Qigong or “life-force cultivation” is a form of Taoist yoga, with roots in ancient China.
Along with supporting general health and wellbeing, qigong practice is the internal foundation of all of the martial arts. Qigong can be described as a mind-body-spirit practice that improves one’s mental and physical health by integrating posture, movement, breathing technique, self-massage, sound, and focused intent.
Qigong opens the flow of energy in meridians used in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. It enhances our ability to feel the Life Force underlying the physical world and to deepen our communication with it. Physically, slow gentle qigong movements warm tendons, ligaments, and muscles; tonify vital organs and connective tissue; and promote circulation of body fluids (blood, synovial, lymph). Thousands of studies have shown qigong effective in helping to heal life challenges ranging from high blood pressure and chronic illness to emotional frustration and mental stress.
The last few years I have been practising Qigong more and more. I really love it, because it just makes me feel really good and energized.
I especially love to do it outside. I am so lucky that I can take my dogs (and cats:)) for a walk and do my Qigong Practice on top of one of the surrounding mountain. But any place outside will work. Of course you can do it inside as well, it will still give you nice energy boost. But it is recommended to do QiGong outside whenever possible.
There are thousands of different Qigong styles. The great thing about Qigong is that the movements are quite easy. You can learn it quickly.
This easy Qigong practice takes just 5 minutes, but will give you a calm and focussed feeling, while on the meantime you will feel re-energized as well.
This sequence has 5 different exercises in it. Try to make the movements as effortless as possible. Let your arms and hands flow up and down. Often in QiGong the breathing is in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Ilse-Marie Sobering is the founder of House of InnerPower and the creator of the InnerPower Method: LAND • ADEM • VOEL (Land, Breathe, Feel), a cyclical practice of returning to yourself again and again. She has studied yoga philosophy and Eastern philosophy for more than 25 years, and has worked professionally since 2015 as an E-RYT 500 yoga and Yoga Nidra teacher, mindfulness and breathwork coach, Ayurveda practitioner and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) practitioner. In Spain, where she lived for seven years, she taught trainings, teacher trainings and retreats at various locations in the Málaga region, including near Periana, Nerja and Frigiliana. She now works from the Netherlands, teaching trainings and speaking in the Netherlands, in Spain and online. Within the method she works with Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, breathwork, meditation, Qigong and somatic work, complemented with elements from her hypnotherapy training. She teaches teacher trainings, continuing education and company training, for people living with long-term stress and for professionals who want to deepen the way they guide others.
