The Beauty of Qi Gong
Written by Marissa Hoen | May 1 2021
At this point, we probably all know the importance of physical activity in our general health and well-being. We know there are lots of things we should do for our health, but oftentimes we find that these aren’t the things we want to do. Until we can create a healthier attitude around physical activity, either the exercise will just be avoided or dreaded! As someone who finds so much happiness in my different activities, one of my missions is to help others find this simple happiness too.
It is so important that each of us find at least one movement that gives us joy. The choices of movement styles are endless and if you are willing to experience the joys and challenges of being a beginner, you’ve got a lot to look forward to. Today I want to give you another option, an option that fills me with joy (and not just because it has research to support it!) and one that I am a complete beginner in- that option is Qi Gong.
What is Qi Gong?
Directly translated, qi means energy and gong means work. Qi Gong can be thought of as energy work or breath work. There are many different types of qigong including soft (healing), hard (used for preparation in martial arts), medical, and Buddhist or Taoist (Chand, 2017). Check out Jeffrey Chand’s video for a deeper introduction to the practice of qigong: http://www.acupuncturevictoriabc.com/qi-gong/
Brief History
Some legends claim that in the 5th century Qi Gong was introduced by the monk Da Mo from India, who wanted to improve the physical health of Chinese buddhist monks (Chand, 2017).
However, throughout ancient Chinese history (4th century BCE and on) there have been many written recordings of different movement forms in coordination with the breath/energy flow that are now known as Qi Gong (Deadman, 2014).
These practices were used to improve life force energy, improve breathing, and extend the lifespan. Without movement, breathwork, and the alignment of mind and emotions, it is thought that the qi will stagnate and the individual will be more prone to sickness (Deadman, 2014).
What does the research say?
There are many claims to the great effects that regular qigong can have on a person’s life, but let’s look into which claims are supported by research!
Evidence from many studies suggest qigong improves cardiovascular function, balance, lung function, joint mobility, exercise capacity, muscular strength, and cognitive function (Zhang et al., 2020)! Also helps to reduce pain!
Shown to decrease depression and number of falls in those with Parkinson’s Disease (Kamieniarz et al., 2021)
One month of qigong was found to improve mood and subjective sleep duration, as well as decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression (Manzaneque, 2009)
Shown to improve quality of life and reduce fatigue in those with various forms of Cancer, while also improving immune function and mediating the inflammatory response (Klein et al., 2016).
After 12 weeks of a qigong intervention, participants with elevated blood sugar levels showed reduced weight, reduced waist circumference, improved leg strength, and improved insulin resistance (Liu et al., 2011)
As you can see, there are many reasons to try out qigong! If you are interested, I have linked some resources below so that you can get started right away.
Resources to connect with Qi Gong here in Victoria:
If you’d like to get started with live classes you have options!
Classes are offered via zoom and in person (maintaining distancing guidelines) at Willows Beach and Mount Doug Park
There are also daily morning qigong lessons at 830 am (except wednesdays) for anyone who is keen!
Click on the link for more information: https://victoriaqigong.wordpress.com/schedule/
If you would prefer to start with youtube videos:
Jeffrey Chand (TCM Practitioner, Acupuncturist, and Qi Gong teacher) has shared many qigong videos on his youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThinkVitalityQiGong/videos
There are many options for seated qigong as well, simply search youtube for ‘seated qigong’ and try it out! If at first you don’t enjoy the instructor, keep up your search until you find someone you click with.
My Experience
In my limited experience thus far with qigong, I have found the practice very grounding and enjoyable. The breathwork helps to clear my mind and improve my digestion, and the self massage helps to reduce tension! This practice is opening my eyes to the beauty inherent in our daily lives. Reading about the history of qigong in Deadman’s paper was fascinating, as he explored qigong through the ages, and the real goal behind these practices. In his paper, he shared a quote from Dr. Fei Boxiong which illuminates the magic of this practice: “There exist no miraculous methods in the world, only plain ones, and the perfection of the plain is miraculous”. If you take anything from this post, I hope you open yourself to trying new things and become aware of the miraculous in the mundane.
References
Chand, J. (2017, January 31). Qi Gong Victoria BC. Coastal Acupuncture and Wellness. http://www.acupuncturevictoriabc.com/qi-gong/.
Deadman, P. (2014). A brief history of qigong. The Journal of Chinese Medicine, (105), 5.
Kamieniarz, A., Milert, A., Grzybowska-Ganszczyk, D., Opara, J., & Juras, G. (2021). Tai chi and qi gong therapies as a complementary treatment in Parkinson’s disease – a systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 56, 102589-102589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102589
Klein, P. J., Schneider, R., & Rhoads, C. J. (2016). Qigong in cancer care: A systematic review and construct analysis of effective qigong therapy. Supportive Care in Cancer, 24(7), 3209-3222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3201-7
Liu, X., Miller, Y. D., Burton, N. W., Chang, J., & Brown, W. J. (2011). Qi-gong mind-body therapy and diabetes control. A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 41(2), 152-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2011.04.007
Manzaneque, J. M., Vera, F. M., Rodriguez, F. M., Garcia, G. J., Leyva, L., & Blanca, M. J. (2009). Serum cytokines, mood and sleep after a qigong program: Is qigong an effective psychobiological tool? Journal of Health Psychology, 14(1), 60-67. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105308097946
Zhang, Y., Hu, R., Han, M., Lai, B., Liang, S., Chen, B., Robinson, N., Chen, K., & Liu, J. (2020). Evidence base of clinical studies on qi gong: A bibliometric analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 50, 102392-102392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102392