Qigong – A Way to Heal the Mind, By Engaging the Body

This is a continuation of my previous post of how we can use the knowledge within our thoughts to help to heal the ill, injured, damaged or traumatized human mind and body. Knowledge such as nutrition, appropriate exercise, management of sleep and healthy social relationships. This article delves in deeper on the practice of Qigong or breath work, in order to help heal our body by using knowledge, and conversely heal the mind by using physical exercises.

No need for a gym membership, a mat, special equipment nor special clothing. Just some time, effort and a willingness to learn something different. Qigong practice is a solution to the current health care crisis, where we have seen a drastic increase in diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, stress, suicide and so many other mental and physically related health issues. Would it not be wise to at least consider preventing these ailments in the first place rather than using questionable pharmaceuticals and therapies after the fact? Folks, the horse has been out of the barn for many decades now. If government leaders, medical professionals, school boards and parents were to actually promote and encourage physical exercise, good nutrition, meditation and self-responsibility we might have a much different looking nation. Plant good seeds, no? Of course there will be some that look at Eastern methods of healthcare such as yoga, tai chi, qigong and meditation as that “weird stuff” that they don’t want their kids exposed to. So be it. Then maybe they can “do something” to fix all that ails our once great country.

Qi, pronounced “chee,” means energy. You may see it spelled “Chi” or even “Ki” in Japanese, but they all carry the same meaning. Qi is the energy of the body, of the meridians, of food, of the universe. While it may seem a nebulous topic there are refined theories regarding the different types of Qi within the body, the creation and actions of Qi, and consequently, ways to determine where imbalances may arise. “Gong” or “Kung” means work or diligent effort. So qigong translates to “breath work.”

Qigong or Chi Kung is breathing exercises, with little or no body movement, can be practiced while sitting, standing or moving, Regulation of the breath can adjust the brain waves to the Alpha state. When the mind is relaxed, the body chemistry changes and promotes natural healing. With deliberate regulated breaths, one is able to relax the deep skeletal muscles working outward, while releasing tension accumulated within the muscles, organs and nerves. Whereas conventional physical exercise can deplete energy, Qigong helps to replenish your natural energy.

Qigong shares the same branch of origin as yoga. Both systems have sitting, standing and moving exercises with their respective curriculum. Both systems have a strong observance of the breathing mechanism and how it helps to balance out the mind, body and for some, spiritually and/or self-awareness. Qigong does have some exercises practiced like yoga on the ground, but curriculum really depends upon the teacher and intended participants. This curriculum is vast and holds many options and variations to help those that are injured, ill, disable and may have other limitations. The following graphics offer a window into what qigong exercises look like.

Knowledgeable and well experienced teachers of qigong and yoga, will drill down into the details and subtle nuances of these practices. The development is in the details. Trying to learn these methods and the many specifics can be as easy or difficult as the practitioner cares to engage. However, one of the main benefits of these practices is that by occupying one’s thoughts with the physical details, the mind becomes more engaged with the body. This is where the true healing begins when the breathing frequency is deliberately slowed down, the nervous system adjust the delicate blood chemistry which in turn positively affects organ function.

I write often about topics that affect our health and well-being. Additionally, I teach and offer lecture about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

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Heal the Mind With the Body, Heal the Body With the Mind

Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.

– Carl Jung

Our culture is broken. Out of balance. Many feel traumatized. So many people suffering. So much stress, depression, and anxiety. The solution is not always in pharmaceuticals, therapy, alcohol or recreational drugs. Exercising regularly can help and it is often FREE if you commit to the time and effort.

Physical exercise is one of the single most beneficial mental and physical activities that we can do for ourselves on a regular basis. When we exercise, our brain produces many chemicals (hormones and neurotransmitters) that manage stress and counteract the sympathetic nervous response. If you are not currently exercising regularly, try to start by simply taking a walk around your block and build up from there. 5 minutes here and there throughout your day adds up cumulatively. One does not need to exercise for hours a day to gain the benefits. Walk, run , swim, stretch, weight train, or my preferences of qigong, tai chi and yoga. This is the “do something,” that will actually affect you and consequently those in your life.

