Qigong

Yin and Yang and the Silicon Valley Death Trap

Have you heard of Yin and Yang? These are concepts from ancient Taoist philosophy. Yin is soft and slow, Yang is hard and fast. Here in Silicon Valley, we probably all know people who have been considered models of health. They are likely to engage in high-intensity workouts and be high achievers professionally. they may be into biohacking and taking a lot of supplements, and yet they frequently drop dead!

Did you know that 20% of all first heart attacks occur with no known Western medical risk factors,  that means no elevated blood pressure, no cholesterol issues, no blood sugar or weight issues. 12% of all first heart attacks are also fatal!  So what is going on here?  These folks are too Yang, and their exercise is too Yang. In traditional East Asian medicine we understand that Yin and Yang activities develop Yin and Yang energy. As we get older it is normal for the Yin energy to become depleted, so our exercise, diet and supplements have to build up the Yin energy. When there is not enough Yin and too much yang it is easy to have heart attacks and strokes! Qigong to the rescue: Building up the Yin energy or Qi is one of the great powers of Qigong. This process of building up Qi energy in the body is not yet readily translatable into Western medical terms or thinking,  but it will deliver you amazing health results.

So What Is Qigong?

Qigong is a health cultivation system developed over thousands of years in China and East Asia. The term itself means “cultivating energy,” and that’s exactly what this practice is about—harmonizing and increasing the body’s vital life force, or Qi, through coordinated breathing, the holding of specific postures, pulsed and circular stretching exercises, relaxed fluid movement  – coordinated with the breath, and calm focused awareness.

What Happens To The Body If You Practice Qigong Every Day?

With daily practice within a couple of weeks there is a distinct increase in energy level. Within a month or so, emotional ups and downs tend to become calmer. Then different body systems start to normalize: the digestion improves, and digestive symptoms a-bait.  All pain conditions start to recede further into the background.  With continued practice the eyes become stronger, the mind becomes clearer, the nervous system becomes more calm.

My Story With Qigong

As a child and teenager, I had a lot of health problems. For example, When I was in school I was unable to run without developing asthma, cramping, and great exhaustion. When I was 18, I met my first Qigong and Tai Chi teacher. I could see that he had a kind of vitality and strength in his body that I was lacking. I began taking classes and practicing daily,  and many aspects of my physical and mental health improved. One day, I went to a party and I missed the last bus home. It was winter in London. As was my habit, I started to walk home, but I lived 10 miles away and it was cold!. I thought. “well I can give running a try, and stop when I can no longer breathe“. I began to run, and to  my amazement it was pretty easy. By the time I was halfway home I started running faster, with great joy, and by the time I got home I felt like I could have run even further. It was then that I really grasped how the daily practice of Tai Chi and Qigong had fundamentally changed something deep in my body. To this day I continue to study weekly with a Tai chi teacher and a Qigong and Ba Gua teacher, and I attribute my lifelong good health to this practice.