QiGong - An Eastern Wellness PracticeWhat is QiGong? A gentler form of energy practice, Qigong (pronounced CHEE-GUNG) is a beautiful, flowing combination of movements and breathing techniques that stimulate energy flow and promote your natural resiliency to stress and illness. The Physical Benefits This Eastern wellness practice has many health benefits including, spiritual, mental and psychological. Among the health benefits reported are better digestion and better elimination. People who practice this exercise discipline tend to suffer fewer problems with such conditions as constipation, heart burn, and kidney problems. This is because the exercises have been designed to tone up the organs of the body so that they are in tiptop shape. In fact every time you perform a this discipline movement you are giving your inner organs as well as all of the tissues that encase them an inner massage. This helps keep your entire body, both inside and out, young and supple. This is also good for the joints and the muscles. The exercises are so gentle that it is difficult to hurt yourself doing them. The forms of this discipline have been deliberately designed to gently stretch the muscles and improve a person's all over flexibility. You will stretch when you do these postures without suffering from any kind of strain. Other psychological benefits of QiGong practices include better posture and the development of graceful and determined movements in general. The person who performs day-to-day tasks with greater deliberation is less likely to suffer injuries as result of falls or simple mis-steps. Adolescents that practice it are less clumsy and awkward. The Mental (spiritual) Benefits The mental benefits of this practice are manifold and include an improvement in concentration, focus and coordination. As it does seem to exercise the brain in some way it might be good for seniors who suffer from memory loss and also students who need to increase their mental stamina while studying. The improvement in the ability to focus can also help everything from driving skills to passing intelligent quotient tests. The enhanced ability to concentrate can also be helpful when it comes to meditation and prayer. Yet another benefit is how it builds confidence. This is because the person moves from a grounded center and is not shaken up by every little incident that occurs during the day. The practice has a steadying and calming influence on the nervous system in general. It also stimulates the mind in a way that gives you to feel more alert and ready to welcome the events of the day, which is why they are usually practiced in the morning as the sun rises. The spiritual benefits are also many. For one thing it is a form of contemplation in motion, meaning that the movements have been designed to balance one's mind so they experience inner peace and stillness. Yet another benefit has to do with spiritually. The exercises teach one to start with a clean slate very day and empty one's mind of any disruptive or negative thoughts that might interfere with the performance of their daily routine. QiGong exercise positions are very hard to hold if one is feeling angry, resentful or nervous in any way, therefore when you practice them you are also practicing a form of mind over matter. (click on the video screen below to learn more about QiGong
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