Qigong is an ancient Chinese healing art based on deliberate and coordinated movements. The deliberate sequences of movements in a Qigong set rewires the nervous system, the blood flow and movement of the lymph fluid. On top of this, a qigong set strengthens the entire body by opening and closing the joints to engage all of the deep tissues inside the body.
Qigong is a very ancient tradition that has many deep roots in the paths that have evolved over the last 3600 years. There are thousands of different styles of Qigong. All of them have tremendous health benefits. Some styles of Qigong are for strengthening the body to train in the martial arts or to sit in meditation for long periods of time. Other styles are more specific to developing healing abilities and for refining one’s personal ability to be mindful and to develop spiritual awareness.
Qigong for health and wellness is often considered the simpler or more common type of qigong. Four sets of Qigong are known throughout China as being the foundation of many systems we know today. These four main systems of Qigong include the 8 Pieces of Brocade, the Five Animal Frolics, the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic, and the Six Healing Sounds.
History: Over the thousands of years since these four systems of qigong were first recorded, many variations have grown out of their use and experience with the public at large. It should be noted that a great deal of the expansion of knowledge about Qigong in China has happened as a result of what is known as the warring states period in China. A great deal of this era in China was one of constant warfare between kingdoms that wanted to conquer and rule the rest of China. The result of constant warfare was that different martial systems of qigong were designed to keep people strong and healthy and able to fight. This led to the creation of many variations of qigong designed to specifically condition the human body for combat and to resist injury and infection.
In this modern age, we are often told by people in positions of authority that allopathic medicine is the pinnacle of information regarding the human body. There have been studies done that prove that the stress accumulated over the years of working in our modern society are truly the origins of many diseases and imbalances in both mind and body. The current allopathic medical model is one of prescribing pills and medicines to act as Band-Aids to deeper root causes of imbalances in disease. Without addressing these root causes at the source of so many health issues it is nearly impossible to truly balance out mind and body. Anyone who has spent enough time working in front of a computer in a day job, knows how much strain on the mind in the eyes and the body sitting for hours at a time, how that accumulates, and how that affects your mental and physical state. Anyone who has worked any kind of job on their feet knows how hard it is to relax after spending eight or nine or even 15 hours if you’re doing a double shift as a nurse or a doctor in a hospital, it can take an awful lot to shift gears and to relax back into your self.
Qigong has been used in China for thousands of years, and in the last hundred years or so around the world as an exceptionally effective tool for relaxation, and achieving balance of the mind and body together. Regular practice of a qigong set over time will assist in regulating blood flow, lymph fluid flow, ease of movement in the joints, dissolve tension in the deep tissues of the body, condition and tonify all of the tendons and fascia that support the organs and all of the glandular systems of the body, and in doing so give a person their own personal toolbox for shifting gears and relax in their mind and body together in a holistic and balanced fashion.
To learn more, visit the registration page for our upcoming workshop! We are teaching in-person and live-streaming the event. Mark your calendars for August 20th!
To register: https://atomic-temporary-183067807.wpcomstaging.com/august-20th-workshop/
~Kelly
Legendary Living Arts 