Transforming Stress into Vitality
As human beings, we’re incredibly complex, so it’s challenging not to arrive on this planet with an owner’s manual explaining how to take care of ourselves emotionally, physically, and spiritually. What we learn from our families, formal education and society is incomplete, and much of it isn’t conducive to our long-term well-being.
If you were to ask me what to include in a “Homo Sapiens Owner’s Manual,” at the top of my list would be the practice of qigong. Developed thousands of years ago in China, qigong (pronounced “chee gong”) is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine that uses gentle movements, conscious breathing, self-massage, sound, and visualization to keep our bodies healthy, quiet our minds, calm our nervous systems, increase our vitality, and help us feel both connected to and supported by the life force energy of the universe.
I’ve been doing qigong every day for years now, and my appreciation just continues to grow. Because it’s not easy to put something so vast and powerfully healing into words, I haven’t yet written much about this sacred practice. But today, with the holiday season in full swing and so many people expressing how stressed they’re feeling, I’d like to share a short video by my qigong teacher, Lee Holden, titled the “Six-minute Qigong for Stress Relief Routine.”
In the YouTube description, Lee—who has over three decades of experience bringing the gifts of qigong to Westerners—writes, “It’s next to impossible to feel stress when you move and breathe slowly. This is because when you align slow movements with deep, calm breathing, you enter into ‘rest and relaxation mode.’ This is when you get out of your mind, into your body, and transform stress into vitality.”
This video will give you a tiny taste of what qigong is like and has to offer. One thing I love about Lee is that he makes it extremely easy and convenient to begin a regular practice. It was his “30-day qigong challenge” of 7-minute routines that transformed my qigong practice from intermittent to daily. In addition to Lee's classes, I do various qigong practices on my own throughout the day to get grounded and release physical and emotional tension as it arises. One of the beautiful things about qigong is that it's done standing in regular comfortable clothing, so we can do it anywhere, anytime.
I promise to share more about qigong next year, including a free virtual workshop with Lee!
Wishing you peace and joy this holiday season. ❤️
