Care for Your Qi

Time is the most precious resource that any of us has. No amount of money or persuasion can ever extend our allotted time on this earth.

Each of us has a unique meaning and purpose in life to fulfil with the precious time that we have. However we need to learn to preserve our health and wellbeing in order to fulfil this purpose and make a meaningful contribution to our world.

The meaning and purpose of life will be explored elsewhere. Here we shall be focussing on managing our vital energy, Qi, to maintain our health so that we can fulfil this purpose.

True health, like Qi, is not a place or destination, rather it is a state of meaningful adaptation to change, of flow. We can say that Qi is always seeking or moving towards health and wellbeing because it is always seeking to flow smoothly and purposefully. 

Simply stated if there is good Qi flow there is harmony and thus health.

The theme of prevention rather than cure runs deeply through ancient Chinese medicine and has led to the development of simple, practical and effective methods for living a long and healthy life. These methods are called yang sheng. Yang means to 'nurture', 'take care of', 'nourish' and Sheng means 'life', 'birth', 'vitality'. Since life is a process of unfolding we can say that Yang Sheng means to  nurture the unfolding of life.

Classical Chinese medicine is an elegant embodiment of this profound philosophy. It’s primary aim is to create and maintain a good Qi flow throughout all layers of the body and mind. 

In practice we can generate, restore, and direct Qi flow for

a. maintaining general wellbeing
b. directing it to resolve specific health issues.

There are several methods to achieve this such as

• acupuncture
• meditation

• qigong exercises
• healthy eating
• balanced lifestyle

For almost 20 years I have safely taught the foundational practices of qigong to my patients to complement their acupuncture treatments. I have observed that the daily practice of qigong significantly enhanced the effects of acupuncture treatments. My patients would have a good flow of qi to tap into which meant that the acupuncture sessions could be more focussed on resolving deeper health issues. More could be achieved with fewer acupuncture visits.

This is the reason I developed a self-care programme called Care for Your Qi. It safely integrates qigong, nutrition and lifestyle advice appropriate for your constitutional type. I teach this programme to individuals and groups of people.

In summary if you practice Qigong, eat according to your constitution, lead a moderate  lifestyle then you will have plenty of vital qi on tap to enjoy life and fulfil its purpose. You will also have a powerful method for maintaining your wellbeing over the span of your lifetime.