Lesson 39 – Qigong Meditation With Plants (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.
Introduction to Qigong Meditation With Plants
As most of us know, being around plants is inherently calming. Humans originally lived outside, in the wild and maybe this ancient connection is why we feel so good around them. The benefit of meditating around plants is five fold:
1. Relaxes your nervous system;
2. Calms your mind;
3. Grounding;
4. Brings you into the present;
5. Enlivens your senses.
Qigong Meditation With Plants – Method
- Position a houseplant or edible herb plant in front of you at eye level or just below eye level.
- Begin with Abdominal Breathing in a sitting position, eyes closed.
- With your eyes still closed bring your attention to the eyes. This is the first sense organ you will use to observe the plant in front of you.
- Open your eyes and observe your plant; the colour, shape, pattern and texture on the leaves, the stem, any flowers, the soil in which it is growing and anything else about it.
- Next touch your plant, squeeze the leaves to notice whether they are spongy or hard. Are the leaves rough or smooth?
- If your plant has flowers or is a herb, smell the plant. If not then pick up some of the soil in which it is growing and smell that. Close your eyes to heighten your sense of smell.
- If your plant is edible, pick a leave and taste it. Close your eyes to help amplify your sense of taste.
- End the Qigong meditation by performing a few abdominal breaths with your eyes closed, then open your eyes and look at your plant with appreciation.
Integrating This Qigong Meditation With Plants Into Your Day
Meditation such as this can be used daily to help remove you from the anxiety and worry of past or future, to bring you into the present and bring you a sense of peace. You can also perform similar meditations when walking outside in a forest or park, watering your plants, or gardening.
Below are three links to previous live Qigong lesson replays which you could combine with this Qigong meditation with plants if you would like to make a longer Qigong routine.
- Qigong for Present Moment Living
- Qigong for Grounding
- Relieve Anxiety and Chest Congestion With Qigong.
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 click here. In these lessons you’ll learn more about abdominal breathing and Qi movement along with how to rid waste Qi from your body in order to feel more relaxed and energised.
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