And we as a nation have been consistently reducing the importance of physical exercise to our youth, as many schools nationwide have greatly reduced and even eliminated physical education within schools on all levels. Perhaps this is why teenage depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD and other ailments have been contributing to the spike in youth suicides over the last few decades. Broken children grow into broken adults. Plant good seeds and harvest a good yield. Plant with rotten seeds and the crop produced will be rotten. This is ancient knowledge that seems to have been forgotten in current times.

Yin & Yang are relative terms, in relation to content and context. In the concept of Yin & Yang, nothing is
permanent nor absolute. Opposites are complementary. Many philosophers and scholars view Yin & Yang as the
motive force for the start, change and end of life. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based upon the belief that
the existence of the universe is due to the result of the interactions between Yin & Yang.

Everyday Uses of Yin & Yang Theory:

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Philosophy (Taoism & Confucianism)
Science (Chinese)
Meditation
Feng Shui
Spirituality
As a Trending Fad
Martial Arts
Qigong and Energy Movement

Mind and body – most agree that our mind and body are important and there exists a balance and harmony between the two. Just because someone can repeat the words of “mind and body” does not necessarily mean they have an understanding of this relationship. How do we achieve this beyond just the mere words of “mind” and “body?’ We need to actually use our mind to manage and regulate not only our physical bodies but our thoughts and relative emotions. We need to truly engage our physical body in movement, physical activities and exercises in order to engage our cognitive brain functions. This is how we can link the mind and body together to achieve higher levels of both self-awareness, mental and physical health as well. Self-cultivation is not free in any sense of this understanding. This takes time, effort and often sacrifice of other things we deem as important.

It is usually much easier to train our body, than it is to train our minds. By becoming aware of our body positions, alignments and movements, we train our minds by using our bodies. When we position our toes, our knees, the hips, the spine, the shoulders, and especially our breathing rhythm, we are disciplining our body into correct alignments that manifest into muscle and bone strength, increased blood and energy circulation and most specifically the change in the hormones within the blood chemistry that not only regulates organ function, but balances out emotional ups and downs.

We can use the knowledge within our thoughts to help to heal our damaged body. Knowledge such as nutrition, appropriate exercise, management of sleep and healthy social relationships. So why is is such as stretch to consider that our body holds the keys to managing mental ailments linked to emotions of anxiety, depression, anger, grief and others?

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Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

US Infant Mortality Rate Explodes in Recent Years

Anthropologists have studied and concluded that there are many varying perspectives and beliefs in defining what good health looks like within different cultures. While some views on healthcare are shared, some are quite different in their culture’s approach. For example, childbirth in the US is often viewed as an emergency medical event (medicalization of a natural human biological function) involving a hospital, various pregnancy specialists and quite often pharmaceuticals. It is important to realize that some births may be more complicated that others that may require a allopathic medical doctor to perform specific procedures to ensure the safety of the mother and infant child. Other developed countries like Holland and Sweden use the hospital but with less specialist intervention. Cultures within Yucatan Mexico use their homes and family members in the birthing process more similar to how humans have given birth for thousands of years of human history (James, 2020).

Interesting to note and requiring further discussion is that, the US is far behind other countries in the use of midwives for delivery of babies than most other wealthy and developed nations, in spite of the US by far having a higher infant mortality rate in recent years. Correlation does not necessarily imply causation, however…..

https://tcf.org/content/commentary/worsening-u-s-maternal-health-crisis-three-graphs/

I think it is important to understand why the US has moved more towards medical physicians, pharmaceuticals and surgeries not only for childbirth but for many if not most health issues, ailments and diseases. Basically, we have been sold that western medicine is better than alternatives and often methods that have been time-proven for many years past, e.g. diet vs. pills. Severe trauma, yes use a medical doctor; high blood pressure, anxiety, depression – check your food intake, exercise, activity and stress levels.

“Several important milestones happened in the early part of the 1900’s that had a profound impact on midwifery: The 1910 Flexner Report recommended hospital deliveries and the abolition of midwifery. The study has since been recognized for its racist, sexist, and classist approach to medical education”

“A stark divide began to take root in the 1800’s, when white male physicians began to explore childbirth with greater interest. Their approach was based on a colonialization framework, which devalued birth as ceremony and focused instead on the physical aspect of wellbeing.

