Recently I asked the members of my “Space To Relax Free Group” on Facebook what they would like to learn about regarding Qigong and how it can help them. One great suggestion from Kathy was about how to stay motivated, on track and avoid slipping back into bad habits. This is such a great question! Today I’m going to be talking to you about how to stay motivated and also how to use Qigong for motivation.
Janice Tucker is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong, and the founder of the Space To Relax online programme of Qigong video lessons.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button above so you don’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. These videos will help you to benefit your health and prevent illness from arising in the first place. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
My 7 Top Methods Using Qigong For Motivation
1. Choose something you like to do
To stay motivated for Qigong or any other exercise it is important to choose something that you like to do. By now many of you will have access to a number of Qigong methods. Choose your favourites as then you are more likely to maintain your practice.
2. Pick a regular time to practice
It is easier to stay on track with Qigong (or any good habit) if you pick the same time every day to practice. First thing in the morning works best for me as then my practice is done and I have set myself up in the best possible way for the rest of the day. Also, if I have more time at the end of the day, I’ll do more. A regular practice time will really help you to stay on track. Once you can do this, you will see how you can use Qigong for motivation in other areas of your life.
3. Keep a record of you observations
Keeping a diary or journal of your observations will allow you to see how much progress you are making. Once a few weeks have passed and you look at your journal you will see the difference between where you were before and where you are right now.
4. Practice with friends and family
Certainly with Qigong there is huge benefit in practising with friends and family. The presence of a group enhances the “Qi field” (see my blog on “What is a Qi Field?“) of everyone practising. Similarly, with other exercise such as walking, running, cycling, it is much easier to do it and stay motivated as you can encourage one another.
5. Celebrate your successes
Don’t give yourself a hard time if you don’t practice or exercise every single day. Instead focus on all the good things that you are doing. If you have set yourself a milestone, e.g. to practice 10 minutes of Qigong every day for one week, then when you achieve this CELEBRATE! Go out and do something that you love to do to celebrate that milestone. This is important.
6. Be kind to yourself
If you miss a couple of days of practice, don’t give yourself a hard time. Simply get back on track as soon as possible. Realise that you are only human. You are not a robot. You can pick up your goal and resume progressing towards it as soon as possible.
7. Start small to get motivated
If you find you have no motivation to get going then pick the tiniest thing that you feel you would like to do and just do that. Start with a small thing and build it up slowly. Over time you will find that things do get easier for you to carry forward with some momentum.
If you want to start small and learn some Qigong by practising for a few minutes each day, or getting really clever, and learning how to integrate Qigong into your day then head over to the Space To Relax homepage. There you can sign up to receive three free video lessons which will be delivered to you by e-mail over the course of a few days. Also, for a free audio meditation “Calm Your Busy Mind In 8 Minutes” scroll to the bottom of the Space To Relax homepage to sign up for that.
I’d love to hear what you do to stay motivated. What do you do to stop yourself from slipping back into bad habits? How do you use Qigong for motivation? You can head over to my free group on Facebook, “Space To Relax Free Group” and leave any comments or questions for me there. I’ll be happy to answer them. Also, you will receive regular postings with useful tips about how to use Qigong to improve your state of health.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button on my channel page. That way, you won’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you learned much more about how to use Qigong for self care.
Recently I asked members of my free Facebook group what they would like me to talk about in my videos. One great suggestion was how to use Qigong to help with self care and learning how to like ourselves again. Often we may give ourselves a hard time about certain things. We can feel we are not good enough and we don’t really like ourselves very much! If you feel like this, I can tell you, you are not alone. This is what I’ll be telling you about today; how we can use Qigong to overcome some of these feelings.
Janice Tucker is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong. She is also the founder of the Space To Relax online programme of Qigong video lessons.
Please head over to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button. That way you won’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. These videos will help you to benefit your health and prevent illness from arising in the first place. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
What Do Stagnant Emotions Feel Like?
If you find that you beat yourself up, feel that you are not good enough or give yourself a hard time over you actions, lack of actions, bad habits, what you say or what you do then take solace in the fact that this is very common.
In terms of Chinese Medicine, our emotions and what we feel are a manifestation of our Qi (energy). They are a reflection of what is going on with the Qi in our bodies. Physical stagnation and the blockage of Qi flow can cause physical pain. In the same way the blockage of Qi can also cause a blockage or stagnation of emotions. This can result in us feeling unworthy, not good enough, frustrated, like we could do better in our job, relationships, our life in general.
How Does Qigong Help Smooth The Flow Of Emotions?
Qigong promotes the smooth flow of Qi in both the physical body (to relieve pain) but also acts to smooth your emotions. The result is that you feel calm, settled and comfortable within yourself.
Qigong also enables you to realise that there is no separation between you and nature or the environment. You are part of your environment. If you look around and see how beautiful nature is then realise that you are part of that. You can’t really be separated from it. You can blend your own Qi with the Qi of nature. Take more time to look around you and observe the beauty around you. That will create feelings of joy as you live in that present moment. You stop thinking so much about yourself and start thinking about everything as part of the whole environment.
