Qigong has many applications. As a healing art, sometimes called “medical qigong,” it includes exercises for personal wellbeing as well as “External Qi Healing” to transmit healing energy to clients or patients. Qigong is a powerful and enjoyable way to improve health, increase vitality, and develop a “contagious” healing presence.
As sports training, qigong improves strength, stamina, coordination, and other skills necessary for peak performance. As a spiritual art, rooted in Taoism, it deepens awareness of self and nature and creates a wonderful feeling of harmony, tranquility, and peace.
And in the ever-popular category of weight loss, qigong presents a sustainable and self-directed approach.
Chris Fernie, a qigong master and founder of the Institute for Internal Transformation, explains, “Instead inhibiting your dietary needs, Qigong practice cultivates knowledge of who you are and how your body works. This knowledge reveals how the body regulates itself so you gain the power to control your health and weight. Through simple daily exercises you can improve the rate of digestion, increase metabolism, and promote weight loss.”
A vital aspect of qigong’s success is gained through awareness of how the body functions. According to Fernie, “one of the primary goals of Qigong practice is to discover the inner geography of the body in order to develop awareness and control of factors that contribute to health.” Students discover that mind, breath, gravity, posture, emotions, Qi and forces of nature affect the delicate balances of the entire system. In the realm of digestion, that means recognizing that the digestive system is tied to many internal and external factors. For example:
- Emotions; We are all familiar with “comfort eating,” to mask or avoid difficult emotions. In addition, repeated emotional states lead to long term muscular contractions, which in turn radically change metabolism and reduce the ability to absorb nutrients.
- Posture; The digestive track is aided by muscular contractions and gravity. Therefore our alignment in the gravitational field, known as posture, influences our ability to properly digest food.
- Seasons; The body changes with the seasons. Learning how to recognize and respond to these changes enables us to maintain balance throughout the year.
With practice, students develop a deep awareness of the digestive processes. Eventually this awareness allows students to trust their body’s wisdom about what and when to eat so they can naturally attain a healthy weight and metabolism.
However, even before deep awareness of the internal states is cultivated, the exercises inherently speed the rate of digestion. Fernie explains, “Many people in today’s society do not efficiently digest their food-instead it stagnates in their intestines causing many problems. Performing Qigong exercises can speed the rate of digestion and improve many digestive disorders.”
A healthy consciousness
Moving up another level… the next orbit so to say, qigong’s energy healing will empower people of all faiths and addresses all levels of healing need. It will strengthen your connection to the true source of creative energy. Qigong training can empower you to experience healing energy in every cell in your body and transmit it to the highest purpose of healing for yourself and others, and promoting a new earth of health and peace.
By tapping into this ancient healing technology, you will obtain powerful tools for self-healing, strengthen your endocrine and immune systems, reduce stress, anxiety and depression. By achieving a deeper sense of wellbeing, emotional stability and balance, you are empowered to attract positive changes into your life. This practice enhances other mind-body-spiritual practices you may be following and deepens your connection to universal healing energy.
“Spiritual practices that involve the physical body, such as t’ai chi, qigong and yoga, are also increasingly being embraced in the Western world. These practices do not create a separation between body and spirit and are helpful in weakening the pain-body. They will play an important role in the global awakening”
– Eckhart Tolle “A New Earth”
