Qi Gong For The Cure Of Anxiety

Pronounced chee-gung, the ancient Chinese holistic system of Qi-gong, is a combination of two words that mean:

• Qi: vital energy, breath, air, life force

• Gong: work

Therefore Qi-gong means “working the vital energy”.

Qi-gong practice incudes breathing, visualization, and gentle movements of the body to work (gong) the qi (vital energy) inside the body. It has its roots in China and is performed by millions of people throughout the world to enhance mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.

Chinese hospitals have adopted Qi Gong as a form of treatment and important Chinese universities are teaching it to their students. Qi Gong is a nationally recognized medical form of therapy in China. The healing art of Qi Gong is made up of exercises that are good for the body as a whole and exercises that are aimed at certain bodily systems. It can aid in the restoration and balance of the digestive, lymphatic, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. Aside from their self-healing and personal benefit, practitioners of Qi gong also use it to treat other people.

According to Taoist philosophy, physical and emotional disorders are tie to blockages in the flow of energy in the body. Based on this standpoint, Qi-gong is able to treat mental and emotional problems because it balances and removes blockages to energy flow in the body. Practitioners always benefit from Qi-Gong regardless if they believe it or not.

All people regardless of sex, age, and health status can practice this healing art lying on the back, sitting down, or standing up. One goal of this practice is to attain a calm and tranquil state of mind. You can do this by focusing on your breathing or focus on one point of your body. The more profound your peaceful state of mind is, the less you will be distracted by light, temperature, or noise. The body and mind is transformed into a sea of peace and tranquility. Its’ very hard to find someone who has reached this state of tranquility, but with perseverance and patience, you will be able to go deeper and deeper into it.

As with most things in life, a person should practice Qi Gong on a daily basis to obtain optimal outcomes. Majority of individuals do Qi-Gong in the morning, before they begin their everyday activities. This is excellent since this is the time when your body and mind are at their most relaxed making it much easier to focus on the exercise; in this time of day, Qi is at its best and air is at its freshest. People perform Qi-Gong at other times of the day. In the end, it will be up to figure out what time you feel is best for you.

Qi Gong exercise can take as short as just a few minutes (at least five) and take as long an hour to finish. Over-an-hour practice and you would have overdone the exercise. This healing technique is not meant to be a replacement to standard medical treatments, although it can be used as an adjunct to it. Your mind relaxes, your body slows down, your breathing slows and you get more focused. These outcomes get resolved by themselves with the decrease of anxiety. Consistent Qi Gong practice leads to a peaceful mind, and more vital energy in the body.

In combination with other therapies like visualization, physical exercises, and meditation, Qi Gong can result in a powerful way to curing anxiety attacks.

Emily Farish is a licensed acupuncturist in Spokane, WA with advanced training in modern acupuncture techniques and traditional Asian therapies.