We live under stress, we are exposed to harmful environmental influences, we are too often stressed. How to deal with it? - Practice qigong! Master Liu Zhongchun says. Qigong regulates blood pressure, helps with backache, relieves stress and restores balance.

Qigongis said to be born from observing nature. Perhaps thousands of years ago a man watched the mating dance of a pair of cranes. He began to imitate the movements of birds and after a while felt a joyful surge of energy. He found that thanks to certain sequences of gestures, his tiredness was relieved, his body was springy and his mind was working more clearly. He memorized these movements and repeated them whenever he felt unwell.

- The crane in China is a symbol of longevity and a peaceful attitude to life, explains master Liu Zhongchun. - It is no accident that it has become a symbol of healing qigong exercises.

- We raise our hands as if we were holding a huge ball. We slowly introduce energy: through the head, along the entire body, all the way to the bottom. A warm stream flows through the meridians … - the master's voice guides the movements of the practitioners.

People gathered in the gym in concentration, make mysterious, slow movements with closed eyes. Raising hands, waving arms, twisting the torso, "crane step".

- Thought follows movement, thought follows energy, the teacher continues slowly.

People from all over Poland come to Liu Zhongchun's qigong classes. Calm, warm, modest Chinese, during breaks between exercises, explains the principles of traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist philosophy.

According to them, each of us is a part of the universe and receives energy from it - qi (qi). Qi is our potential, the essence of life. Is everywhere. It washes us like water, it flows through the body like a stream of hot lava. Qi is in every breath.

- We don't know what it looks like, but we Chinese feel its presence because awareness of qi is part of Chinese culture, and our medicine is based on it, says Liu Zhongchun. - Westerners find it difficult to understand, because they usually believe only in what is visible. If someone practices qigong with concentration on a regular basis, then they feel warm, tingling, attracted or repulsive, for example, energy flows through the body, and blood flows with it.

Important

- Qigong changed my life. The migraines subsided first. Now attacks are sporadic and milder. When I exercise regularly, I become stronger and more resistant to stress. I am sure that my life is going on the right track and what is happening to me is as it should be - even if these are difficult experiences.

Qigong - in harmony with nature

According to Chinese medicine, the secret of he alth lies in the balance between the energy that surrounds us and the energy that circulates in the body. If the flow of energy is disturbed (by stress or inappropriate lifestyle), we get sick.

Qigong exercises are used to restore harmony and accumulate energy. According to the Chinese, this form of exercise guarantees he alth until old age.

Krystyna from Warsaw is a rehabilitator and trainer of acrobatic gymnastics, which she once practiced. He conducts gymnastic classes for women. A few years ago, her activity was suddenly curtailed.

- I had back problems - she says. - Two disc hernias were extremely painful. I couldn't bend over, lie down or walk normally. I stopped teaching. Doctors from Konstancin wanted to operate on me, but I did not get cut. I remembered the qigong I had contact with once. And I went to a camp in Zwardoń. Initially, the exercise was painful, but soon I started to feel warmth and a flow of energy. At the end of the camp, my condition improved, and after a few months I regained full fitness and returned to work.

Qigong - the doctors couldn't believe it!

Krzysztof found true friends among qigong practitioners, a support group stronger than the one he de alt with at meetings of anonymous alcoholics.

- I started exercising a year and a half after I got out of rehab - says Krzysztof. “I was involved in A.A. and was still in a sick environment, and it worked against me. I was alone with my stresses and loneliness. One of the therapists advised me to try qigong. After returning from the first camp, I felt great, but then there was a break for a few months. I lived in tension, I had problems at work. I didn't have the strength to get out of bed. I thought qigong was my last resort. Today I exercise systematically and although I have a nervous job, I can deal with the stress quite well. Also, I have never been disappointed with the people I meet at the camps. And alcohol … this problem does not exist anymore.

Energy chases disease away

In the human body there are meridians - channels through which energy (qi) flows - and points where its reserves accumulate. Disease arises when at some pointthe body's energy flow is blocked.

We stimulate qi by exercising. First, it circulates in he althy organs, opens the channels, cleans the points and presses more and more on the diseased areas, limiting their area. Eventually the blockage disappears and the disease ceases to exist.

Chinese doctors treat people holistically (as a whole). They do not just treat the affected part of the body, but try to restore balance throughout the body.

According to qigong, magic is in us

Qigong is grown by the sick (including those with MS) and he althy people who want to improve their quality of life.

- I was divorced, alone with my daughters. I was looking for something to restore my balance. And I found it - says Bożena, a clerk from Sierpc. - During the first meditations, I sobbed my whole life, but I regained my serenity and spontaneity. The pressure is back and the back pains are gone - he is happy.

- We calm emotions with exercises - explains Master Liu. - We are becoming not only he althier, but also more cheerful. After a while, the mind clears up and we begin to understand more of the world around us. Qigong is not just about gymnastics, it is a way of thinking. Many of us are looking for wonder. But you don't have to look far to see the magic of life pulsating in and around us. Importantly, qigong is not related to any religion. It grew out of Taoism, but through exercise anyone can connect with their God. After all, energy is the same everywhere. And we can find the strength that brings he alth and happiness only in ourselves! - convinces.

Where to go for help

Qigong can be practiced alone - at home. Correct mastery of the exercises requires contact with the teacher. It is possible during a course or a camp. Information on this subject can be obtained at the Center for Far Eastern Culture TAI-AN, 10-150 Olsztyn, ul. Rybaki 8/1, tel. (89) 527-65-32.

The oldest descriptions of qigong come from 4-5 thousand years ago - incl. from the First Book of the Yellow Emperor, which to this day is a classic textbook of traditional Chinese medicine. In the 2nd century AD surgeon Hua Tuo developed a style he called "the play of five animals", based on the movements of a crane, tiger, monkey, bear and deer.

There are currently about 40 forms of qigong in China. One of the most popular is the "flying crane" style. It can also be learned in Poland - instructors trained by master Liu Zhongchun conduct classes in all major cities.

"Zdrowie" monthly

Category:

Alternative medicine