Qigong Meditation Complete guide – Benefits and Techniques

The Chinese mainland has given the world a lot in physical and spiritual improvement. Various techniques that have been practiced there since the ancient times are still very useful and working. One such Chinese practice that is far better than it’s actually hyped is the Qigong meditation.

Okay, the word meditation may overwhelm you and that may be acceptable considering the fast paced lifestyle and how fancy this simple approach has gone, but this ancient technique is nothing sort of boring. Qigong meditation combines the meaningful slow movements of the body with the benefits of focused breathing. It makes you feel more connected with all parts of life. But, slow isn’t necessarily boring. Qigong meditation is a practice that is quite challenging. Come forward and keep reading to know about what actually this confusing title holds and how it can help you in your relaxation goals.

What is Qigong meditation?

Qigong meditation is an ancient Chinese meditation technique that gives you can follow to get the benefits of meditation using breathing and slow body movements. The word Qigong which is pronounced as chee-gung literally means “master of energy”. The Qi here means the energy. And in case of this mindful exercise, it refers to the energy present in our body.

With qigong meditation, you try to let this energy inherent inside you travel through your entire body. This energy surround the environment around you such that you feel connected with the nature and the universe. This connection is built using the slow movements practiced while meditating. You can promote your mental, physical and spiritual well-being by controlling your breathing and body movements and letting this energy flow throughout your body freely.

Techniques of Qigong meditation

Qigong meditation is such a vast relaxation method that it comprises of many different techniques each focused on making you feel connected with the essence of nature in a different way. In these techniques you’ll be learning some certain characteristics like visualization, breathing, posture and relaxation to achieve the ultimate objective of mastering that energy. These techniques are :-

Dong Gong

Dong Gong represent the yang, the active part of the energy. This technique is all about the intentional movements and breathing control to let you improve that active part of energy and hence, is also called active Qigong. You are focusing on the strength and vibrancy of that energy with repeated movements that are coordinated in a subtle flow. The continuous movements let energy flow through the body that improves balance, muscle flexibility, and awareness about the body.

Passive Qigong

Passive Qigong represent the yin part of the energy. This technique focuses on improving the mental aspect of your energy. You concentrate on your breathing and mental activities to bring stillness into the soul. This stillness is achieved by keeping your mind active with visualization and similar activities. While following this technique, your body is actually still outside while the mind is active and calm. This meditation technique is somewhat similar to a traditional one. You can practice it in the usual way by sitting, laying or in any other comfortable position.

Benefits of Qigong meditation

Qigong meditation gives a person many health benefits making it a very successful mindfulness technique if followed seriously. Some of these benefits are even backed by studies. These benefits are :-

It reduces stress

Just like any other type of meditation, Qigong meditation is a proven method of reducing stress. The technique gives you a chance to focus on yourself. You give consideration to your breathing, your mind and your body movements. The coordination between such activities helps you relaxing your mind. When you concentrate on visualizing good things, you feel the goodness in life that further helps in reducing the symptoms of anxiety. You’ll get a better quality of life by incorporating Qigong meditation in your lifestyle.

Improved balance

You can experience a drastic improvement in your body balance with Qigong meditation. The meditation involves doing certain slow movements. These slow movements works to improve your balance. When you delve deeply into your body under this meditation technique, you get an awareness about all your body parts. You focus on the energy that flows gently throughout your body. This positively affect your muscle strength and flexibility. Even proved by many researches, Qigong meditation improves balance among all age groups.

May improve sleep

Since, Qigong meditation is a type of mindfulness exercise, it may help with insomnia issue and can improve sleep quality. Qigong is a way to awake the energy within you by focusing on your body, mind and breathing. As you are mindful about your body and thoughts, you feel a deep connection with yourself. This connection gets more deep as you connect your inner energy with the nature around you. This may help you in healing and you feel a sense of calm. You are completely aware about the present moment. Such awareness relaxes you down. This makes sleeping much more easy

Reduces the risk of chronic disease

Qigong meditation can prove very beneficial in lowering the chances of chronic diseases. While there is not any worthy research backing this fact, people can significantly reduce the risk of chronic disease by getting a proper meditation session on a daily or weekly basis. Like a physical exercise, Qigong meditation helps in enhancing blood flow, reducing stress on the body and improving the overall fitness. You may also avoid any chance of having stroke by combining Qigong meditation with Tai Chi practice.

Helps in improving focus

One benefit that you can get by doing Qigong meditation is boosting your focus. Since Qigong is one such practice that requires you to concentrate on a certain thought, your focus is enhanced. While meditating, you give full attention to your breathing, the things you visualize and the movements of your body. These slow movements are actually very hard particularly in terms of maintaining focus. If you practice Qigong rightly, you can brush up your concentration skills.

How to practice Qigong mediation as a beginner?

As already said, Qigong meditation is not easy to begin with. And, to practice this meditation correctly is harder than it’s pronunciation. But, with all the benefits, if you are a beginner looking for starting this meditation routine, here’s a quick guide for you :-

Starting an active Qigong practice

An active Qigong meditation technique requires following some certain body movements. These body movements are slow that require your body parts to move gently. All these movements are focused to stimulate the energy within your body and let this Qi travel around your entire self. These body movements actually takes time to learn. The best way to learn active Qigong meditation is to join a Qigong learning group or watch a guided video with all steps.

An active Qigong practice generally starts with breathing. You learn how to take control on your breathing. You learn so by focusing on your inhalation and exhalation. After that, you begin doing a series of slow body movements. You keenly observe your posture such that you feel the Qi getting awakened. As a beginner, you can start practicing 30 minute sessions.

Starting a passive Qigong meditation

While an active Qigong meditation requires a proper guidance in the beginning to learn, you can learn passive Qigong simply by yourself. If mental peace is something more intriguing for you, you can start practicing passive Qigong.

You can start by sitting in any position that you’re comfortable in. This technique involves mental activity and external stillness. Keeping this in mind, close your eyes and start the practice. Concentrate on your breathing. Feel your stomach rise as you fill your lungs with each breath you take and fall as you release that air. Let the negativity and tension within you also release as you exhale. As you are focusing on your breathing, fill your mind with positive thoughts. Visualize some positive scenes that put a sense of calmness and happiness to your mind. If you’re not sure about starting the meditation by yourself, don’t hesitate to follow online guided courses for better understanding.

Can Qigong meditation be harmful?

Qigong mediation is possibly one of the safest techniques for exercising. It is far more safe than going on a walk. You don’t need to worry much about any side effect. There is a usual risk just as in case of any other physical activity. You can harm yourself by falling while exercising. This risk is lesser in case of Qigong as it comprises of slow body movements over which you have complete control. However, don’t substitute the practice with any serious pre existing condition.

Qigong meditation has always been successful as a healing practice. This mindful technique that has nourished finely since ancient times in the Chinese land is still helping people get many physical and mental benefits. By relaxing you down, Qigong meditation can also heal you. This slow practice is indeed well worth to master. It can be practiced by individuals of all age groups. Give your boring routine a soothing twist and try Qigong meditation for a