Lesson 27 – Qigong For Sinus and Headache (Replay of Live Qigong Class)
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 Sinus and Headache – Introduction
These classes are free and everyone is welcome. However, if you’d like to contribute as a thank you for the class this week it’s not too late to donate to a worthy cause. 100% of donations from Friday 7th August – Friday 14th August will go to the RNLI local branch in Fenit, County Kerry, Ireland by way of a thank you to our lifeboat volunteers for risking their lives to save others. This is to mark my 4.5km swim (!!!) challenge across Tralee Bay which I completed in 1 hour 44 minutes (without a wetsuit!) on Saturday 8th August. The conditions were glassy calm and sunny – a sublime swim if ever there was one! Click here if you’d like to donate.
Introduction To Qigong for Sinus and Headache
For those of you who are sufferers, you will have experienced that sinus congestion can often worsen in colder weather. This is because cold causes body fluids to move more slowly and stagnate. Sinus congestion can also be more prevalent if you have a deviated septum or nasal polyps. Congestion can cause pressure and painful headaches are often associated with sinus conditions.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Qigong the initial focus is on dispersing the fluid which is stuck in the sinus cavities. Once it is mobilised then the body can naturally rid this excess.
In this video you can follow along with some simple Qigong and an acupressure point to help you to disperse thick and sticky mucus in the sinuses. Also, it is important to consider avoiding certain mucus producing foods at this time so you’ll find more details on these below.
Method for Using Qigong For Sinus and Headache
- Begin by taking a comfortable standing (more on Qigong stance here) or sitting position (more on seated Qigong here).
- Settle into your practice by relaxing your body and mind with Abdominal Breathing.
- Follow along with the “Looking Back Over Shoulder” exercises. This is one of the movements which you can learn in much more detail as part of the “8 Pieces of Brocade” method in my Space to Relax Programme of online Qigong video lessons.
- Locate and massage point “Yingxiang” (Large Intestine 20), called “Welcome Fragrance” in English.
- Consolidate your practice with a few abdominal breaths, taking time to observe whether your nasal passages and sinuses feel more open. If you notice mucus dripping down the back of the throat that is a good sign; you have mobilised some thick and sticky Phlegm!
It is a good idea to avoid mucus producing foods in order not to add to the problem. These include dairy products, refined foods (e.g. white flour), too much sweet food, greasy food and food that is too cold (e.g. ice cream).
Integrating Qigong For Sinus and Headache Into Your Day
Use the simple movements of Looing Back Over Shoulder whenever you have a few moments. If you have an active sinus infection you can practice this up to 5 times per day. You can also massage point Yingxiang whenever you feel any nasal blockage or to relieve sinus pressure.
Please take a look at the following blog posts below for methods to combine with these in order to further help manage sinus congestion.
Qigong for Lymphatic Drainage
Previous Live Lesson Replays
Previous live lesson replays are listed below and can be found on my blog page.
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 along with 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.