 Remarkably few people know about the system of self-care called Qigong (pronounced chee-gung). It is often compared to yoga and has strong links with Tai Chi. Qigong is very easy to learn with a wide range of scientifically proven health benefits. Yet it only takes 15 minutes of daily practice to experience all these incredible benefits. If you’re completely new, here’s a link to frequently asked question about tai chi & qigong. Here are the 5 reasons why I believe you will benefit from learning qigong with us :  What is qigong?
Qigong (pronounced “chee gung”) refers to a diverse set of practices that coordinate body, breath, and mind. It is one of the major branches of Chinese Medicine (CM) which includes food therapy, massage (tuina), acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine.  The character for Qi represents the steam that arises when rice is cooked. Living beings have the dimensions of consciousness, energy and a physical body. We as human beings have the the ability and capacity to develop all these these dimensions to their highest potential.  "Health is the first wealth." A meaningful life is a purposeful in one. A vital part of this process is to learn how to maintain our health and wellbeing. In this discussion we shall focus on ways we can tap into and manage our vital energy, Qi, to maintain our health so that we can fulfil this purpose. peaceful mind = smooth flow of qi = good health What is mind?
There are many ideas about what the mind does but nothing that tells us what our mind is, only complicated theories. Since we all have a mind it's better that we investigate for ourselves what our own mind is. A simple meditation practice, derived from Buddha's Mahamudra teachings, called clarity of the mind is a very excellent tool for investigating our own mind and come to know it directly. This meditation gradually leads us to a direct experience of what our mind is, the nature of our own mind. This way we do not need the interpretation from others to tell us what our mind is. Through engaging in this meditation we shall begin to appreciate that our mind has no actual physical properties. With the help and guidance of a qualified Kadampa meditation teacher we shall discover that there are many levels of your mind (waking, dreaming, deep sleep) and that there are many parts to our mind called mental factors. These mental factors work together to enable our mind to perceive and know things. What is the relationship between mind and qi? Mind influences the movement of qi throughout the body via a network of subtle channels/meridians. How does the mind and qi flow affect our health? The state of mind is the single most important factor affecting the quality and quantity of qi flow. When our mind is at peace and therefore happy, the flow of qi is smooth and unobstructed through the channels. This is a dynamic state of health. When we are un peaceful and thus unhappy the flow of qi is disturbed and physical processes do not function so efficiently. We experience illness and sickness. If this state of imbalance is not corrected then physical changes will occur which will eventually show up in the blood chemistry as well as imaging techniques of Western medicine. How can I investigate the nature of my own mind? A clean, clear and very peaceful meditation for investigating the nature of your own mind is called clarity of mind meditation. For instructions, click here |
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