“Do you ever get angry?”
“No.”
“What, never?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe you!”
Over the past 18 years or so this has been a fairly common exchange between myself and my clients in the acupuncture clinic. The reason I don’t believe people who say they never get angry is that everyone does. The difference is that some people express it by shouting and screaming and some people bottle it up in the form of frustration, silent resentment or sulking. In the video today I’m going to share with you how to use Qigong for anger management, more specifically, for getting rid of anger in a healthy way.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button on if you are watching over there. That way you won’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. These videos will help you to improve your health and prevent illness from arising in the first place. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
How Does Anger Affect Us?
Anger is the emotion associated with the “Liver” organ system in Qigong. The Liver system is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi on all levels (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional). If anger is excessive it impacts on the healthy functioning of the Liver system which can result in many health problems such as:
• feeling a lump in the throat;
• abdominal distension;
• eye problems;
• tendon stiffness and inflexibility;
• digestive issues;
• pre-menstrual tension in women;
• lumps in the breasts or breast tenderness in women;
• tinnitus;
• headaches;
• brittle nails;
• muscle cramps and spasms;
• lack of direction and organisation in life.
As you can see it’s not a good thing to be experience and out of balance Liver system!
The Solution – Qigong For Anger
Qigong for anger management is perfect as the methods in general encourage your mind to be calm and relaxed, the very opposite of anger! However there are a couple of methods which are particularly useful to help you regulate anger more specifically.
1. Ba Duan Jin Exercise
This is one exercise from an 8 part series of Qigong exercises called the Ba Duan Jin or 8 Pieces of Brocade. It’s a very famous series of Qigong exercises and this particular one is a perfect method of Qigong for anger because it helps the Liver system. It thereby helps to combat the damaging effects of anger your body and mind.
This movement is called “Open Eyes Wide With Clenched Fists”. The position for this Qigong exercise is a horse stance. Step out into a horse stance that is comfortable for you, as wide or as narrow as you want. Check that the knees are not dropping inwards and are pushed out over the toes. Tuck the pelvis in under your body to make the lower back flat. Both hands rest on the hips, with loose fists and the palms facing upwards. The chest is pulled back slightly and you are nice and tall, with length in the back of the neck.
Women begin with the right hand and men with the left hand. Move the first hand out in front of you with a gentle punching action and as you extend it, at the end, twist the arm so the back of the hand ends up facing uppermost. Bring the fist back, turning the palm upwards as you draw it back in. Repeat with the other arm, extending the arm outwards and looking at the fist. Pull the arm back, twisting it back into the starting position on the hip.
The movement for this punching action actually comes from your hips. You need to twist in the whole body as you make the punching action, looking at the fist. The movement of the hip then draws the punch back. The hip turns and pushes the arm out. Look the fist. The hip then turns, drawing the arm back in towards the body.
Breathing
Breathe in before you begin. Exhale as you punch. Breathe in as you draw the arm back to the hip.
In this method you pick one thing that you want to release from your body or mind. In this case pick the emotion of anger and breathe it out using the technique shown in the video.
3. Practice any moving Qigong exercise.
Moving Qigong methods promote the smooth flow of Qi and thereby help to disperse the emotion of anger.
What Do I Do Next?
If you would like to start using Qigong for anger then:
1. Head over to my Space To Relax homepage. There you can sign up for a free 3 part video series of Qigong lessons. Lesson 1 will teach you how to breathe more efficiently and calm your mind with Abdominal Breathing. Lesson 2 is the perfect moving Qigong exercise to perform and promote the smooth flow of Qi. In Lesson 3 you will learn how to rid waste Qi (in this case in the form of anger) from your body.
2. 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 what you do to help dispel anger in a healthy way.
3. 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.
A while ago I sent out a survey asking those of you on my email list, “What is your biggest struggle when it comes to peace of mind and relaxation?”. I followed this up by asking, “What are the negative consequences of this struggle?” By far the most popular answer was to do with time, or more precisely, lack of time. Many people imagine that by adopting the habit of a mindful practice like Qigong, they will have less time to do other more urgent or important things. In the video on this page I’ll be explaining how you can in fact gain time with Qigong.
If you are watching on YouTube, please don’t forget 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 enhance your health and prevent illness from arising in the first place. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.
Survey Responses On The Subject Of Time
Here are some of the time related comments left by the people who responded to my survey:
I feel guilty for taking time out;
I can’t make time in my busy schedule;
I have no time to get things completed;
I want to take time to relax and watch your videos;
I want to be more disciplined about taking time for myself;
I want to schedule more time;
I want to make more time to do nice things and then actually do them!