What Can I Do Next?
All you have to do to overcome and work through these feelings is to practice a little Qigong (around 10 minutes) every day.
If this is something you want to do then you can sign up on the homepage to receive three free video lessons which will be delivered to you by e-mail over the course of a few days. Also for a free audio meditation “Calm Your Busy Mind In 8 Minutes” scroll to the bottom of the Space To Relax homepage to sign up for that. The meditation is excellent for those of you who experience feelings of not liking yourself because you get to work with your Qi in a way that takes you away from your negative thoughts.
I’d love to hear how you are getting on. You can head over to my free group on Facebook, “Space To Relax Free Group” and leave any questions for me there. I’ll be happy to answer them. Also, by joining this group, you will receive regular postings of Qigong articles and videos with really useful tips about how to use Qigong to improve your state of health.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button above so you don’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you learned much more about how to use Qigong for self care.
Often when I tell people that I help them to banish their stress and improve their energy using Qigong I’m met with a quizzical expression. They can easily relate to stress and lack of energy but they have no idea what Qigong is. In this video I explain the definition of Qigong and the meanings of the terms “Qi” and “Gong”. We do far more in Qigong than just working with energy!
Janice Tucker is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong. She is also the founder of the Space To Relax online programme of Qigong video lessons.
Please remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button above so you don’t miss my regular videos. These are packed with useful health enhancing tips and exercises. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
What is Qigong?
Qigong has been an integral part of Chinese culture since ancient Chinese times. Basically the definition of Qigong is any set of breathing and Qi circulation methods that can:
• improve your health;
• prevent illness;
• strengthen your body
Very loosely translated, Qi is your vital force. It is all types of energy. We are made of this energy and we are also immersed in it so it is all around us in the environment.
The term “Gong” is the power that you have to produce an effect. It is also translated as work. This is the kind of work that involves steady practice. The effects are achieved with steady, ongoing, regular practice.
“Qigong” means “the attainment of Qi”. Medical Qigong, more specifically, involves building your Qi to make your body more resistant to illness and disease. If you are actually ill, medical Qigong can bring your body back into balance so that you regain your health.
Benefit of Qigong Practice
So, by practising Qigong regularly, you can maintain the balance in your health. Also, if you happen to become sick then you can use Qigong to bring yourself quickly back into a good state of health.
If you’d like to learn more Qigong in order to maintain your health and bring yourself back into balance then you can do this by practising for around only 10 minutes per day. You can actually start this by heading over to my Space To Relax homepage. Here you can sign up to receive three free video lessons which will be delivered to you by e-mail. By practising these 5 minute lessons you’ll get a flavour of the Qigong benefits of feeling calm and relaxed.
If you head over to my free group on Facebook, “Space To Relax Free Group” you can leave any questions for me there and I’ll be happy to answer them. Also, by joining this group, you will receive regular postings of health enhancing Qigong articles and videos. Please leave a comment in the comments box next to this video if you now have a bit more clarity around the definition of Qigong.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button above so you don’t miss my regular videos. Also please give this video a “Like” if you now know more about the definition of Qigong that you did before!
This video from Dr Janice Tucker is the first in a two part series about Qigong benefits. What I’d like to share with you today is specifically how Qigong benefits YOU.
Janice Tucker is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong. She is also the founder of the Space To Relax online programme of Qigong video lessons.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button above so you don’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
What Are The Main Benefits Of Qigong For You?
There are five main benefits:
1. Relaxation
Qigong offers you the benefit of relaxation both physically, mentally and emotionally. This has the effect of calming your mind and giving you much more energy.
2. Calms Mind, Adjusts Breath And Posture
The effects of these three factors lead to more energy, more strength in terms of health and also the ability to cope much more readily with day to day stress!
3. Strengthening of Health
As a Chinese medicine practitioner I love this particular benefit. Qigong helps build up your health. This makes you stronger and more resistant to disease. By doing strengthening your health you can help to prevent the onset of any illness which is the most effective way to manage your health! Head off any illness before it has the opportunity to take root in the first place.
4. Helps Treat Illness
By practising Qigong you can help slow down the progress of a disease or illness and also help speed up your recovery from illness.
5. Helps You To Live Longer
The idea that Qigong can increase your longevity makes sense when you consider the previous benefits. If Qigong helps treat illness, prevent disease and makes your body stronger then it follows that you have a good chance of living longer! Qigong practitioners are reputed to look younger than their actual age and be healthier than the next person. This is because they are continually adjusting and managing their health on a day to day basis.
If you’d like to learn more about Qigong then head over to my Space To Relax homepage. Here you can sign up to receive three free video lessons which will be delivered to you by e-mail. By practising these simple 5 minute lessons you will get a flavour of the Qigong benefits of feeling much calmer and at the same time more energetic.
If you head over to my free group on Facebook, “Space To Relax Free Group” you can leave any questions for me there and I’ll be happy to answer them. Also you can leave a comment in the comments box next to this video.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button above so you don’t miss my regular videos full of health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you learned much more about Qigong benefits by reading this article.
