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There is no term menopause in Chinese medicine. The end of menstruation is treated as the natural sequence of things. Moreover, women who practice qigong and tai chi are unfamiliar with symptoms such as hot flashes, sweating, palpitations. Instead of fighting the symptoms of menopause, they are in excellent shape.
Menopausewon't be a problem if you do Chinese gymnastics -qigongortai chi. This combination of conscious breathing and movement helps to keep the body agile and strong and the mind clear. - I do not know what it means to have premenopausal symptoms, even though I turned 50 - says Katarzyna Miernicka, an experienced qigong and tai chi teacher from Warsaw. - Yes, I do have sudden changes in temperature and pressure in my body at times. But usually when I allow myself to deviate from my diet and, for example, drink coffee that is not good for me.
Qigong and tai chi instead of HRT?
Małgorzata came to the class just after her sixties. Under the supervision of a Chinese medicine doctor, she discontinued HRT, and a tai chi instructor taught her exercises to calm down and balance energy. - At the beginning, I didn't feel well, some of the ailments related to menopause returned, and with doubled strength. But I decided not to give up and not to give up classes, knowing that these unpleasant and severe symptoms are temporary and will pass sooner or later - he explains.
After a year of regular exercise, all the ailments are gone. Now Małgosia practices qigong and starts her day with the Crane, breathing exercises and the so-called
56-year-old Lidia from Tarchomin, Warsaw, is best served by highly energizing and vitality-enhancing forms of qigong: Eight Pieces of Brocade and a wonderfully feminine Deer. - These are sequences of movements that last up to 15 minutes - explains Katarzyna Miernicka.
Lidka has been taking painkillers for several years because of severe rheumatism. Now he exercises daily according to his master's instructions, and has been doing it for three years. For two years she has not known what the joint pain that used to be with her once was. For half a year he hasn't taken artificial hormones, because he doesn't have to.
What is qigong?
This is a kind of Chinese gymnastics from which tai chi is derived. It is based on the belief that our bodies, like the entire universe, are permeated by called energyqi or chi. The purpose of the exercises is to harmonize the three elements: movement, breathing and state of mind. Only then do we maintain a psychophysical balance and are he althy.
Dorothy several years after the menopause began to experience intense pain in the shoulders and spine. They were so strong that she had to give up her well-paid job because she couldn't stay at the computer all day. However, everything has changed since she joined qigong. - I learned the morning self-massage there, which excellently stimulates and stretches not only muscles, but also tendons and joints - he says. - After just a few months of exercise, the ailments subsided, body movements regained their former freedom, and I became less violent - says Dorota. Now she can work at the computer again, but every day starts with qigong and a few additional exercises for the spine, which Katarzyna Miernicka suggested to her.
Qigong and tai chi - an activity that does not tire
When we look at people practicing tai chi or qigong, the view resembles the movement of animals, a bit of ballet, but everything is calmer. Perhaps it is no coincidence that individual forms, i.e. series of smooth movements, have names such as: Snake Flowing Down the Stream, Grab the Swallow's Tail or the Golden Cockerel Stands On One Leg.
We envy Chinese women for their condition and supple body, no gray hair despite advanced age.
- Only they exercise from an early age - explains Katarzyna Miernicka. According to Chinese medicine, physical activity is beneficial for us only when we feel joy after it, we are relaxed, and not tired.
- Tiring movements causing tension, stress and pain are unhe althy for us - says Katarzyna Miernicka. Although it is hard to believe, excessive and inappropriate physical exertion accelerates aging and shortens life. However, everything that is in harmony with nature is good for us. Also the menopause, which should not be demonized, but only accepted. Chinese medicine considers the end of menstruation to be something as natural as the loss of milk teeth.
Menopause is a time of joyful rest
- Your period is over, great! My body can finally rest - laughs Katarzyna Miernicka. - It will no longer have to spend enormous amounts of energy on monthly preparation for conceiving a child. Now I will be able to use this energy for other activities that also bring joy - says Katarzyna. And so it is in Asia, where menopause is greeted with enthusiasm by women, unlike us European women who are afraid of it because we have been told that we are losing something with it. In ancient China, even special ones were inventedqigong exercises to stop menstruation and were recommended for those women who were weak by nature or needed a break between each birth.
Qigong, tai chi and diet
Both East and West have long since announced that food is medicine.
We are he althy, according to Chinese medicine, when we have an acid-base balance in our body. And it depends on what we eat. - In general, Westerners are acidified - claims Katarzyna Miernicka and in this statement cites the latest research by independent doctors and biochemists. The most acidifying foods are: meat, alcohol, sugar, processed foods and carbonated drinks, as well as coffee and tea. It is worth limiting them.
Qigong, tai chi and attitude to life
In addition to regular exercise and a he althy diet, an attitude to life is important. - What is your thinking: negative, positive, overly critical, morbidly shy or overly outgoing? - asks Katarzyna Miernicka.
- Our character and thinking habits also contribute to the emergence of some ailments - she explains. How to change it? - Start taking care of self-development, observe and inquire without dealing with others - he replies. “I have seen many times how as tai chi practice, some people soften and others gain the confidence they lack. Such exercises are a great help in working on yourself - says Katarzyna and encourages: - It is worth following the recommendations of this ancient and proven knowledge. Perhaps then we will not even notice how we went through the menopause … We will not notice how this period will pass, still functioning in our Western mentality as the shameful and undesirable for us women, and often considered a failure. It depends on us whether we treat it as a failure or as the beginning of a new and important stage in life.