Breath of Fresh Air

Whenever someone joins our Qigong class for the first time I welcome it as an opportunity to review some of the basic principles of this unique exercise system: things like taking deep, unforced breaths, and savoring the nuances of shifting the body’s weight from foot to foot. These simple yet powerful principles never get stale. As someone who has studied various forms of movement for most of my life, each time I do a Qigong class it still feels fresh, interesting, new! That is because the biggest and most beneficial principle of all, learning to RELAX while moving, continues to be an enjoyably challenging goal. I know many of you feel the same way.

The more we practice, the easier it gets to relax while moving. In time we stop holding our breath, hunching our shoulders, or gritting our teeth, because we realize we can! Then, all the bunched up, contracted energy that has been sequestered unnecessarily in our poor, tight muscles, is freed up to flow throughout our body, mind, and spirit.

It’s good to find a breathing exercise that you enjoy, and do it every day. Many of you say you like to do this first thing in the morning, or during a break when working on a challenging project. Like everything in Qigong, it’s your energy to play with and enjoy. Each time you do, even if only for as long as it takes to breathe three, relaxed breaths, you’ll be giving yourself a flash of vitality, mental clarity, health, and maybe even joy.