coming in the next few days. In that article I will share why I choose an online format for the 4 Seasons Chi Kung program and how the program can be beneficial, convenient, and easy to learn. You’ll also learn about a special offer I want to share with you so be sure to watch for an email or a post on my Facebook page.
I wish you the best in health!
>Part 2 of this 3-part series ( one, two, three ).
