This is a replay of a live session showing you a Qigong routine for Spring, taught by myself, Dr. Janice Tucker. I have been teaching Qigong for two decades and am the founder of the Space To Relax Programme of Qigong video lessons. I’m also a practitioner of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. You can join my live classes on Zoom every Thursday at 4 pm Irish time. Click here to join us (lesson replays sent out by email in case you can’t make it).
These classes are free and everyone is welcome. However, if you’d like to contribute as a thank you for the class click here. 50% of donations will go to the ICU staff in my local hospital in Co. Kerry. The other 50% goes towards the upkeep of this website.
Qigong For Back Problems – Introduction
I think you’ll agree that very few of us go through our lives experiencing no issues with our backs. At one time or another we may injure our backs lifting something too heavy. Many people around the world suffer from arthritis of the spine. Our jobs may involve lifting or sitting at a desk for long periods of time which can be detrimental to our posture and have a detrimental impact on our back health. The long and short of it is that back problems are common!
In this video you can follow along with some simple methods of Qigong for back problems and learn how to help relieve aches, pains and stiffness in your back.
Qigong Routine
1. Begin with adopting the correct Qigong stance so that your posture allows for the free flow Qi and blood throughout the whole spine (more details here).
2. Use Abdominal Breathing to calm the mind and prepare yourself for your practice, focusing on the back of the Dan Tian area around the lower back (more details here).
3. Holding your arms at shoulder level, move the arms in and out, rounding and extending the upper back as shown in the video. Remember to breathe and smile! 🙂
4. Relax your arms by your sides, turning from one side to the other, allowing your arms to tap the back of the body as you are moving. 🙂
5. Perform the “Looking Back Over Shoulder” method which is part of the Ba Duan Jin (8 Pieces of Brocade) method. This exercise regulates everything, especially the spine and the thighs. It is useful in the prevention of painful twisting and distortion of the spine. You can also help calm your nervous system and aid recovery from fatigue as well as regulate visceral Qi and blood. Looking Back Over Shoulder can help in the prevention and management of hypertension (high blood pressure). This exercise also benefits the eyes (because we look back). Headaches will also often be reduced.
6. Massage the lower back, buttocks and hamstrings to bring more circulation into these areas.
7. End this routine with a few abdominal breaths.
For more information on Qigong for back problems please refer to my previous video here. This gives you more detail on the “Looking Back Over Shoulder” method.
Previous Live Lesson Replays
Previous live lesson replays are listed below and can be found on my blog page.
Click the image above to follow along with the Qigong class!
What Can I Do Next?
To sign up and attend the live online sessions please click here. Classes are free of charge and suitable if you’re a beginner or have more Qigong experience. Once you sign up I’ll send details to your email with links to the Zoom classes (check your junk/spam folders for notifications). Please share this information with your family and friends as everyone is more than welcome.
If you’d like to take your practice to the next level with my structured, step-by-step Space To Relax Qigong programme of 50 video lessons accompanied by audio and PDF files with support from me every step of the way then click here.
To get my free part video series of 3 Qigong lessons which will be delivered to you by email over the course of one week please go to my homepage. In these lessons you’ll learn more about abdominal breathing and Qi movement. In addition, you’ll learn how to rid waste Qi from your body order to feel more relaxed and energised.
You can also click the red “subscribe” button to join my YouTube channel. That way, you won’t miss any future Qigong lessons from me.
Feeling stiff and inflexible, or even worse, feeling pain in your back is debilitating and can be a source of misery and depression for many people. Back pain is extremely common. If you are an office worker sitting at a desk every day or have ever been pregnant then the chances are you have experienced back pain at some point! The website goodbody.com reports that 8 out of 10 Americans will experience back problems at some point in their lives. In my experience the similar statistics must also apply to Ireland, where I live, and many other countries too. The good news is that there are many practices and methods we can adopt to help minimise back pain and manage it so that it doesn’t limit our lifestyle. In the video on this page you will learn how to use Qigong for back pain management so that you can regain strength and flexibility in this very central supporting area of your body.
