A Qigong Exercise a Day keeps the doctor away!
Coming of Age Inc reports that “Baby Boomers are turning 50 at an astonishing rate of 1 every 10 seconds”! This is the largest consumer group in the US, and they, along with their families, are moving more and more towards holistic medicine and taking responsibility for their own health in this climate of ever rising health care costs. Schools and fitness centers are sprouting up everywhere offering workshops, lectures and classes to promote therapies and exercises for health and well-being of mind and body. Massage, meditation, acupuncture, yoga, pilates, tai chi – words that were once considered to be almost taboo in the West are now dropped with ease into a casual conversation at the grocery store.
Not surprisingly therefore, qigong has also joined the bandwagon and is increasing in popularity with the alternative crowd. Less challenging than yoga and less complex than tai chi, the simplicity of qigong makes it readily accessible for those who are unable to commit to long term courses of instruction. The basics of breathing exercises and gentle shaking movements to move qi through the body’s meridians can be learned relatively quickly and easily and will then fit nicely into a busy schedule. Classes can be found everywhere and there are several good DVDs on the market that are easy to follow. (See http://ymaa.com/publishing/dvd and http://www.radiantlotusqigong.com/products/ for more information.)
According to an article by Arthur Rosenfeld in the online Huffington Post: “Qigong’s surge in popularity has even led some writers to predict that it will outstrip the Indian art” (of yoga) “within the next ten years.” If this were to happen it is to be hoped, however, that it does not become ”westernized” and over commercialized in the process like yoga (power yoga, hot yoga, yoga sandals, socks, yoga mat cleaning solutions, etc) and now tai chi (tai chi balls!!!). Qigong is an ancient and valuable philosophy and practice which has literally thousands of variations. It is used in traditional medicine for its preventative and curative properties and is believed to have a form designed to address every ailment and condition of the body and mind. Let’s hope we can respect this and not try to change it as we embrace its healing benefits.
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