QIGONG AND THE AGELESS WOMAN

The Chinese have studied ways of creating and maintaining health & longevity for thousands of years. One of “the jewels” coming out of this quest for everlasting youth is the gentle, life enhancing exercise practice of Qigong (pronounced chee-GUNG). Commonly known as “Chinese Yoga” and “Feng Shui for the body,” Qigong is an ancient form of Chinese medicine exercise that “retards the aging process” by cultivating and strengthening the vital energy (Qi) in the body. As a gentle, easy to perform life-enhancing exercise, it provides the ability to self-create medicine naturally within the body.

Qigong practiced for simply 20 minutes per day on a regular basis tones not only the body, but also the mind and spirit with results that can seem miraculous. A typical Qigong workout includes stretching and strengthening exercises, breathwork, creative visualization, self-massage, vocalization of sounds and meditation through movement and stillness.

Qigong practice is often likened to “giving yourself acupuncture” because it opens the flow of Qi, releases Qi blockages within the energy pathways (meridians) and promotes blood flow. When Qi and blood are flowing freely as a result of this ancient art of self-healing and fitness, youthful skin, eyes and hair are maintained, sexual vitality is enhanced, bones are fortified, muscles and tendons remain flexible, hormones are stimulated, energy is plentiful, mental clarity is evident and the spirit is sparked!

Qigong can be practiced anywhere by anyone and is especially helpful to women who desire to “become ageless”. In ancient China prior to 500 B.C., and the dynasties led by kings, it is believed that it was the ‘mature’ women shamans who created the art of Qi cultivation through their magical powers. The ideogram for women, “wu”, is even thought to originally mean “to heal.” As modern women, we too can benefit from the healing power of Qi to keep ourselves healthy, vibrant and beautiful for as long as we live.

According to Oriental Medicine, health can be assessed according to the predominance of either too much or too little Yin or Yang in the body. This is based on the Yin Yang theory which teaches that good health occurs when there is a balance maintained between these two opposing, yet intimately related and attracting energies.

Each person is made up of a predominance of either Yin or Yang energy, however women tend to be more Yin and men tend to be more Yang. This is because women tend to be more cold, soft, deep, wet, internal and contracting which are Yin qualities, whereas men tend to be more hot, hard, superficial, dry, external and expanding which are Yang qualities. During a healing process, the goal is to move more toward the center of the Yin Yang continuum, so that there is no longer a Yin Yang imbalance within the system.
The relative balance between these energies “waxes and wanes” depending on various factors such as: the foods we eat, weather conditions, temperature and dampness of one’s dwelling, emotional state, and hereditary factors. For example, ingesting cold, wet food creates more Yin, whereas hot, dry foods create more Yang. The practice of Qigong balances Yin and Yang, thus improving health and reducing, and even reversing the body’s aging process.
By practicing Qigong, women enhance their internal balance as these exercises generate body warmth without the creation of excess heat, and promote adequate blood flow which counteracts the tendency toward dryness. In practical terms, Qigong practice maintains healthy skin, nails and hair, reduces hot flashes, and increases production of vital fluids. It reduces insomnia, depression, pain and anxiety that so often also accompany a woman’s life changes.

Qigong assists women to cope emotionally through nourishing the spirit as it promotes a happy feeling and enhances creativity and manifestation of one’s goals. It also helps women to more readily speak their mind freely and express themselves in a loving, gentle way that others can accept and honor. Through balance of Yin and Yang energies within the self, a strong, yet open standpoint exists that allows for the creation of easier social bridges with others.

Through Qigong and its subsequent healing response, one’s life experience begins to flow more easily, similarly to how the movements flow from one posture to the next. A Qigong practitioner becomes infused with peace, self-knowledge, intuition, balance, vibrancy and focus – all great things to create coping mechanisms to counteract the daily stress and pressures in modern life. Qigong softens women and helps them to go inward and draw from their natural feminine power. This is a key to becoming an ageless, happy and healthy woman who looks and feels younger.

As women, we deserve to enjoy the pleasure that comes with connecting with ourselves through the gentle, healing art of Qigong. It counteracts the tendency to retreat and provides a new zest for life as time moves forward. A concluding recommendation: Give yourself this glowing gift of Qigong so that you may truly enjoy many years of looking gorgeous on the outside and filled with “vibrant and effervescent Qi” on the inside.