Discover The Healing Benefits Of Qigong!
We often get asked the question: “Why practice qigong?” While individual interests vary, the most common motivating factors are better health, more energy, and a desire for greater vitality and quality of life.
It’s no surprise to see an increased interest in qigong as it has been recognized to dramatically reduce pain and inflammation, increase strength, flexibility, balance, and has shown to be effective in assisting individuals with health issues ranging from neuromuscular disorders to high blood pressure, insomnia, and even clinical depression.
What is Qigong?
Before we dive into the amazing healing benefits of a personal practice, you may be wondering—what exactly is qigong? If you are not yet familiar, in short, qigong can be described as a holistic mind-body cultivation practice that combines postures (often dynamic movements), specific breathing techniques, and focused intention (think: easily accessible meditation).
While nuanced and incredibly varied in actual practice, the results of this ancient practice can be said to both exemplify, and benefit the “mind-body-spirit” whole—and therefore significantly benefit personal health and wellness.
For a more in-depth look at the foundational aspects of this powerful healing art, we recommend you take a look at this article all about it: What is qigong?
Benefits of Qigong
Simply put, the benefits of practicing qigong overwhelmingly point toward realizing better health and an improved overall quality of life.
Tailored qigong practices can even target specific body systems and functions—isolating organs or tissues—to effectively address individualized health concerns.
A quality, well-rounded Health Qigong practice can benefit your entire body and state of mind by encouraging the body’s innate ability to heal and therefore provide the potential to aid recovery from a remarkable variety of alignments.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has recognized the practice of qigong as having a net-positive benefit for individuals suffering from specific maladies such as:
Chronic pain
Fatigue
Insomnia
Anxiety
Depression
High Blood Pressure
Fibromyalgia
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Cardiovascular disease
Osteoarthritis
Parkinson's disease
Cognitive decline and memory issues
The NIH also acknowledges the benefits of qigong for people managing the physical and psychological symptoms related to cancer and its treatments.
And, in consideration of the potential physical challenges of aging, the Qigong Institute cites research studies that show a number of promising benefits of qigong such as:
Improved balance & coordination
Bone health & strength
Stress reduction
Increased muscle strength
Cardiopulmonary fitness
Physical functions
Increase in quality of life
And elevated immune function
The Harvard Medical School has cited the benefits of regular qigong and taijichuan (tai chi) practice to help maintain strength, flexibility, and balance—by improving overall body strength, core muscles, and aerobic conditioning—as we age.
The Harvard studies also recognized the benefits of qigong and tai chi in lowering blood pressure and managing depression—concluding that there is definitive evidence that engaging in these practices “may help you live a longer, more vital life.”
Sounds pretty amazing, right?
So how can qigong benefit so many health concerns?
Time for an honest reality check: Qigong is not a panacea or instant-fix, and no single qigong practice is going to miraculously cure all the ailments listed above.
There are literally thousands of different styles and types of qigong practice. One of the many reasons so many different practices exist is because of the varied purposes—and therefore outcomes—of practices.
And while some qigong may be designed to target very specific concerns, a well rounded health qigong practice that addresses overall health and wellness is usually the most appropriate choice to see good results, and is certainly the best qigong practice for beginners.
How long does it take to see results from qigong?
There is a Chinese proverb: “When you stick a post in the earth, you should see it cast a shadow.” That is to say, you should see an immediate response. And any qigong worth doing should provide some level of palpable result right away.
How quickly this experience translates to your desired long-term goals will come down to both what you put into the practice, and the capability of your teacher. This is why we always recommend finding not only a teacher you like, but also one who is both knowledgeable, available to you, and is truly qualified to teach.
That said, while it may take a little bit of time to fully realize your long-term personal health goals, even a complete beginner should have an immediately tangible experience from practicing qigong.
What happens when you practice qigong everyday?
With any dedicated qigong practice you should see (or feel) consistent, progressive development. Qigong can be really effective at moving “stuff,” and with a quality teacher and appropriate practice you should see results fairly quickly. A daily practice has the potential to accelerate the desired results and to provide a welcome routine that makes you feel better!
The rate of development and specific results of practice again come down to your own engagement of the practice, and also how skilled your teacher is at guiding your progress, as well as the nature (intent of outcomes) of the practice itself.
It is also important to take into consideration the type—or more importantly, the depth—of your practice. Which often leads to the more appropriate question of…
How many times a week should I practice qigong?
A daily practice is perfectly suitable for a general Health Qigong practice. This type of qigong can “hit all the angles” and become a wonderful, and welcome addition to your day—increasing your energy, calming your mind, relieving stress, and just feeling good!
