“When the Qi goes down, it becomes quiet. When it becomes quiet, it will solidify. When it becomes solidified, it will begin to sprout. After it has sprouted, it will grow.”
--From Sinologist Joseph Needham’s Science and Civilization in China
This quote, originally inscribed 5,000 years ago on six pieces of jade, is the earliest known reference to Qigong as healing exercise rather than as a dance. (And yes, by dance, I’m referring to the beautiful “Animal Frolics” or “Animal Dances”, ancient shamanic movements that we still practice in Qigong class.)
Is Qigong still enough, today, to heal what needs healing? It reliably brings our minds, emotions, and bodies back to a state of healthy equilibrium, and enables us to transform stress into vitality. However, compared to life in the agrarian cultures of the early centuries during which Qigong evolved, today we live sedentary lives. Exercise to “solidify our energy and allow it to sprout,” in the sense of building muscular strength, is relegated to “workouts” or visits to the gym, rather than being a fact of daily survival. The truth is many of us do need to welcome more physically strengthening movement into our lives.
When I was commissioned to write the book Strength Training Over 50; Stay Fit and Fabulous back in 2006, my research taught me how crucial it is to fight the sarcopenia (literally “flesh loss”) which begins in our late 30’s and progresses swiftly as we age: our muscles are genetically programed to weaken and shrink unless we take steps to address this natural process. How? With strengthening exercises! Qigong offers great opportunities to build strength, especially in the lower body. However, an hour-long class limits the time we can spend on movements to address the specific areas of weakness we each have. Strength building takes time and patience. Above all, it takes a clear understanding of what, exactly, we’re doing, and how to do it effectively.
If you’d like to learn more about this, I am happy to send you a video of last year’s deep-dive 90-minute workshop “Strength Training Qigong Style” for the discounted price of $20. 00. It teaches the basics of how to mindfully “push the envelope” of your strength without getting injured. I highly recommend it if you’re new to strength training!
If you’d like a down-loadable copy of the workshop, including a separate, 20-minute workout video of only the exercises, write to me here: cris@criscaivano.com . Paypal, Venmo, and personal checks are all accepted.
Schedule News and Updates for March:
Next Millbrook Library Free In-person/Zoom Qigong: Fridays, March 6th and 20th,10 - 11am. Please register for this class by contacting Millbrooklibrary.org. The library will send you a reminder a few days ahead of time.
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Zoom Qigong Classes Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 9:30 am EST
