Sunday, December 25, 2011

Staying Young and Healthy With Qigong (Chi Gong)

We all know the importance of incorporating physical activity into our daily lives, however a large percent of the population over looks this fact. When exercise or physical activity is mentioned most of us instantly have visions of running endless miles or lifting weights in the gym. There are many options out there that are considered very effective especially if you are looking to improve or maintain your health.


As middle age approaches and passes the focus of physical activity is no longer about fitting into a bikini or having the biggest bulging muscles but is instead about living a longer quality life. If this is indeed your focus you may want to look at trying Qigong (Chi Gong). This ancient Chinese practice consists of a series of body movements with the focus on breathing.


The history of Qigong is rich and has been controversial. Qigong is an ancient Chinese health care system however it is also considered by many to be to a spiritual movement. Three basic classifications of Qigong have emerged which include the martial, medical, and spiritual styles. In the west however Qigong has become very popular as an exercise alternative that provides tremendous overall health benefits.


In Chinese the word Qigong (Chi Gong) breaks down into two words the first is Qi which means life energy, vital energy, or life force. The second word is Gong which means accomplishing a skill through daily or steady effort and practice. The premise is that we are all born with Chi and by using our Chi we can gain health benefits that impact us mentally, spiritually and physically. Qigong not only calms the spirit and the mind there by reducing stress but has been shown to strengthen the immune system, strengthen and improve balance and posture, increase vitality, reduce hypertension, and build overall stamina. A committed practice of Qigong also improves the function of the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the digestive system, and the lymphatic system, all of which are extremely important to aging well and living a better quality life.


Qigong is generally divided into two basic types "soft" Qigong (ie. Tai Chi) for the overall health of body, mind and spirit, and "hard" Qigong (ie. Martial Arts) for concentration, discipline and strength training. Many forms or styles can easily be done by all ages and physical abilities including those individuals that are physically challenged. Regardless of which type you choose Qigong is an attractive activity as it allows you to exercise right in your own home if this is desired and benefits can be achieved in as little as 20 minutes a day.


Classes are widely available if a group setting is desirable or if you wish to stay at home in a private setting many books and DVD's are available to help you get started. Remember that Qigong takes practice and commitment with the focus on proper breathing techniques, specific postures and mental focus. Incorporating Qigong into your lifestyle will bring you many added benefits that most exercise routines can not offer. Qigong will help you cultivate a positive outlook on life and help you to release negative attitudes and behaviors by bringing balance to your life by promoting harmony, stability and enjoyment.



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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Chi and Health - The Fundamentals of Creating Vibrant Health Through Chi

Chi surrounds us everywhere we look and it affects all aspects of our health. It is the foundation for acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. It is what gives power to internal martial arts. It is the basis of feng shui. It is the energy of the universe yet it is completely invisible to us.


Once you learn about chi and how it affects your life you can begin to work in harmony with it. Vitality, health and happiness become possible. First, there are a few fundamentals to understand about the concept.


Chi is Real
Chi is not some theoretical concept. It is very real. Consider a fresh corpse. Apart from chi, it's practically identical to you! It requires no belief or faith to see that something truly fundamental is missing from the corpse. It contains all of necessary ingredients for life, except for energy/function. Or in other words, it lacks the chi it needs for life.


Our Food Contains Chi
We require we require food to live because it contains chi. We won't last long without this nourishment. In Chinese Medicine this type of chi is called "gu chi". You can translate this term as "cereal energy". It goes into our stomach and gets processed into the kind of chi on which our bodies run.


We can't just eat any old thing and expect to create the same quality of chi. Why does organic food taste better than conventional food? Have you ever noticed an energetic buzz after eating raw sushi? Notice how awful you feel an hour or two after eating fast food? Hey, you are what you eat! Eating a variety of quality, fresh, whole foods is key to creating vibrant chi, and therefore vibrant health.


The Air Contains Chi
We can go days without food, but how long can you hold your breath? Obviously there's another kind of chi that is missing from our food It is a kind of chi that we require a constant, steady supply of.