The repetition of a regular qigong practice slotted into your daily schedule can also—by the nature of immediate reward—assist those who may struggle with ideas of “will-power” or may tend toward procrastination.
For those undertaking deeper qigong cultivation, or working with specific practices tailored to chronic issues may require “rest” days built into their schedule. This can allow for integration periods that are often necessary for those engaging in intense cultivation methods, and can also help to avoid “over-doing” for those with chronic or serious health concerns.
The best practice here is to seek guidance from your teacher, or in the case of Medical Qigong prescriptive practices, the expertise of a qualified, professional clinical practitioner.
Is qigong better in the morning or at night?
The question of when, or what time of day, to practice qigong is one that comes up often. The honest truth is—it depends.
While there are some traditional thoughts (sometimes valid, sometimes just dogmatic) on particular practices being done at certain times of day—unless your engaging in esoteric activities with specific instructions or constraints—it really comes down to you, your energy levels, and lifestyle.
Once again, consideration of the nature of your practice is a significant factor, as well as paying attention to your own constitution and personal needs.
Qigong—like all aspects of Chinese Medicine—approaches health from a holistic perspective that utilizes the strategies of purging excesses (toxic stuff), tonifying deficiencies, and harmonization of the whole.
While these strategies are usually applied in the order listed, most people find that tonifying qigong is best done early in the day and “purgation” based qigong may be better suited for later in the day.
The consideration is a practical one: If you build a bunch of qi (“energy”) at night, it might make it difficult to get to sleep! And likewise, if you “purge” early in the day, it may have a less than desirable impact on your daily activities.
All said, unless instructed otherwise by your teacher or a qualified practitioner—it often comes down to personal choice.
If you’re not completely sure of what your practice is designed to do (purging, tonifying, etc)—ask a teacher. They should have an intimate knowledge of the practice and be able to explain exactly what you’re doing, how it works, why you’re doing it, and also when it would be best for you to use any given qigong application.
Qigong For Healing
Qigong is a natural, holistic, and (generally) very safe path to increased vitality and a way to access your body’s innate ability to heal. However, not all movement or practices are for every-body. And, to prevent potential injury and ensure your safety it is important to learn proper practices from a qualified teacher. Qigong can, after all, be quite powerful.
How powerful is Qigong?
The inherent value and “power” of qigong comes from the practices being rooted in the traditional theory of Chinese medicine. Several thousands of years of empirical understanding through the process of natural science as well as functional anatomy and physiology inform genuine qigong.
Qigong practitioners can utilize this knowledge to accelerate internal, innate healing processes exponentially.
With the deep internal cultivation practices such as neigong 内功 and neidan 内丹, the results can be quite powerful.
What makes Qigong so powerful?
What really sets qigong apart, and makes it so powerful is that truly anyone can do it. Regardless of your current health, fitness level, or goals—there is likely a qigong style for you. The accessibility lies in the fact that there are so many different forms and practices.
When you read about qigong being “meditation in movement,” (which is all over the internet), what is really being described is just one type, or style, of qigong. There are a myriad of paths and practices—ranging from easy, gentle, and relaxing movements to extraordinarily complex and profound cultivation practices.
And of course, the thousands of years of traditional wisdom and perspectives behind the theory and insight involved in qigong lend the practices to potentially profound results.
When discussing qigong for healing, most practices fall into one of two categories:
Health Qigong Practices
Despite some attempts to make the terminology proprietary, health qigong is a general term used to describe practices focused on improving overall health. Health qigong exercises—usually taught as a “set”—will target specific aspects of personal health and wellbeing.
Health qigong practices vary widely in application and form based on intention of outcomes as well as lineage. These practices can be very powerful and are usually accessible to any skill level. Complete beginners and advanced practitioners alike can find incredible benefit from health qigong practices.
Health qigong is often taught in group sessions, or as individual practices both in-person as well in qigong classes online.
Qigong Energy Healing
The practice of qigong energy healing most accurately describes medical qigong (sometimes: clinical qigong) which involves a practitioner assessing, and then assisting in the health and vitality of others.
A qualified practitioner of medical qigong undergoes extensive, and (hopefully!) rigorous training to learn the nuanced skills and knowledge necessary to apply qigong practices externally.
However, you don’t need to undertake extensive clinical training to experience the benefits of personal qigong energy healing. Even those that do choose to engage practices designed to help heal others still require a personal health qigong practice to maintain their own health and vitality.
A comprehensive health qigong practice is truly one of the best ways to get started with qigong, to become proactive in feeling better, and to take long-term control of your own health and well-being.
