Qigong
Qigong, Chi Kung, or Chi Gung is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation. With roots in Chinese medicine, martial arts, and philosophy, qigong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance Qi (Chi) or "internal energy". Typically a Qigong practice involves rhythmic breathing coordinated with slow stylized repetition of fluid movement, a calm mindful state, and visualization of guiding Qi through the body. From a Philosophical perspective Qigong is believed to help develop human potential, allow access to higher realms of awareness, and awaken one's "true nature".
Health benefits of Qigong are to enhance health and well-being with many benefits, including improving cardiovascular function, healing specific acute diseases, and increasing longevity. The benefits of Qigong practice. The review reported that qigong practice played a positive role in each of following categories:
• Bone density: prevented bone loss and increased bone mineral density;
• Cardiopulmonary effects: decreased blood pressure and heart rate, increased heart rate variability, and improved biomarkers;
• Physical function: improved performance e.g., chair rise, 50-ft walk, gait speed, muscle contraction strength, flexibility;
• Falls and related risk factors: decreased falls and increased balance;
• Quality of life: improved perceived physical health, psychological state, social relationships, etc.
• Self efficacy: improved confidence and ability to manage health problems, pain, stress, and novel situations;
• Patient reported outcomes: decreased reporting of pain, improvement of diverse symptoms like discomfort and sleeplessness;
• Psychological symptoms: decreased anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and fear; improved mood and biomarkers such as stress hormones (e.g., lower cortisol);
• Immune function and inflammation: improved immune blood markers (e.g., leukocytes, eosinophils, and antibodies) and decrease inflammation markers (e.g., cytokines, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6).
• Mental Health: improved mood, decreased stress reaction, and decreased anxiety and depression.
• Bone density: prevented bone loss and increased bone mineral density;
• Cardiopulmonary effects: decreased blood pressure and heart rate, increased heart rate variability, and improved biomarkers;
• Physical function: improved performance e.g., chair rise, 50-ft walk, gait speed, muscle contraction strength, flexibility;
• Falls and related risk factors: decreased falls and increased balance;
• Quality of life: improved perceived physical health, psychological state, social relationships, etc.
• Self efficacy: improved confidence and ability to manage health problems, pain, stress, and novel situations;
• Patient reported outcomes: decreased reporting of pain, improvement of diverse symptoms like discomfort and sleeplessness;
• Psychological symptoms: decreased anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and fear; improved mood and biomarkers such as stress hormones (e.g., lower cortisol);
• Immune function and inflammation: improved immune blood markers (e.g., leukocytes, eosinophils, and antibodies) and decrease inflammation markers (e.g., cytokines, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6).
• Mental Health: improved mood, decreased stress reaction, and decreased anxiety and depression.
Main contents of Qigong we teach:
• Eight Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin 八段錦).
• Six Healing Sounds (Liu Zi Jue 六字訣).
• Wu Style 8 Methods for Health (Wu Shi Jiashen Ba Fa 吴氏健身八法): very good for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, insomnia, gastrointestinal disease and other chronic diseases
• Muscle-Tendon Change Classic (Yì Jīn Jīng 易筋经).
• Five Animals (Wu Qin Xi 五禽戲).
• Shi Er Duan Jin (十二段锦): seated exercises to strengthen the neck, shoulders, waist, and legs.
• Daoyin Yang Sheng Gong Shi Er Fa (导引养生功十二法): 12 routines from Daoyin tradition of guiding and pulling Qi.
