Our next class begins at the Takoma Park Community Center on September 30th. With the busy stressful lives many of us lead today there is even more reason to cultivate our health. We are calling this class Every Day Qi Gong and it is culled from our studies over the past 15 years. Qi means energy and Gong translates as work or cultivation. The movements presented will be simple to learn yet extremely powerful in stimulating our energy systems. There is always something special about practicing in a group. The collective energy supports and guides us deeper than we can go as individuals.
The heath benefits of Qi Gong have been known in China for thousands of years. Over the past 40 years, Western science has been studying and documenting the beneficial aspects of these simple stimulative movements. In July of 2015, the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reviewed nine studies of Tai Chi (the most popular and well known form of Qi Gong in America) and found those that practice regularly “appear to have a protective effect against age-related cognitive decline.” Coupled with the physical benefits of Qi Gong practice, we have access to a complete system for gently caring for our total body and mind.
Physical benefits go beyond the strengthening of muscles and balance. Qi Gong exercises open the Six Gates—the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle. According to Chinese medicine, the major joints are the gateways of qi for our complex human system, encouraging the smooth flow of energy and blood throughout the body. Qi is the determining factor in health; each organ and each area of the body depend on a regular, vigorous stream of qi to function properly. Qi is the motive force for blood. Qi is both energy and information for every cell.
When joints are stiff or frozen, the gates “close,” impeding qi flow both near and far from the joint. Rather than view the problem of tight, painful joints as local, isolated, and limited, we need to understand that the effects are wide-ranging and influence the health base of the entire body. Soft, gentle, relaxed movement of joints results in better hydration, opens the joint space, and releases irritating toxins—important factors for alleviating or preventing arthritis. Qi Gong Exercises are completely adaptable to each individual’s health status, as are all the exercises we teach.
The exercises we will offer in Every Day Qi Gong are simple, easy to recall and have formed the basis for our daily practice. Choose your health and wellness today. Please join us, you are worth it!
Use this link to access the class on the Takoma Park Class Registration page . Let us know if you need assistance in registering. In the meantime, please be gentle with your good selves. We look forward to practicing with you once again.