Many doctors opposed midwife-assisted births. They launched campaigns against the profession, promoting Western science and the pain relief that hospitals could offer. By the turn of the century, they attended approximately half of births, despite having little training in obstetrics.

In rural America, however, midwives continued to attend births. In the Southern states, Black midwives, sometimes called “granny” midwives, attended up to 75% of births until the 1940’s. A combination of laws, educational restrictions, and campaigns against the profession led to the dismantling of their practice” (A Brief History of Midwifery in America | OHSU, n.d.).

So here we are once again, especially over the last 3 years, that the US medical community and astonishing US politicians often tout how great the US’s healthcare system is at providing the best, the safest, the most effective, the most innovative and best technological healthcare in the world. Do your own research and you will find out that the US is often none of these aforementioned. The charade, the fallacy, the wizard behind the curtain, is often the way the US healthcare system works. It is indeed not “healthcare” but “sickcare”.

https://www.statista.com/chart/23559/midwives-per-capita/

References:

James, R. (2020, July 24). Medical Anthropology 101 [Movie]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SvvLnrk77I

https://tcf.org/content/commentary/worsening-u-s-maternal-health-crisis-three-graphs/

https://www.healthify.us/healthify-insights/a-closer-look-at-americas-infant-mortality-rate

https://www.statista.com/chart/23559/midwives-per-capita/

https://www.ohsu.edu/womens-health/brief-history-midwifery-america

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

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Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

The Gears of Life – Our Journey Around the Sun

A universal truth cannot be easily disputed, as everyone can agree on some level with the facts in question. Other universal truths are that water in its liquid state is wet, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and that humans are mortals and eventually die in our physical form. The truth is that we come into this world on the physical level with nothing, and we leave with nothing. The earth’s yearly journey around the sun is another such universal truth.

It is easy to see how the time of the day affects us. If you pay attention to it you will see the pattern. During a 24-hour period, our body, energy and emotions change. Knowing this pattern makes daily life much easier. This pattern is known as the Horary Cycle or Circadian Rhythm.

Some of these relationships might seem somewhat obvious as children have a sprouting or growing personality learning and showing their identity and ego from 0-8 years of age.

A person from 8-33 is seen as flowering or showing their creativity, intelligence, attractiveness and excessive behavior.

The 33-58 is the fruition years where one starts to blossom as an adult using their knowledge and experience to further their career, family and material assets.

58-83 brings the harvest of what was nurtured or squandered from the previous years becomes more apparent. Health issues arrive if prior neglect is not addressed.

The last season of transformation from 83-108 is a reflection on what was accomplished mentally, physically and spiritually throughout the prior phases. The realization of self and that the material possessions are only temporary up until this point.

These truths will still be debated given an audience and someone willing to debate these facts. Often times people will make claims to their “truth” or someone else’s “truth,” where my understanding is that their can only be one truth for a particular topic, but maybe an unlimited number of ways someone can experience the truth, as in their unique reality. We all experience the climatic seasons somewhat differently, but nature without a doubt makes the distinction between summer and winter, daytime and nighttime, everything is impermanent and changing. Either we choose to live in harmony with the patterns of nature, or we become subject to the consequences of attempting to live in opposition to nature.

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Energy Vampire or Energy Sun -Which Are You?

We have probably all meet people who when walking into a room, drain the energy of all in their company. Or conversely, the person who comes in and brings up everyone energy and puts a smile on everyone’s’ face. Yin and yang in all things!

Perform a bit of self-reflection. When you walk into a room, do you bring in your positive energy and personality that can lift others up?

Or do you do the exact opposite by bringing everyone down with your negativity and pessimism?

None of us are perfect, but should be doing our best to bring more optimism, compassion and empathy into the world? So many people claim to want to change and/or save the world, when they can’t even change themselves for the better. Make your own bed. Check your own backyard. Clean your own house, before you pontificate about others should or shouldn’t do. This is how we can make the world a better place. Start in your own home, looking in your own mirror.

Be well, become healthy, be wise.