Qigong for Weight Management
In the news in East Wichita recently was an article on the use of Qigong for weight loss. Apparently a group of people wishing to lose weight has been practicing Qigong breathing exercises every evening for fourteen days in an hour long class. The results were successful – for those that had the discipline to stick with it. Ideally, according to Dr Quizhi Gao who ran the program, the exercises should be practiced three times a day, 15 – 30 minutes before a meal. Extra dieting or exercising are not needed.
From an Oriental perspective any special diet supposed to help shed pounds might seem to work short term, but eventually will always lead to the body being deprived of essential nutrients and will upset the delicate mind/body balance. The roller coaster ride of losing and gaining weight is usually caused by the mind and body being in disagreement. The mind wants or craves the non healthy but delicious tasting foods, and once it has them, it tries to convince the body that it has what it needs. The body intuitively knows what is necessary to keep it in balance (satisfying the five element/taste theory), and if this isn’t happening, it will continue to make demands. Oriental medicine takes all of this into account. Qigong breathing techniques, as well as acupuncture, focus on relaxing mind/body, overcoming cravings, boosting energy, enhancing metabolism and balancing yin and yang.
Weight management issues are complex and specific to the individual. No single diet plan can work for everyone. But maybe taking a few deep breaths and relaxing for a while before each meal will curb that desire to eat just one more brownie!
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