Qi Gong: Peace in Motion

 Qigong may very well be the life-transforming practice you likely don’t know much about or maybe have never even heard of. It may be new to most of us, but it’s been practiced for over 4,000 years for increasing longevity and improving overall health. It’s an ancient Chinese preventative and curative practice that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to optimize energy holistically within mind, body, and spirit. 

You have likely heard of Tai-Chi and possibly witnessed people engaged in the slow, flowing moves characteristic of it in group settings in parks. Tai-Chi and Qigong are both meditative practices; they focus on slow, deep rhythmic breathing; meditation and mental focus; body posture; and movements synced with breathing, all with the goal of achieving deep relaxation. Tai-Chi is a form of martial arts and generally involves more choreographed, complex movements. 

Qigong is a general self-healing practice, but has particularly notable positive impacts for dealing with stress. It can effectively prevent chronic activation of the stress response; help us recover from stress; and enable us to regain mind/body balance. Characterized by synced slow breathing and movements, Qigong can positively modulate the autonomic nervous system in favor of parasympathetic dominance and restore the ideal state of balance/homeostasis.

Qigong exerts several demonstrable psychological and physiological improvements. Many studies attest to the beneficial impacts of Qigong as a whole, as well as its individual components (breathing, meditation, physical movement). It’s like a potent stress toolkit with its cumulative benefits similar to a number of the other recommendations throughout this book (including meditation, breathing, physical activity and progressive muscle relaxation). It has been referred to as “meditation in motion”. 

I like to think of it as “peace in motion”. The fact that it’s based on focused, slow, rhythmic patterns (attention, breathing and moving) syncs well with my propensity to gravitate towards “rhythmic” things to evoke a sense of tranquility. I imagine a lot of you experience a similar sense of peace as I do from rocking in a rocking chair, listening to/watching waves, listening to certain types of music or “white noise”, etc. These provide a soothing visual and/or auditory element, a focal point for attention, and a calming effect from a pattern of continuity. 

“Qi” means “life force” or “vital energy” and “gong” refers to a sustained, dedicated practice. “Qigong” can be loosely translated as “cultivated energy”, a term I am now completely obsessed with.  I am fixated on experiences that are simultaneously energizing/rejuvenating and soothing/relaxing, akin to the calming/invigorating effect I feel from the solar-powered energy of the sun. These practices not only fit squarely within the “KISS” philosophy but also sync perfectly with my fundamental underpinning of embracing the “simple pleasures” in life as the key to happiness. I particularly love that these things are accessible more or less to everyone. This is in sharp contrast to the prevalent conception of “happiness” so often associated with the Western world in terms of “success”, material possessions, money, etc. 

I digress; again I attribute this to my stream of consciousness persona from attention deficit “disorder”, a condition I fully embrace as it reflects a lot of defining traits I am most grateful for…

Back to Qigong… 

Qigong is a powerful technique that can help effectively address/redress stress in a multitude of ways. Cultivating a regular practice that enables you to maintain a general state of mental relaxation can inhibit the development of “oversensitization” to stress and equip you with the ability to appraise stressful situations in more positive, less catastrophic, ways. Qigong can help preempt initiation of the stress response. Studies validate the stress-reducing effects of an ongoing practice of engaging in Qigong for at least two to three times a week for sessions lasting from 30-60 minutes.

In general, Qigong is effective at improving psychological and physiological well-being and has many proven benefits. Some of these benefits include reduced perceived stress and cortisol; less fatigue and improved sleep (it increases melatonin); a significant reduction in blood pressure and improved “heart rate variability”, reflective of parasympathetic state, as discussed below; increased improved breathing patterns, increased oxygen uptake, and enhanced lung capacity; improved cardiorespiratory fitness (based on the foregoing); enhanced white blood cell and natural killer cells and overall immunity; improved gastrointestinal health; reduced pain; improved balance; more robust blood flow and neurotransmitter activity; a more active hippocampus; promotion of new nerve cells and more complex “dendrites”/connections; increased emotional regulation and mental peace; and improved cognitive functioning (impulse regulation, attention and memory).

Practicing Qigong can also have anti-aging benefits in general, in part due to its impact on gene expression relating to insulin secretion, energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, and telomerase activity.

It’s intuitive that Qigong can be such a powerful ally in ameliorating stress as its benefits overlap with the individual components discussed elsewhere (like patterned breathing and meditation). In addition, this practice really speaks to me with its physical fitness, strength, stamina, flexibility and balance. It requires no equipment or special training; its low impact and can be done anywhere any time. There are a number of free online tutorials to help get you started. 

Seriously, I feel like I have been missing out on this “secret” all my life. I, for one, am excited about exploring this practice more in-depth and incorporating it into my regular regimen. Qigong has the potential to be a game changer for anyone struggling with chronic stress. Through a variety of mechanisms, it helps desensitize us to stress, inhibit the sympathetic stress response, engage the relaxing/restorative parasympathetic state, and enable us to recover more quickly from stress and return to homeostasis, the state consistent with the goal of achieving optimal health. 

I think we have a propensity to be dismissive of practices like Qigong that are relatively simple, passive and accessible; we do not believe that they can be as “effective” as the “magic” pills dispensed by the medical “experts”. We do ourselves a grave disservice with this propensity. I have switched my perspective to rely on natural lifestyle interventions and substances for anything that ails me physically or mentally and I am blessed to be reaping the rewards of enjoying the best physical and mental well-being of my life.

If you’re interested in delving further into how destructive chronic stress is (physiologically and psychologically) and evidence-based ways to address it, you can read about it in my book, “Release Yourself: 52 Proven Ways to Conquer Stress.” Available @ https://amzn.to/43ejV21