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 in Youtube. That way you won’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. These videos will help you to enhance your health and prevent illness from arising in the first place. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
The Impact Of Back Pain On Our Lives
In my Chinese medicine and acupuncture clinics I have observed an increase in back pain over the years. I’m sure that we all know someone with recurrent back pain, even if we ourselves are not sufferers. Perhaps this is because of the increasing number of people sitting at their desks working.
In addition to the misery that back pain brings, it can also negatively impact our lives:
We may not be able to go to work and so lose financial security.
The ability to carry out our daily tasks may be limited.
We may not be able to exercise and therefore put on weight which may lead to further health complications.
Our sleep may be interrupted as we can’t find a comfortable position in bed. This can result in us waking up exhausted.
Any pain medication that we may take for back pain may have side effects which create further health problems for us.
Back pain can be a recurrent problem because often the cause is never identified. If the cause cannot be eliminated then your pain is more likely to recur. This is why the appropriate management of back pain is crucial in preventing the problem developing into a long term, chronic one.
The Solution – Qigong For Back Pain
Qigong for back pain methods in general involve movement. They are perfect for dealing with back pain as they smooth the flow of energy (Qi) and blood flow through the area. In Chinese Medicine terms, a stagnation or blockage of the flow of Qi and blood can cause pain. However there are a couple of methods which are particularly useful to help you regulate back pain more specifically.
This method of Qigong for back pain is exceptionally helpful as it provides you with a standing posture which will avoid any obstruction in the flow of Qi and blood through two areas which are particularly prone to stagnation and pain, the lower back and neck.
2. For morning stiffness and pain
If you feel especially stiff in the mornings and it takes you a while to get going then it will be very helpful for you to start the day with a few gentle movements. This will help you to loosen up the back in the mornings! My perfect Morning Qigong Routine is shown here.
3. Looking Back Over Shoulder Method
This exercise is one belonging to a series of 8 called the Ba Duan Jin. It regulates everything, especially the spine and the thighs. It is useful in the prevention of twisting of the spine.
Basic Instructions
Qigong stance. Stand with neck stretched straight, arms hanging down freely. Bring hands into position with palms facing down and pressure on heels of hands, fingers spread wide. With chest projected out and shoulders squared, slowly rotate head to left (men) or right (women) with eyes looking backward over shoulder and move hands to sides of body, palms facing ground. Keep arms close to sides of body and chin parallel to the ground as you turn the head. Then slowly rotate head back to starting posture and bring hands back to in front of body. Repeat to right side. Repeat several times.
Finish the exercise by placing one hand (right for women, left for men) flat over Dan Tian (lower abdomen) with the other hand on top. Circle a few times in one direction and then the other to seal in the Qi. Allow the hands to drop down by the sides of the body and observe any sensations or changes
Breathing Instructions
Exhale as head and hands turn to side. Inhale as body returns to starting posture. Exhale as palms press to ground. Inhale before starting the movement again.
Focus of Mind
Imagine Qi travelling down side of the leg to the sole of the foot) on side you are looking towards. As head returns to centre make Qi come back to coccyx in the lower back.
What Do I Do Next?
If you would like to start using Qigong for back pain then:
Head over to my Space To Relax homepage. There you can sign up for a free 3 part video series of Qigong lessons. These three lessons, in addition to the videos referred to above, will give you many useful Qigong for back pain relieving methods to help improve any problems you have with your back. Once you’ve been through that series you’ll have the opportunity to join my Space To Relax online membership programme of Qigong video lessons. This will allow you to take your practice to a whole new level where you will learn many exercises to relieve pain, calm your mind and eliminate health issues before they become a major problem. In this programme you will also learn the other 7 exercises in the Ba Duan Jin to complement the “Looking Back Over Shoulder” method you just learned in this video. This is a fantastic, comprehensive series of exercises which will elevate your health to a whole new level.
Go to my YouTube channel by click the red “Subscribe” button. That way you won’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” and share with me in the comments box what you do to manage back pain if you are one of the many sufferers around the world.
Join my free Facebook group, “Space To Relax Free Group” and leave any comments or questions for me there. I’ll be happy to answer them. Also, by joining this group, you will receive regular posts of Qigong articles and videos with really useful tips about how to use Qigong to improve your state of health.
