Victoria's Corner: Qi Gong

Qi Gong is made up of the two Chinese words ‘qi’ and ‘gong.’  ‘Qi’ meaning ones life force energy running through them.  ‘Gong’ meaning a skill that is perfected over time.  Qi Gong practices using the body and breathe to create unity within.  It has similar foundations as Yoga but the postures are less intense on the body.

I first started Qi Gong when I was in Curacao this past Christmas break.  For about two weeks I would do Qi Gong first thing when I woke up in the morning to start my day.  All of the postures were done while sitting on the ground and the whole process took about 15 minutes.  The various poses were connected to different parts of the body.  I found that the postures and breath involved in Qi Gong would make my blood circulate, improved my flexibility, and jump-started my brain in the morning (better than a cup of coffee).  Qi Gong made me feel great, what could it do for sick people?

An article from the Huffpost Healthy Living states that Qi Gong improves breast cancer patient’s quality of life and reduces depression.  This finding is important because ones quality of life can determine the outcome of their illness too.  I think that Qi Gong is helpful for all types of people whether sick or not.  I felt an improvement in the quality of my life just like a breast cancer patient would, or any patient for that matter.  Qi Gong is a good example of a way to create wholeness in ones body and heal!

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/qi-gong-breast-cancer-quality-of-life_n_2567032.html

Works Cited

"Qi Gong Could Improve Breast Cancer Patients' Quality Of Life." Huffington Post. N.p., 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.