Look out for Part 2 of Qigong Benefits which will be available very soon.
This video from Dr Janice Tucker at Space To Relax explains where you can find relaxing music to listen to when you are practising Qigong (Chi Gong) exercises.
Janice Tucker is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong, and the founder of the Space To Relax online programme of Qigong video lessons.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button next to the video when you click the YouTube link. Then, you won’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
Recently one of my Space To Relax members asked me about where to find relaxation music to listen to during Qigong practice so I filmed the video above and wrote this article to answer this question and hope that we can all share our ideas.
Sources of Relaxation Music
Your choice of music is very personal to you. I know this from my 16 years practising in Chinese medicine clinics. Some of my clients love relaxation music, some hate it, some want no music at all and prefer total silence! It’s all a matter of searching and finding something that you love to listen to and can work with.
The following are the sources of calming and relaxing music I found which would be suitable for Qigong (Chi Gong) meditation and exercises:
There is so much music out there. I simply typed “Qigong Relaxation Music” into the search box in YouTube and there was a huge choice of calming, relaxing music to select from.
Check out this one which I use in my clinic called “Nature Sound”. It’s a free app from iTunes and also on Android. You have a choice of both relaxing music and sounds from nature (ocean, forest, whale calls etc.). The advantage of having music on your phone is that you can take it out into your favourite place in nature to practice Qigong (Chi Gong).
I don’t use Spotify but I’m sure that many of you do. There is a good choice of relaxation music to download, again just by searching for “Qigong Relaxation Music”.
4. Buy Your Music!
You can choose to buy your music in the form of CDs, paid apps and downloads. Often a good source of physical CDs is your local health store and of course, Amazon.
The most important thing to remember is to find music that you like to listen to and that you can relax to while practising Qigong (Chi Gong). The essence of Qigong is relaxation and anything which will help you to do this has to be a good thing!
I’d love you to share with below in the comments box if you have any tips for other good sources of music. We can all help each other by sharing our ideas!
If you would like some free Qigong video lessons to help you extinguish exhaustion, annihilate anxiety and calm your mind then take a look at the Space To Relax homepage. Here you can sign up to receive three free video lessons and then choose some relaxing music to go with them!
Also, if you head over to my free group on Facebook, “Space To Relax Free Group” you can leave any questions for me there and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button over on YouTube so you don’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips.
Also please give this video a “Like” if you learned about a few more sources of calming and relaxing Qigong music.
This video from Dr Janice Tucker at http://spacetorelax.com/ shares with you where to find Qigong classes and the best ways in which to learn Qigong.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here so you don’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
Janice Tucker is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong. She is also the founder of the Space To Relax online programme of Qigong video lessons.
Where Do I Find Qigong Classes?
Have you ever thought about learning Qigong but not known how to go about finding any Qigong classes near you? This is something I am asked about all the time.
1. Face To Face Qigong Classes
Many people would love to attend Qigong classes face to face with a teacher but it can be difficult to find a Qigong teacher in your area.
If you do find a Qigong class in your area this is a great way to learn Qigong, whether that be in night classes or workshops/seminars. This method of learning offers you close interaction with your teacher with feedback there and then. Your teacher can monitor you as you progress. This is one way in which I teach Qigong here in South-west Ireland.
2. DVD or YouTube
There are lots of videos out there online and to buy as DVDs. There is a huge choice of teachers and methods. However, the choice can be overwhelming, especially for a beginner. Also, you won’t necessarily receive feedback from the teacher so how do you know if you are doing the exercises correctly?
The other drawback here is that you often do not receive a structured programme of learning. Often Qigong is taught incrementally, starting with the basic, simple exercises and building up to more advanced methods. If you are watching DVDs or YouTube videos how do you know whether you are starting in the right place? How do you know you are progressing in the most healthy way?
3. Online Qigong Classes With Feedback And Support From A Teacher
By practising Qigong online you receive a structured programme of Qigong lessons. This usually starts with beginner exercises and progresses as you go through the course. Very importantly, you also receive guidance and feedback from your online teacher. This means you will feel confident that what you are doing is correct, every step of the way.
Online Qigong classes are perfect for those of you who want convenience and flexibility with your learning. You can practice from the comfort of your own home at any time of day. This is perfectly suited to shift workers carers of elderly relatives/young children or very busy people who are unable to commit to a set time and day of the week to attend live Qigong classes.
More Information
If you are interested in reading more about how to learn Qigong online to improve your health then click on my Space To Relax homepage. The Space To Relax online programme of video lessons are delivered weekly to you by accessing the membership site.
Also, you can you can sign up on the homepage for a FREE three part Qigong video lesson series and download a free Qigong meditation. This will give you a flavour of what learning Qigong online involves. I can support you if you head over to my free group on Facebook, “Space To Relax Free Group“. Just pop any questions in the comments box there.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here so you don’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it helped you to decide on the best way in which you can attend Qigong classes.