This kind of chi comes from the air. In Chinese the name for it is "da chi" or "heavenly chi". That is to say, chi from the air above. As with food, the quality of our breathing can vary greatly! The trick is learning how to breathe better.


For vibrant health, take up an activity that has you focus on breathing and creating quality breath. Tai chi is an excellent choice, as is yoga (especially pranayama practice), chi gong (qigong), and other any tradition of breathwork. A few minutes a day of quality breathing can have a huge effect on your life and vitality.


Nourish Your Chi Through Lifestyle
The changes talked about in this article, quality diet and quality breathing, require some modification to your lifestyle. While I am not suggesting you become a monk, people are often resistant to change.


With that said allow me to offer a perspective that may help you stay motivated. Think about what would be possible in your life with more energy, better sleep, less pain, and fewer days sick. Close your eyes and just spend thirty or sixty seconds really creating a vivid picture in your mind of what that would look and feel like. If your resolve to keep up your healthy lifestyle should ever falter, go back and recreate this image to stay grounded on why you bother to create vibrant health.



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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Heal Depression With Qi Gong

When our energy is physically low, it can make us more prone to depressive thoughts.


Similarly, having depressive thoughts can stagnate the physical energy and create fatigue.


The art of qi gong or chi kung movement allows us to address both the physical and mental aspects of depression in a healthy way.


The gentle motions are ideal to perform when one is tired as they do not overtax the energy of the muscles but instead gently create a subtle circulation that infuses the body and brain with energy.


Therefore, chi kung can be a wonderful tool to awaken the motivation to exercise and embrace other healthy habits such as proper diet and meditation, tools for healing depression.


Often times, people do not realize they have fallen into depressive patterns until they start performing qi gong and realize the change and shift that comes when they engage in qi gong regularly.


Depressive patterns may include:


Low appetite or fixations on certain types of foods (e.g. self medicating with sweets or other comfort foods). Low energy. Aches and pains. Irregularities with the bowels. Weakness. Negative and/or irrational thought patterns. Generalizing statements. Instead of saying, "I am having a challenging moment," the perception becomes generalized: "My whole day is awful." Sad thoughts that are pervasive. Suicidal thoughts. Belief that some things are hopeless. Limiting thoughts--believing that things are destined to be a certain negative way. Qi gong, with its emphasis on deep breath work and mindfulness allows one to create new patterns of thoughts by redirecting the mind from negative thought patterns.


It gives the mind something to work on other than spinning on negative perceptions.


Also, chi kung movements activate special energy pathways in the body that increase circulation to the small intestine, the organ where serotonin is produced. We know that having adequate levels of serotonin is important to mental health and prevents depression.


Chi kung must performed consistently and regularly to impact depression, just as pharmaceutical drugs must be taken regularly to impact depression. So, think of it like medicine--a loving and gentle natural medicine that you perform each day to balance brain chemistry.


The beauty of qi gong is that it can be performed even by those who are weak or sluggish as movements can be modified to meet each person's unique energy level, unlike traditional yoga which requires a certain level of physical strength and range of motion to successfully perform postures.


Thus, qi gong can be a very important tool for increasing energy to help improve mental outlook and combat fatigue.


 



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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Spring Forest Chi Gong - Can You Really Heal Yourself?

Spring Forest Chi Gong blends and synchronizes the principals behind meditation, sound, breathing and gentle movements into a powerful system, which despite it's simplicity has changed the lives of thousands of students.


With practice, this system helps you to enhance and balance the flow of your energy and connect your body, mind and spirit, as you open to universe. Spring Forest like other vibrational healing methods is based on the notion that everything in the universe is energy. This means you are an energy being and each an every cell in your body is also a form of energy.


When you use this system to meditate and breath effectively alongside simple movements you cannot fail to achieve optimal health and happiness. This is because when you energy is not in balance, it creates energy blockages, which can cause psychological or physical illnesses.


