Qigong exercises for more energy and vitality
Winter is coming, long and cold 🤓 colder and gloomy days, with fatigue, bad mood and low energy and more stress. If you want winter to pass simply and easily, try qigong 👊😇
Qigong or qi gong is an ancient Chinese method of exercise that involves specific body movements, breathing control and a type of meditation.
I learned about Qigong from Anja from Germany who was at a swimming competition in Bled, Slovenia.
Qigong raises energy, i.e. better flow of chi in the body, as well as bringing the body back into balance.
Vital energy (chi or prana) flows through our meridians and travels to all internal organs.
If this energy is blocked or slowed down, health is impaired and we feel tired, but when this energy flows smoothly, which qigong can really help with, the body returns to balance and heals itself.
This healing method has been part of traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and has always been intended to maintain health and longevity.
Qigong could therefore best be described as "the art of working with energy".
Slow movement and deep breathing characterize Qigong
Qigong involves standing exercises performed at a slower pace.
These specific movements warm the tendons, ligaments, joints and muscles and stimulate the circulation of body fluids, such as blood, lymph and synovial fluid in the joints.
Qigong movements are accompanied by deep breathing, which calms the sympathetic system responsible for the fight-or-flight response and activates the parasympathetic system, which relaxes the body.
This ancient method also strengthens willpower and helps improve focus and concentration.
3 simple qigong exercises for more energy and vitality
1st exercise 👇
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly. This will help you ground yourself better and keep your balance.
Relax your entire body and arms and begin to rotate your upper body, hips and torso, side to side, while swinging your relaxed arms to follow the movements of your hips and torso.
Pat the lower back and lower abdomen with your palms - with this exercise you stimulate the points that are crucial for raising vitality.
Breathe deeply.
This exercise is also great after sitting for a long time.
At the end of this exercise, you will feel a slight vibration and tingling in your palms, which means that you have stimulated your chi energy.
2nd exercise 👇
Stay in the same position as in 1st exercise. The feet should be shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
Slowly start shaking your hands. Deepen your breathing at the same time.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and then exhale loudly through your mouth.
Exhaling loudly through the mouth will stimulate the release of emotional stress.
You can also include your legs in this exercise. Make movements as if you are lightly jumping in place, but your feet remain glued to the floor. Relax your neck.
This type of body shaking is also practiced by athletes who are preparing for competition. In this way, they release stress and tension.
3rd exercise 👇
After the previous two exercises, briefly observe the sensation that arises in your palms or feet. Since you have stimulated the flow of energy, you may feel some sensations, such as tingling, heat, etc.
Now, with an inhale, slowly raise your relaxed arms, slightly bent at the elbows, to the height of your neck and slowly, with an exhale, lower them to the height of your hips, as if you were doing movements through the water.
It's a kind of meditation in motion.
Feel your feet firmly connected to the ground. Slowly return your hands to the starting position. Observe how you feel. You will notice that you are relaxed and your mind is relaxed.
You can start your day with these easy exercises that don't take much time and will improve your physical and mental health.
Watch the exercises in this video:
with LoVe
flekitZa
[source]