Why Qigong Practitioners Don't Suffer From Backpain

Practitioners who make qigong a part of their everyday routine seldom get backpain if at all, because qigong and back problems are a contradiction in terms!

If you suffer back spasms or other back problems, just one month of daily qigong practice will alleviate most of the pain. Six months of practice will eliminate most if not all of the problem, and 20 minutes of daily practice will keep backpain away.

Qigong, (a.k.a. chi kung) is a 5000-year-old Chinese meditative yoga that incorporates both still and moving forms. Integral to all qigong exercise are breathing techniques to help cultivate the vital chi energy, an intrinsic lifeforce that we believe is responsible for all life and health.

When we practice qigong, we generate healing chi energy that circulates through all parts of the body, realigning posture, healing wounds and injuries, detoxifying the body and gradually alleviating pain stemming from imbalances, injury and poor health.

Qigong also teaches correct posture in all positions, standing up, sitting down, and even in recumbent poses. Back problems may be due to all kinds of injury to the back, but the main reason why anyone would continue to suffer back spasms long after the injury is healed is poor posture and a weak back.

Poor posture creates little support in the back and puts all the weight in the wrong places, creating pressure on the spinal column. Misalignment makes the chi flow sluggishly, which further aggravates the situation.

On the other hand, when you practice qigong, you become sensitive to the generation and circulation of chi energy. When the chi energy becomes stuck and unable to flow properly due to blockages created from misalignment, pain results. In qigong, you automatically correct your posture, knowing that when the energy moves the pain disappears at the same time.

Even if you have never experienced back problems, practicing qigong will maintain a healthy strong back. If you ever look at some of the old qigong masters, even at eighty or ninety years of age, they have strong healthy backs that are not bent over with age!

There are several qigong positions you can assume to remedy back spasms and other back problems. The first position is a sitting position. Here are the steps:

1. Find a chair or bench to sit on that is the right height for your legs. For a chair to be the right height for you, you should be able to sit comfortably with your feet planted flat on the ground and your knees bent 90 degrees.

   If the chair is not ergonomically correct, incorrect posture, inadequate support and resulting back problems will continue to give you varying degrees of backpain.

2. Sit on the edge of your seat, so that only your buttocks, not your thighs, touch the seat. Your back should be straight, not slouching forward or leaning back on the support of the chair. Though your spine is straight, it should not be ramrod rigid, but relaxed.
3. This far into the exercise you should already begin to feel your backpain easing. Plant your feet flat on the ground about shoulder-width from each other, toes pointing forward, knees bent 90 degrees.
4. If you are sitting properly, you can pat and feel the back of your thighs wobble like jelly.

If you are currently experiencing backpain and you try this qigong sitting position, your pain should ease almost immediately. If you have been suffering frequent bouts of back spasms or a recent back injury, it may be painful for you to sit up for long periods. Practice for brief periods, until your back grows stronger, then gradually extend your sitting time.

In fact, if your back is healthy, you can sit for hours in this position and not get backpain or feel fatigued, because your back is getting proper support, there is no undue pressure on the spine, and you are relaxed and aligned properly, so that the chi energy is able to flow uninhibited.

You can assume this position any time when you are working at your desk, eating or even watching television — in fact, any time you need to sit down. With practice, this position should become automatic every time you are sitting.

Try it for yourself and see what wonders it can do for your backpain. If you get used to sitting like this every day, you'll find much of your backpain will ease significantly within a week, even when you are not doing this exercise. By then, you should be ready for the next qigong lesson: providing support for your back in a standing position.