This is a replay of a live session showing you how to use Qigong for constipation and digestive health, 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 and 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 Constipation – Introduction
Most of us will, at one time or another, have suffered with constipation, bloating or digestive discomfort. Constipation can be due to many factors including:
Certain foods;
Medications;
Stress;
Rushing and feeling under pressure;
Lack of exercise;
Eating on the run.
The objective of using Qigong for constipation is to:
Stimulate peristalsis and contraction in the intestines so that waste can be efficiently expelled;
Create the conditions for smooth and unobstructed Qi flow in the organ systems which, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), are involved in healthy digestive function. These are Spleen, Liver, Stomach, Small Intestine and Large Intestine.
Use one of the methods below or a combination to either improve your situation if you are suffering from constipation or to maintain healthy bowel movements and prevent constipation from arising in the first place.
Qigong For Constipation – Method
Begin standing (or standing for long periods is not available to you right now).
Settle into your practice with a few abdominal breaths to bring yourself into the Qigong state.
Massage the abdominal area, focusing on the descending colon on the left side of the abdomen.
Use exaggerated abdominal breathing to massage the abdominal organs and encourage movement through the intestines.
Close your hands to make fists, creating tension as you inhale and draw up on the anus. As you exhale, release the fists and relax the anus. Repeat 20 times.
Perform the “Knocking on the Gates of Life” exercise.
Perform “Raising Up A Single Hand” exercise to promote Qi flow through the sides of the body and channels linked to the digestive organs mentioned above.
Consolidate your practice with a few abdominal breaths.
Additional Management Options
The following additional tips are worth considering in order to help best manage constipation:
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be extremely helpful.
Drink plenty of water.
Eat a diet high in fibre.
Take calcium/magnesium supplements to help promote muscle contraction and relaxation (and improve peristalsis).
Pay attention to your time and manner of eating. Eat regularly. Chew your food slowly. Avoid eating “on the run”, standing up, in front of the TV, when you are emotionally upset, when you are rushing or under pressure.
Many other live lesson replays can be found on my blog page. Take a look at some of them to find methods which you can easily combine with this one.
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 click here. In these lessons you’ll learn more about abdominal breathing, Qi movement and how to rid waste Qi. This will help you 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.
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 Digestion – Introduction
In this video you can follow along with some Qigong for digestion. This Qigong exercise can help you if you suffer with digestive issues such as colitis, diverticulitis, IBS (see here for a previous video about IBS) and indigestion, amongst other stomach and digestive related problems. Because it communicates with all the other systems in our bodies, when our gut is healthy the rest of our body is more likely to function at its optimum. The sequence is as follows:
1. Begin with Abdominal Breathing to calm the mind and prepare yourself for your practice;
2. Raising Up A Single Hand exercise (which is part of the Ba Duan Jin – 8 Pieces of Brocade method) to harmonise and promote free flow of Qi through the digestive system;
3. The use of the acupuncture point Zusanli (Stomach 36) and how you can apply pressure to this point. This acupressure point has many effects including: – helping to improve all issues involving the Stomach and Spleen systems, e.g. diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, nausea, digestive discomfort and pain, indigestion; – tonifying (building up) deficient Qi and/or Blood so that you feel less exhausted; – tonifying Wei (Defensive) Qi so optimising the function of the immune system; – maintaining general health, especially in cases of weakness, low energy levels and chronic illness; – helping to stabilise mental and emotional health in cases such as depression, anxiety, nervousness, PMS.
Previous Live Lesson Replays
Previous live lesson replays are listed below and can be found on my blog page:
1. Abdominal breathing and Qigong stance.
2. Circulation of Qi in the Four Directions.
3. Circulation of Qi around the lower abdomen (Dan Tian).
4. Qi Circulation Techniques.
5. Qigong Face Exercises.
6. Qigong for Chest Congestion and Anxiety.
7. Qigong for Anxiety and Overthinking.
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).
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. You’ll also 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.
Gas, bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhoea, pain, mucus, an uncomfortably full feeling and abdominal cramping. Some of you will be familiar with these symptoms which can develop over time, with no structural or anatomical change that can be detected as cause. And for those of you who are familiar with them, this could mean a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS. This is a distressing condition which nobody should have to endure. If you are someone suffering with this digestive problem then you’ll learn from the video on this page how to use Qigong for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Don’t forget to head over to YouTube to subscribe to my YouTube channel. 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.
What Causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
1. Stress
In Traditional Chinese Medicine a “liver-spleen disharmony” due to stress is one of the most common causes of IBS. Normally, the liver is in charge of the free flow of energy (or Qi), blood and oxygen to the spleen and stomach. Stress, frustration, anger, moodiness and tightness in the body (the liver is sensitive to these emotions) can cause stagnation of the “free flow” of Qi through the digestive organs. This can cause acid, belching, nausea, abdominal distension and bloating. Diarrhoea, constipation and irregular bowel movements can also occur.
2. Food sensitivity
There are some foods which can trigger IBS symptoms. You may already have identified them but if not consider what you may be eating from the list of trigger foods below:
Cold, raw vegetables: Eating too many cold, raw vegetables dampens the digestive fire and leads to malabsorption of nutrients.
Wheat and gluten.
Cruciferous vegetables and legumes: They can cause gas and bloating in sensitive individuals.
Dairy: Lactose intolerance can lead to digestive ailments.
3. Time and Manner of Eating
This is as important in Chinese Medicine as what you eat. Eating “on the run” or too quickly, while angry or hurried all impede healthy digestion. When you eat or drink quickly, you might also be inhaling too much air and eating too much.
The Solutions
1. Reduce Stress With Meditation and Qigong For Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Easing stress would be the most important aspect of your plan to treat the root cause of IBS, or any other digestive problem for that matter. Qigong for Irritable Bowel Syndrome management is ideal as it is very effective at relieving stress.
Research carried out at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on meditation and IBS found that women who practiced mediation had around a 38 percent reduction in symptoms, according to U.S. News. Click here for the full article.
Meditation focuses on deep breathing and staying in the moment to relax the mind and body.
For an explanation of Qigong meditation go to a previous video I made – click here.
Practice simple Abdominal Breathing. Breathe in and out through the nose. As you breathe in the belly expands. As you breathe out the belly shrinks. For a full explanation and to watch a previous video click here.
2. Movement and Exercise
Massaging the abdomen (9x clockwise, 9x counter-clockwise) can be very helpful. Also, exercises to move things around such as moving Qigong exercises or Tai Chi can relieve stagnation of Qi and promote its free flow to the digestive organs.
3. Eliminate Trigger Foods From Your Diet (see the list above).
4. Eat In A Relaxed Environment Without Rushing
5. Other Treatments
The inclusion of probiotics to increase good bacteria in the stomach, herbal teas such as fennel and peppermint, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can also be of great help in the management of IBS..
What Do I Do Next?
If you would like to learn even more Qigong for irritable bowel syndrome management then:
Head over to my Space To Relax homepage where you can sign up for a free 3 part video series of Qigong lessons. These three lessons will show you just how easy it is to get started with Qigong. Once you’ve completed the free 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 eliminate health issues before they become a major problem. I’ll guide you step by step through many more effective Qigong methods which you can use to manage many digestive issues, including Qigong for irritable bowel syndrome management.
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. Also please give this video a “Like” and share with me in the comments box your best remedies for IBS.
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.