Spring Forest Chi Gong doesn't focus on the symptoms in the same way that traditional medicine does. Instead it is designed so that it returns the energy balance by removing all blockages from your system and consequently removes the root cause along with the symptoms bringing total healing.


Your body, mind, spirit and emotions are all interconnected and cannot be separated, which is why traditional medicine often falls short as it only focuses on one aspect at a time. On the other hand Spring Forest Qi Gong works on all these aspects at the same time.


There are numerous types of Qi Gong, which incidentally is pronounced Chee Gong, but Chunyi Lin developed this specific Spring Forest method after examining all the others and using the best techniques. He is a certified international master who has been teaching for over twenty-five years.


According to the master you don't need to understand the philosophy behind this method for it to work and he always explains to his students that it will work whether they believe it will or not. Once you remove energy blockages, restore your body's energy balance; a natural healing will take place as the energy flows freely though the body.


You don't need to live near the Center in Minnesota to be able to learn these techniques, as Spring Forest is an educational organization with a vision to see, "A healer in every family and a world without pain". Master Lin is co-author of the Amazon best seller, "Born a Healer" and has created four levels of distance learning materials for students.


These resources include reference manuals, guided audio meditations and videos. The best thing about Spring Forest Chi Gong is that you need no special ability, knowledge or skills and the so called "active exercise" movements can be performed whether you are sitting, standing or even lying down. You only have to relax, go along with the instructions and let the energy flow to benefit.


If you are seeking balance in your life with a greater insight and relief from depression, anxiety and stress, as well as a way to experience the power of unconditional love and better understand the way that the universe work, then you will want to learn more about this ancient Chinese healing practice, Spring Forest Chi Gong.



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Friday, December 9, 2011

Depression - Uncover Effective Herbal Remedies to Make it Disappear (Part 2)

The article deals with various herbal remedies to help you with depression treatment and strengthening of your nervous system.


Infuse a tablespoon of peppermint leaves with a glass of boiling water. Continue to boil the tincture for 10 minutes and leave it to brew for some time. Afterwards, decant the decoction and drink half a glass of it twice a day - in the morning before breakfast and in the evening before going to bed. Infuse 2-4 tablespoons of herbs of poplar leaves with a liter of boiling water. Leave the tincture to brew for some time in a warm place and decant it. Add the decoction to warm bath water and take a bath for 15-20 minutes. Perform the procedure in the evening. Infuse several bulbs of small-flower lilies with a liter of boiling water. Leave the tincture to brew for some time in a warm place and decant it. Add the decoction to warm bath water and take a bath for 15-20 minutes. Perform the procedure in the evening. Infuse 1 part of granulated ginseng root with 10 parts of vodka and leave the tincture to brew for 2 weeks. You can use ginseng leaves, as well. Then the proportion should be 2:10. Take 15-25 drops of the tincture 2 times a day till lunchtime. If you suffer from insomnia, heart disease or fever, you must not use ginseng. Infuse the herb of root of Aralia mandshurica with vodka (proportion 1:5) and leave the tincture to brew for 2 weeks. Take 10-15 drops of the tincture 2 times a day. You should avoid using the tincture when suffering from fever, heart disease or insomnia. Infuse 25 grams of herbs of mistletoe tops with 100 millilitres of vodka. Leave the tincture to brew for some time. Take 30 drops of the tincture 3 times a day. Mistletoe tincture and extract are great remedies to treat epilepsy, stomach ache, uterine haemorrhage and bleeding piles, as well. Infuse 20 grams of chicory root with 200 milliliters of boiling water and leave the tincture to brew for some time. Afterwards, decant it and take a tablespoon of the decoction 5-6 times a day. In addition, you can use the decoction to fight toothache. Infuse a tablespoon of granulated herbs of motherwort with a glass of boiling water and leave the tincture to brew for 20 minutes. Afterwards, decant the decoction and drink all of it within a day. In addition, you should take 40 drops of may-lily tincture.



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