How Qigong Meditation Can Benefit the Way You Feel and Think
Life can be busy, stressful, and demanding for many people, yet it never seems like there is a way to get around this. If you feel this way and cannot change your circumstances, schedule, or activities, you might want to consider using meditation to help you feel better. Meditation can be invigorating and beneficial for you physically and emotionally, and there are many forms of meditation you can use to obtain these results. One of your choices is Qigong, and here are four things to understand about this method of meditation.
What Is Qigong?
Qigong is one of the less common forms of meditation people use to find peace, strength, and relief from stress, yet it can offer significant results. It is based on Chinese principles and has been around for around 2,500 years.
Qigong is just one form of meditation, but all forms of meditation have the same types of goals and effects. When you begin using meditation on a regular basis, you may experience the following benefits:
- Decreased stress and anxiety levels
- Improved emotional well-being and stability
- Increased immune system functioning
- Increased clarity
Qigong is designed to offer all these things and more, and this is accomplished through three basic techniques.
What Are the Three Techniques of Qigong?
The first technique used in Qigong involves posture. This meditation philosophy will teach you how to obtain better posture so that the energy in your body can flow freely.
The second technique is breathing exercises. The most common method of breathing in Qigong is learning to breathe abdominally. This is a type of breathing that causes your abdomen to fill up with air just before your lungs fill up with air. Doing this will take some practice, but it may help you feel better physically and emotionally.
The final technique is mental focus, which is designed to help you think in a way that reduces the stress you feel in life. This involves learning how to control the thoughts you have so that negative thoughts are not weighing you down. To this this, you might learn how to replace negative thoughts with good ones, or you might learn techniques that will help you free your mind of all thoughts. This will give your mind time to just relax and refocus.
What can you expect if you attend Qigong classes?
To begin using Qigong for the benefits it offers, you should look for a health clinic that specializes in rejuvenation services for the body and mind. A clinic like this may offer group classes for Qigong. When you attend these classes, you will learn the basic techniques of Qigong, and the techniques involved are not physically difficult or strenuous to perform.
One thing you might be asked to do during Qigong is stand up and perform slow, gentle movements with your arms or legs. As you do this, your instructor will guide you with the way you should breathe and in the way you should think. You may be asked to think about a certain subject while you do the movements, or you might be asked to try to clear your mind completely of all your thoughts.
How Effective Is Qigong?
According to studies on this subject, researchers have concluded that people who perform Qigong may experience a variety of positive results. The studies showed that this form of meditation may help improve balance, bone health, and high blood pressure issues. People who use Qigong often report a variety of other benefits too, including feeling more peaceful with life.
To get the most out of any type of meditation technique, you should aim to perform the technique each day. This can include spending time taking a class, but it can also include performing the techniques you learn in class at home or work.
If you are ready to begin dealing with the stress you have in a healthy way, look into taking Qigong classes. You can find out more information about this and other forms of meditation by contacting a meditation center in your area, such as The Den Meditation.