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What is it? - Qi gong literally means energy work. It focuses on your energy channels and moving the force qi through them. It is meant to improve physical and mental health.

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Origins - Qi gong originally comes from China, but is now practiced all over the world. It can be traced back over 1,000 years ago.

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How does it work? - According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), there is the earth energy Qi and three energy reserves in our physical body called Dantians.

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Benefits - Qi gong offers many benefits. Firstly, it is great for those who want to practice meditation but find it hard to focus. Using the hands and the breath at the same time makes it a little more engaging than straight meditation.

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Low strain - All the movements are done slowly and do not require a lot of effort. The key is mental engagement rather than physical strain.

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Time - Every exercise is about 30 minutes long, and so does not take up a lot of time. It's an easy exercise to do every morning without infringing on your daily routine.

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Breath - It's been proven that deep breathing helps with stress and anxiety. By paying attention to your breath during your exercises, it puts you on a calm path for the rest of the day.

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The eyes - In Western culture, it's said that "the eyes are the window to the soul," and the same applies in qi gong. Where you focus the attention of your eyes is important because it affects the energy flow around you. When you do the exercises, bear this in mind.

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Energy - Qi gong is all about channeling energy, however, this does not mean taking energy from the universe and sticking it to our bodies.

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Unblocking -

A core qi gong belief is that all the energy we will ever need is already in the world around us. All we have to do is unblock our passages so it can travel through our channels.

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Universe - Once we have unblocked our channels by doing the qi gong exercises, we will be in harmony with the universe and, therefore, at peace.

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Balance - The energies in our bodies need to be balanced. To do so, qi gong uses a system of points in the body that corresponds to the meridian points on the body (TCM energy points).

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Yin and yang - An important concept in qi gong is the equality of yin and yang. Yin is the negative and yang is the positive. The negative and positive must be balanced in order to have energy flow.

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Dantians - Dantians are similar to the Indian chakras. There are the lower, middle, and upper dantians. Each is used for a different purpose.

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Lower dantian - Qi gong starts with the lower dantian. This is located between the torso and the spine. It is the foundation for the rest of the exercises and is thus the most important to focus on.

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Lower dantian - When you start to do the qi gong exercises, focus specifically on this part of your body, as it will serve as the root to unblocking the rest of your energy channels.

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Middle dantian - This where the heart lies, and so once the initial emotional passages have been unlocked in the lower dantian you use the middle dantian to forgive and accept.

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Middle dantian - A lot of the time, instead of accepting things we push them away. Once the lower dantian is opened up, it is time to deal with issues that have been long buried.

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Upper dantian - Once you can feel yourself and are comfortable, the upper dantian is where you become aware. It is the passing of energy unhindered through your being.

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Brocade - Firstly, a brocade is a piece of finely woven silk. In China, they were used decoratively. Each qi gong sequence was originally written on a brocade.

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Eight - In the brocade, there are eight sections that correspond to the eight different movements in a single qi gong sequence.

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An example sequence - Before you start, make sure you have good posture. You should be upright and your feet should be shoulder width apart. Do each part of the sequence for about a minute.

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Step 1 - The first step in the sequence is to breathe deeply. Raise your hands from your side as you breathe in. Then interlace your hands and push down as you breathe out.

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Step 2 - With interlaced hands, reach to the sky as you breathe in, and then push all the way down with your hands as you breathe out.

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Step 3 - Change your stance by placing your feet further apart. As you breathe in, bring your hands from your sides towards you. When you breathe out, pull them apart as if you are pulling a bow and arrow. Keep your gaze steady towards where your arrow would go.

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Step 4 - Shake the tree. This means bounce on your heels and shake all your limbs in order to loosen up your limbs.

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Step 5 - Put your hands on the center of your lower back. Then, move your hips in a wide circle and breathe in time to your circling rhythm.

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Step 6 - To activate your energy meridians, with the left arm gently hit the inside of your lower right arm and the outside of the top of the right arm all the way up to the shoulder. Repeat this on the other side as well.

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Step 7 - When you breathe in, bring your arms up above your head and gently go on the balls of your feet. When you breathe out, bend your knees and bring your arms in a full circle.

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Step 8 - Place both of your hands by your abdomen. As you breathe in, bring your right arm up above your head in a semi-circle, and then place it back where it was. Do the same for the left side and repeat.

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Repetition -

Qi gong sequences are meant to be done every day until they become second nature. Only then can you reap the true benefits of them. If you want more information, hope on YouTube and follow some qi gong instructors–there are some great sequences you can follow.

Sources: (Yoga Journal) (Better Humans)

See also: 30 ways that yoga can improve your health

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