Qigong Exercises

Qigong Exercises - The Internal Energy Way to Build Good Health

When you first practise Tai Chi in a class, one of the cornerstones of good Tai Chi practice is to do an exercise called Qigong. This is one of the hall marks to good, internal martial arts practise.

If you have seen external martial arts being practised such as taekwondo and Karate, whilst the movements are very athletic and strong the practitioners very rarely are taught to look inside their own body.

This is a vitally important element that is not often taught in external martial art systems. The practitioners of external systems work exclusively on speed, flexibility, strength, stamina and power, whilst all of these are extremely important for any martial arts practise, daily Qigong exercise can improve all of these areas and much more.

What is Qigong Exercise?

Qigong – can be translated to mean the “way of energy”. One of the things that all of us in the west find very hard thing to do is to stand still. Whilst there are numerous Qigong exercises, the first thing normally taught is to “stand like a tree” or otherwise known as “standing post exercise”.

When you first look at the exercise being done it looks very simple, but most people are unable to stand still for more than a couple of minutes.  The teacher will encourage you to relax the mind and body, but this is impossible at first.

Most new students will completely tense their body into knots, within a very short period of time. The good Tai Chi teacher will encourage you to persevere, and tell you to be patient in your practice. It is very important that you stay mindful in your approach to this exercise. Do not let your mind wonder, keep it focused on relaxing each body part, separately.

By standing in the correct posture, you are encouraged to draw energy (chi) from the earth, up through into your body. Correct posture and body alignments are essential to facilitate smooth energy flow.

When the body is totally at rest and still, it encourages the internal organs to work independently without hindrance or force. Such as when running, which places a lot of stress on the joints and on the heart.

By learning how to relax each part of your body individually, from your crown right down to your toes, overtime will clear any energy blockages from within your body.

What are energy blockages?

Energy blockages can be caused by a range of things that block our chi pathways from within our body, such as:

• Joint or muscular tension and muscular injuries
• Nervous tension
• Bruising
• Sprains
• Sedentary lifestyle, such as sitting at a computer all day in an office.
• Poor body alignments and posture
• Depression

What are the Chi pathways?

The chi pathways are based on the Chinese meridian system from within the body. This is activated from various points around your body which are the same as the Acupuncture points. By placing your body in precise positions, it will activate key ‘energy points’ throughout your body.

What is the Meridian system?

The meridian system can be likened to branches of a tree from within the body that are connected to the internal organs. Damage to the roots and the trunk will affect the internal organs of your body and hinder smooth chi flow throughout your body. Your body will gradually age and wither without smooth chi flow. Indeed, you cannot survive for one minute without chi in your body.

What are the main benefits of regular chi practice?

Regular chi energy practice can improve your performance if you are an advanced athlete. It can slow down the progression of premature aging, which obviously affects us all. It is possible with regular practice to help control the effects of diabetes, for arthritis pain to go into remission and heal injuries.

Many miracles have been reported by long term practitioners of the energy arts. The benefits of regular energy practice are too numerous to list in this article. It will help to heal and rejuvenate your body and encourage it to heal itself over time.

The effects are rather like charging up a car battery for maximum output. Your body will respond in exactly the same way, it will feel completely energised and totally invigorated after each energy workout.