Qigong:
Making Your Energy Work for You
Linda Pearce
Qigong is a series of exercises developed in China; its roots are over two thousand
years old. The practice consists of long, slow, flowing movements coordinated with
the breath and often with inner imagery. There are several types of qigong: our
group of seniors has been learning Shibashi Qigong, which our excellent teacher
combines with some tai chi.
When I first started the class three years ago, I was
disconcerted to discover that the entire one-hour
practice would be done standing up. I was irritated
when we began by bouncing up and down on our
knees and shaking out our hands and arms for what
seemed an interminable three minutes or so. I was
unable for almost a year and a half to keep my arms
in the air for many minutes at a time during a whole
succession of movements that required them aloft.
I had to keep shaking out my knees because they
were so uncomfortable and stiff.
But no, this isn’t the right way to tell the story of
qigong. The word ‘qi’— pronounced ‘chee’ — means
energy. Underlying the practice is the recognition that
energy flows throughout the body and that proper
energy flow is vital to good health — something that’s
been confirmed by centuries of acupuncture and other
energy modalities like reiki.
As advertised, qigong promises to increase
flexibility, stamina, circulation, digestion, muscle
strength, immunity, heart health, and kidney and liver
functioning. It also improves lung conditions. This
sounds like a lot of promises. But if you interviewed
some of the more than one hundred people who take
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qigong every week (and sometimes twice a week) in
our seniors group, you would hear them affirm that
these things are true and that their health has been
significantly improved, as has my own. Shoulders and
upper arm muscles are strengthened. All the bouncing
up and down that I mentioned earlier improves bone
density and also increases muscle strength for vital
muscles like those that support the knees. It also
improves the circulation of lymph, so important for
the body’s immunity.
Something not emphasized in the literature I’ve
read is the extent to which qigong improves one’s
balance. If one of our goals as seniors is to reduce the
chance of falls, having better balance and flexibility
are important. Also, it’s surprising to find out how
much of the body is involved in the one-hour gentle
workout. For example, people in their later years don’t
necessarily go up on tiptoe very often, but they do
it a lot in qigong. Every possible stretch and twist is
incorporated somewhere in the practice.
Our teacher’s website says, “Qi Gong is practised
by over a hundred million people worldwide as a
way to experience a longer, more active life. The
gentle, fluid movements increase energy, open