Jade Dragon School of Kung Fu and Qigong in Reading, Berkshire

Jade Dragon School of Kung Fu and Qigong

Breathe

in more energy and relax body and mind

Stand

and align your body correctly to enhance the flow of that energy

Move

slowly to increase efficiency of your movements and control the flow of energy around the body

Meditate

to improve your focus, become more in touch with the tensions in your internal world and learn to send the energy to where it is needed by thought alone

Every morning millions of Chinese people begin their day by performing traditional exercises in the parks and gardens where they live. Some appear to be gentle stretching exercises, slow movements or just standing still in various postures. They are all practicing qigong (also spelt as chi-kung and pronounced chee gong) - the most widely practiced exercise system in the world. By far the most popular form of qigong is a cross between a gentle peaceful exercise and a martial art and it is called Tai Chi.

Qigong and Tai Chi are more than merely an exercise system. they are a complete system of preventative medicine. Qigong masters have learned how to live long, happy and healthy lives - in many cases their life span has greatly exceeded what we would consider the norm. They have learnt how to develop and balance their natural energy and live in harmony with nature. They have learned how simple movements, breathing and standing exercises and meditation can improve their balance, flexibility, coordination and help to heal them of many illnesses and injuries.

Click here for some of the medical benefits of regular qigong practice

Qigong (pronounced chee-gong) is the name given to any exercise that develops the body's internal energy system. Therefore Tai Chi (the modern spelling is Taiji) is a form of qigong. The exercises are very simple and once learned can be done anywhere at any time. Even a few minutes of qigong practice produces a feeling of calm yet, at the same time, a feeling of energy surging through the body. As the energy develops inside so the individual begins to feel more calm and centred even during periods of stress, they are able to sleep better and it helps ease many chronic illnesses. It also strengthens the immune system and speeds up recovery from sickness or injury.

The exercises include breathing exercises, standing postures and slow movements. The practitioner learns to direct the internal energy to any part of the body for healing. This focus of attention is helped enormously through the use of meditation. The focus of qigong and Tai Chi is on relaxation and tranquility - dong less rather than more. You learn that energy doesn't flow well through tense muscles and a stressed mind isn't able to focus the energy to where it is needed.

Qigong is also a very effective method of releasing emotions that have been repressed in the body for long periods of time. These emotions tend to get locked up in the postural muscles depending on how we react to the world around us. For example if you tense your stomach every time you feel fear then the muscles in that area become chronically tense leading to impaired digestion and often lower back problems. The memories of the fear are locked in the abdominal muscles and through qigong you can learn to release them thus unlocking and releasing those old emotions to be processed properly. Often those emotions were locked away when we weren't able to cope with them, usually in childhood, and they can remain locked away forever if we let them. This is very common but is unnecessary as by adulthood we are usually mature enough to cope with those feelings without them causing us too much harm. Releasing these emotions releases the tensions that held them thus allowing the energy to flow through and nourish that part of the body.

In short, qigong is easy to perform, is fun, relaxing and at the same time offers more health benefits than any other exercise system. That is why it is so popular the world over. It is benficial to young and old, no matter your level of ability or mobility. The range of exercises is so varied that anyone and everyone can benefit. In this age of increasing stress it is a way to step off the treadmill and begin to enjoy the process of living.

I am keen to expand the knowledge of Jade Dragon qigong and tai chi to a wider range of people including the elderly and people with physical disabilities so if you know of any business or organisation that might benefit from a regular qigong/tai chi class then please feel free to contact me