Lesson 17: Benefits
Stay Young and Powerful
First, Qi Gong makes our body strong and healthy. We have more energy for everyday life, -because Qi Gong follows the natural way to strengthen the internal body. Based on Chinese medicine, Yin and Yang, the acupuncture points and channels, and concentrating on the breathing, mind and movement, Qi Gong brings the body back to normal, working with nature to follow the universal rhythm.
After a couple of months’ practice your body will change noticeably and you will become stronger and healthier. When you are healthy your face will change. Your expression will contain more energy and your eyes will show more spirit, and so you will look younger. The condition of your
skin improves as more natural oils are produced to nourish it. Even without creams and cosmetics your face will have a better color and become smoother and softer.
Balanced People – Balanced Weight
Not only will you look younger, but your whole body will go back to normal. For example, if you are naturally thin and have become overweight, you will become thin again. If you are naturally big
you will become big again. But you will still be healthy. It all depends on what size you inherited from your parents.
If you are thin and suddenly become fat, that means you are not natural, not balanced, and so you will be ill. The same will happen if you are naturally fat and try to make yourself thin. A big tree is big and a small tree is small! Everything has its own rhythm, its own way.
Within Qi Gong practice there are many movements that exercise the joints and the waist. They help the circulation through the body and any excess fat is released. So do not worry -you won’t become too fat!
In some thin people, the internal organs may be weak and not functioning as well as they should.
For example, a small chest means small lungs and heart, and if people have small hips it means their kidneys are weak. Through Qi Gong you can make these parts strong and they will become their correct size.
Better Posture – Better Attitude
Because the practice includes working the body, muscles, skeleton and breathing, it automatically corrects your posture: your back will be straight, chest up, shoulders relaxed and waist flexible. With correct posture you
will look taller and stronger.
Some very tall people adopt a stooping posture which makes them tired and weak. They lack confidence, so they look smaller. In contrast, someone who is small but has a healthy posture, the right skeleton and the correct balance between body and limbs looks taller and more confident. A healthy body means that the internal organs are healthy.
You will not become bad-tempered, angry, over-excited or depressed all these emotions are affected by your internal balance. A good, healthy body brings a good attitude, while a bad, unhealthy body brings a bad attitude. The mind and body are undeniably connected.
Problem-Solving via Meditation
Meditation can help you to solve your problems. You may find, for instance, that when you are at work and need to make a difficult decision you just do not know what to do. Meditation can help you find the best answer, because it enables you to cast off all the stress and pressure of the situation so that your mind has more room to move and you can see the problem more clearly.
We often panic, especially if we have lost something, and because we are too close to’ the question we cannot see the answer. Stay away and forget it; then the solution will come naturally.
More Energy, Less Stress
When your body becomes healthy, you will find you have more energy and do not tire so easily. You become aware of your body’s condition and of when you are pushing yourself too hard. So you never suffer from work-related stress because you know when you are overexerting yourself. When you lose the ability to judge your body’s condition, you can easily become ill or suffer from chronic conditions like ME, heart disease and even cancer. When the body is exhausted it loses its ability to
release the negative and gather the positive Qi.
A Positive Approach to Life
Through the practice of Qigong you do not just become physically healthy, but your mind and your emotions also become more stable.
‘Anything that happens on the inside shows on the outside.’
Chinese Proverb
We cannot hide ourselves by acting healthy and positive, because our real condition will always reveal itself. So the best thing to do is improve your health and achieve balance with nature. I have seen many people who were ill and depressed, but then started doing Qi Gong and changed
dramatically. Day by day they became more confident, more positive, more sociable and better equipped to deal with life’s changes and situations. So no matter how clever, how well educated or even wealthy you are, remember that you need a healthy body to carry your talents and your
character.
Greater Opportunities
When you look healthy and positive, people are naturally attracted to you and like being close to you. With more people around you, you find that you have more opportunities both at work and socially. Many people feel that they endure a lot of bad luck, but it is actually their health that is
affecting their lives. Being unhealthy affects your emotions and your balance, which makes you appear negative and so others naturally avoid you. Just your appearance can change the way people treat you. Don’t miss out on the opportunities that healthy people get: it is your health that brings you luck.
Better Brainpower – Better Judgement
Qigong improves the functioning power of the brain, improving your memory and attention to detail. You will find that you are better able to cope with difficult subjects or skills that previously were a real struggle.
When you practice Qigong you will become much more calm and relaxed, and when you are ‘open’ in this way you are in a far better position to judge whether a situation or person is good or bad for you. For example, when you first meet someone, you will immediately be able to tell whether to trust him or not. You are not so easily impressed by the way he talks or the way he dresses and so you are able to sense his character -his heart. When you come to a new place, you can tell whether it is good for you -a good place to work or a good place to stay; you could even sense danger before it happens.
We humans still have something in common with animals -we can sense our environment and imminent problems. Qi Gong brings us back to nature, enabling us to stay away from what is artificial and letting the natural senses return.
Increased Self-Healing Capabilities
As I have already mentioned, Qi Gong can be used not just for improving health but also for self-healing. If you wish to work with a particular condition, you should concentrate on the exercises recommended for its treatment. Qi Gong is used for preventing getting ill, therefore regular practice is needed to obtain results.