Bastyr University hosts a natural medicine blog on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website providing healthy lifestyle tips from our expert faculty practitioners. A wide variety of subjects are covered.
Qi gong: Chinese exercise for better health - Elizabeth Marazita, LAc
In an ancient Chinese medical textbook, the doctor explains to his emperor that "interruption in the flow of qi results in pain." Chinese medicine believes that our vital energy (or qi) flows smoothly as long as dynamic equilibrium is maintained in energy meridians. Neck and back pain, as well as gastrointestinal and emotional pain, are understood to be areas of stagnation or interruptions in the smooth flow of qi. For traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, pain can evolve into more serious chronic conditions or diseases such as headaches, migraines, inability to work or function and even cancer.
It is the goal of every qi gong exercise to enhance free flow of qi. Modern research shows qi gong exercises can address many areas of pain, including premenstrual pain and cramping, head, neck, shoulder and back pain, headaches/migraines, wrist pain, and side effects of chemotherapy and chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia.
There are many different postures and series that can be learned. Following is a great starter for those new to qi gong.
Daily qi gong arm-swing exercise
Begin with feet firmly planted, shoulder-width apart. Rotate on the heels while turning left to right from the hips. Arms hang limply at sides, swinging as lower body turns from side to side. Lead from hips, not from shoulders.
Breathing: Breathe consciously, in and out through the nose. Use deep, low belly breaths from the diaphragm.
Repetition: 10-15 minutes each day, in morning and evening.
Benefits: Prevents stagnation (or pain) in shoulder, hip, knee and ankle joints, wrists and back.
-- Elizabeth Marazita, LAc, adjunct faculty, Bastyr University
