Chinese Medical Qigong is an ancient physical and psycho-spiritual practice from China dating back 3000 years. People intuitively knew that feeling bad, being sick or in pain were somehow associated with a lack of movement in the body, mind and spirit. An understanding developed that feeling good, being well and reducing pain was connected to motion, the state of their emotion and spiritual awareness. Stagnation equals illness. Movement creates wellness. Ancient people included dance and other forms of physical movement and spiritual expressions to create changes in the energy (Qi) of their bodies. Those changes were experienced as releases of old, blocked energies, stuck physical patterns, emotional and spiritual feelings followed by a return or enhancement of their health.
In fact, TCM for the millennia has attributed physical-mental-spiritual and environmental energies to the major organs of the body. From this perspective, TCM is much more than an effective treatment for physical pain. At its best, this medical system supports profound and lasting changes at the level of behavior, spiritual awareness and subjective life experience. It offers tools that are effective for physical-mental-spiritual and environmental problems.
The traditional way to do Qigong treatments was for the TCM practitioner to first assess the patient’s physical and psycho-spiritual state of health and then teach him/her specific physical and psycho-spiritual exercises that can improve their health, lifestyle and alleviate their condition.
Chinese Medical Qigong is usually taught in several steps:
• Step 1: Basic mechanics of particular exercise is demonstrated and the patient learns actual physical movements of that exercise.
• Step 2: Specific breathing protocol is introduced once the patient is comfortable with learned physical movements. The given physical exercise movements are then coordinated with breathing.
• Step 3: Focused mental intention is introduced next, where the patient mentally focuses on particular parts of given exercise and combines physical movements, breathing and mental visualization. Thus, this combined approach then works together on balancing physical and psycho-spiritual aspects of the patient's health.
Moreover, in the Chinese Medical Qigong, TCM Doctors use this knowledge through application of counseling tools such as meditation, affirmations and exercise to treat and prevent illness, improve patient lifestyle and restore their body to a natural healthy equilibrium.
Chinese Medical Qigong is especially useful in:
• Regulating the physical and psycho-spiritual state of person's health
• Advising patients on the interaction of the mind-body-spirit and environment and its effects on the health
• Assisting patients in teaching them how to live in harmony with the environment and changes in seasons
• Stress management