Qigong and the Warrior Breath
/I recently experienced my first few qigong classes, courtesy of a lovely friend who just completed her level 2 teacher training.
Have you guys heard of it?
Qigong is a breath and energy movement practice with roots in Chinese medicine and martial arts. The object of qigong is to move and balance qi, or life energy.
While much of the philosophical aspects of qigong elude me (and aren't my primary goal for trying the practice), I found it to be an amazingly meditative class... and a really great arm workout! You spend just about an hour with your arm muscles engaged, which increases circulation and muscle strength, and at the same time has a very relaxing effect.
Today I did a little more reading about the principles of qigong and discovered these core tenants courtesy of Wikipedia:
Intentional movement: careful, flowing balanced style
Rhythmic breathing: slow, deep, coordinated with fluid movement
Awareness: calm, focused meditativ state
Visualization: of qi flow, philosophical tenets, aesthetics
Pretty great stuff, right? In a lot of ways, its roots are similar to yoga, and qigong offers a lot of the same relaxing benefits.
The other practice that my friend Lindsay shared is called breath empowerment, and it's part of the qigong training she's done with Qi Revolution
. Now this was an altogether incredible experience... and definitely not focused on relaxation! You spend
about 35 minutes doing the "warrior breath," which is a forceful, fast and deep nostril breath in and out of your chest.
At first, I was a little nervous even just thinking about trying this breath empowerment thing. I've experienced anxiety before, even to the point of a panic attack, so the thought of breathing so intensely for so long triggered worrisome possibilities in my imaginative mind.
"I'm not sure I can lay on the floor and hyperventilate like that for so long," I told Linds, trying to hide my fear. "We aren't hyperventilating," she reassured me. "We're hyper-oxygenating!"
And man, she was right. We took our savasana positions on my living room carpet, and began listening to the guided meditation. Minute after minute, I continued breathing big, fierce breaths and before long my whole body was vibrating.
I could actually feel energy circulating through my system, swirling in circles in my face and cheeks, through my arms and legs, and throughout my abdomen. What a rush!
I enjoyed the recording we listened to, because Jeff's delivery of the dialogue is inspiring. He encourages you to keep going even after you think you can't, and his calm, steady voice keeps you from freaking out. Afterward I felt revitalized and awake, little jolts of energy still running through me.
Now I'm motivated to try other breath techniques and maybe even a tai chi class. It's great to mix up the yoga routine with other healing practices.
Have you guys done qigong or tai chi? What did you think?
