qigong and the ageless woman
The Chinese have studied ways of creating and maintaining healthful longevity for thousands of years. One of “the jewels” coming out of this quest for everlasting youth is the exercise practice of Qigong, commonly known as “Chinese Yoga”. Traditionally believed to retard the aging process, Qigong is a gentle, easy to perform life-enhancing exercise. It balances, cultivates and strengthens flow of Qi (vital energy) within the entire body, provides the ability for a practitioner to naturally heal both energetically and physically.
Qigong can be practiced anywhere by anyone and is especially helpful to women who desire to be ageless. In ancient China prior to 500 B.C. and the dynasties led by kings, it is believed that it was the mature women shamans who created the art of Qi cultivation through their magical powers. The ideogram for women, “wu”, is even thought to originally mean “to heal.” Modern women can benefit from the healing power of Qi to achieve and maintain a healthy, vibrant and beautiful youthfulness for as long as we live.
A typical Qigong workout includes exercises to promote stretching and strengthening of the muscles, breathing exercises, mental imagery, self-massage, standing meditation, vocalization of sounds - all combined with slow, purposeful movements to open the flow of Qi throughout the body. Qigong practiced for twenty minutes on a regular basis tones not only the body, but also the mind and spirit with results that are simply amazing.
Qigong is truly a form of self-healing, often likened to “giving oneself acupuncture” because it opens Qi flow, releases Qi blockages and promotes Blood flow. When Qi and blood is flowing freely as a result of this ancient art of self-healing and fitness youthful skin, eyes and hair is maintained, sexual vitality is enhanced, bones are fortified, muscles and tendons are flexible, hormones are stimulated, energy is plentiful, mind is clear and spirit is sparked.
According to The Yin/Yang Theory, health can be assessed according to the predominance of either too much or too little yin or yang in the body. It is believed that good health exists when balance is maintained between these two opposing, yet intimately related and attracting energies. Women tend to exhibit a predominance of yin energy, whereby men are more yang, although regardless of gender each person holds their own predominance. Women typically tend to be more cold, soft, deep, wet, internal and contracting which are yin qualities, whereas men tend to be more hot, hard, superficial, dry, external and expanding which are yang qualities. Through regular Qigong practice the goal is to move more toward the center of the yin yang continuum to eliminate a yin/yang imbalance within the energetic system thereby creating physical healing.
The relative balance between yin/yang energies also changes according to the energetic quality of foods eaten, particular weather conditions, level of dampness of one’s dwelling, emotional state, and hereditary factors. For example, ingesting cold, wet food creates a predominance of yin, whereas hot, dry foods create more yang energy. Being mindful of all of these factors combined with Qigong practice is a powerful and viable method to create balance between yin and yang to improve over-all health and become a vibrant, ageless woman.
Qigong is excellent for women during the menopausal years as it creates body warmth without too much heat, plus increased blood flow to counteract the tendency toward dryness. In practical terms, Qigong practice supports a woman during her life changes as it maintains healthy skin, nails and hair, reduces hot flashes, promotes restful sleep, lifts the spirits, eliminates pain, increases energy, strengthens will, boosts immunity, and calms the heart.
It helps women to cope emotionally through nourishing the spirit as it promotes “feeling happy” and provides the energy necessary to be creative, achieve goals, and manifest dreams and aspirations. Practice of these empowering exercises, helps women to speak their mind freely and be expressive in a loving, gentle and honoring manner. The self-balancing of yin/yang energies through Qigong practice develops a strong, yet open life outlook that is inviting to others.
Life begins to flow through experiencing Qigong, just like the flow of its gentle movements. One becomes infused with peace, self-knowledge, intuition, balance, vibrancy and focus – all great coping skills to easily face the daily stress and pressures in modern life. Qigong softens women and helps to draw from their inner resources, drawing naturally from intuitive, feminine power – a treasure key to becoming an ageless, happy and healthy woman.