Qigong is a 5000-year-old martial art that also doubles as a mind-body-spirit regime, targeting both mental and physical well-being. It encompasses the use of slow movements geared at improving focus and posture among other facets of human functioning. Here is how you stand to benefit from it.
Ongoing research has brought to light that it can actually bolster the immune system. Studies reveal that it catalyzes the accelerated production of two white blood cell varieties which account for the majority of the lymphatic immune system. Aside from that, practicing the workouts energizes the immune system, improving its effectiveness.
The techniques involved nudge you on your way to becoming one with your mind and, more specifically, with your nervous system. If your coordination or mobility is not the best, constant practice can improve your awareness making it a useful tool against chronic stress.
If you've been bedridden for a while, the organs and muscles tend to gradually weaken. With weight training and running off the table, this practice offers a solution to keep fit even while sitting or lying down. In China, doctors recommend the regime to cancer patients as they've substantiated it to increase energy levels. While supporting evidence remains scarce, there are also similar studies ongoing across the United States yielding positive results.
Muscle strains are quite common, especially for the once-in-a-month workout enthusiast or sit-down office workers susceptible to back-related pain, but the regime can help nip potential problems in the bud. It's excellent at alleviating tension in the muscles and helps adjust your joints so as to enable seamless locking and turning without causing injury. Moreover, it improves fluid circulation around joints and ligaments, thereby cushioning the blow of injuries. It promotes better balance and flexibility.
With the stimulation of digestive organs through massages, oxygenated blood flow increases to the organs. Consequently, the movements ensure the faster working of these organs, making the digestive system faster and more effective. This trait comes in handy, especially if you are battling chronic stomach problems, as it offers a natural alternative to contemporary medication.
A 30-year study found blood pressure benefits after keeping track of those suffering from high blood pressure for about three decades. With regular practice, most of the people in the sample population were able to decrease their prescriptions or do away with them altogether. Blood pressure problems are usually caused by decreased strength and elasticity of blood vessels. The regime can aid both aspects.
The movement system can also limit your downtime after an injury or surgery thanks to its effects on the blood circulatory system. As it increases blood flow to the affected areas, oxygen and nutrients get to where they need to be faster than usual, resulting in speedy healing. You could be up and running in half the required recovery period.
As you can see, the discipline has benefits that extend beyond mental and spiritual nourishment. Health and medical practitioners of all kinds should be aware of it. For the individual, gentle, controlled movement could be the key to you realizing your healthiest self.
Dr Andrew Lancaster is the founder and director of unicurve.com.
Andrew is an economist who develops study and career guides for university and college students.
In writing about education and careers, he is able to draw on more than 20 years of experience in policy advice and team leadership.