Welcome to Day 56 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! Yesterday, I wrote about the benefits of finding time for silence each day as a new addition to my Self-caring habits. In today’s blog, I want to look back on a daily qigong routine I have been doing for self-care throughout my journey with The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal.
What Qigong and Done?
As I’ve written about earlier in this blog, I have been doing a static stretching routine most days since slipping a disc in my back around five years. This has given me a chance each day to rehab my injury and prevent it from reoccurring in the future.
After a few years of doing my routine, I wanted a more dynamic full body stretching routine that I could do in the morning to help get my body ready for the day ahead.
Just as I had with my static routine, I searched YouTube and, after a few near misses, I stumbled upon a Qigong routine that I really liked.
I had heard of Tai Chi and learned that Qigong was something similar – a form of exercise for the mind and body that uses mindful breathing and movement to increase energy in the body.
Truth be told, I knew very little more than this about Qigong even though I was doing the routine most days. I began my journey by learning from the outside in, focusing on learning the movements first and worrying about the underlying meaning later.
Why Qigong and Done That?!
Realising that I was not getting the most out of my daily routine, I have been working my through a book about the theory and practice of Qigong that is starting to increase my understanding about each of the different movements, though I am still a long way from knowing the whole story!
Dating back to over 5,000 years ago, Qigong is based on the principles used in acupuncture and traditional Chinese Taoist medicine. It involves repeated movements, practiced breathwork, and stretching to increase fluid movement within the body.
Qigong restores the flow of energy in the body, helping practitioners become aware of the flow of their own life force energy, commonly referred to as chi.
The practice of Qigong is shown to have tremendous benefits people for millions of people around the world. The most common benefits include relief or prevention of chronic health issues, such as diabetes, poor circulation, back pain, and even cancer.
As I continue my journey with Qigong, I hope to experience improvements in my chi as I gain a fuller understanding of my movements and breathworks. For now, I will continue with my daily Self-caring routine, safe in the knowledge that the motions alone help to improve my health and wellbeing.
Call to Action!
Think about your own Self-caring habits. What are you currently doing to take care of your body? Qigong is just one of a number of daily exercising techniques that you can use to care for the one body you will ever have to live in.
This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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