Any of these sound familiar to you?
Can We Actually Gain Time?
What is important to realise is that there is a finite amount of time in the day so “gaining” or” making” time isn’t actually possible. It’s more about “allocating” or “apportioning” time to the things we feel are more important or urgent. It’s up to you to decide upon those things.
If your response to this is, “Well it’s not up to me, it’s all determined by others”, just remember that you created your life because of the choices you made at a particular time. We create our own reality. If you are feeling a lack of time then please don’t despair! You can begin to make different choices to change things for the better. You create your life, remember that!
How To Gain Time With Qigong
I want to help you to start making different choices. The key to this is deciding that your physical and mental health is a priority. Just pause for a moment and think about how your life would be without them. How restricted would you feel then? This is usually enough incentive for us to gain a little perspective around our health. We all take it for granted until it’s taken away from us.
If you can invest 5 minutes per day in a regular Qigong practice this will go a long way to helping you maintain your physical and mental health.
Take a look at the exercise on abdominal breathing in the video. This is a perfect example of how to gain time with Qigong practice. Why? Because your mind will become clearer and more alert as a result of focusing on abdominal breathing. You will start to feel physically more energetic. This means that you will then be able to complete all the tasks in your busy schedule faster and more efficiently, freeing up time to spend relaxing with friends and family.
See how it works? The hamster on the wheel idea is not sustainable. Something needs to change if you want your management of time to be more effective. That something is the state of your physical and mental health.
What Do I Do Next?
If you would like to gain time with Qigong by improving the state of your physical and mental health then:
Head over to my Space To Relax homepage to sign up for a free 3 part video series of Qigong lessons.
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 what you do in your life to free up more time to spend doing the things you love.
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.
Nearly all Qigong methods combine an element of balance, except the ones where you are lying down meditating. I mentioned this in a previous video blog about the differences between Qigong and Yoga. In this post I’ll tell you my three best tips which show you how to use Qigong for balance. This is important for the elderly in helping to prevent falls. Balance is also important for athletes where a good sense of balance can make all the difference to athletic performance.
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 if you head over to YouTube. That way you won’t 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.
3 Ways To Use Qigong For Balance
1. Relaxation
The more relaxed you are the more you can find your natural balance and centre of gravity. Holding tension in your muscles causes imbalance. Refer to the previous video on Qigong Standing Posture to learn more details about how to maintain balance and relaxation in this posture.
2. Do Exercises To Promote Leg Strength
Any standing posture will help to increase the strength of your legs if practiced regularly over time. A good example you can look at is one of the 8 Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin) exercises called “Open Eyes Wide With Clenched Fists” which is performed from a horse stance position. This stance will help to develop the strength of your thighs giving you a more solid and stable foundation leading to an improved sense of balance.
3. Learn How To Stand Properly
Learning how to stand properly by “regulating” the position of the neck and lower spine will improve your balance. From there you can then walk with more confidence and an improved sense of balance.
If you practice these three methods then your overall movement will be more solid and stable resulting in improved balance and confidence as you move around.
What Do I Do Next?
1. Head over to my Space To Relax homepage to sign up for a free 3 part video series of Qigong lessons.
2. Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button. 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 learned more about how to use Qigong for balance (and share with any friends or family, especially the more elderly people you know who may not be so steady on their feet).
3. If you are on Facebook head over to my free 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.
The students in my recent Qigong live workshop were so pleased to learn some simple methods to enhance their immunity. Now they can better resist coughs, cold and other nasty infections coming into the autumn. Even if you don’t live in the northern hemisphere as I do here in Ireland, please watch the accompanying video. We all know that boosting our immunity to its optimum is valuable thing to at any time of the year. In the video next to this text I’m going to give you some tips on how to use Qigong for immunity ehnancement. I’ll be showing you how to supercharge your immune system with quick and simple methods. You can integrate these methods into your daily activities very easily so there is no excuse for not doing them!
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. 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.
Qigong For Immunity – My Top 4 Tips
1. Abdominal Breathing
a) Inhalation. In order to enhance your immunity think of inhaling clean, fresh, energising air that will improve your lung function, opening up your respiratory channels so that you can increase your resistance to disease.
b) Exhalation. As you exhale think of anything you don’t want in your body, especially if you have an infection, e.g. phlegm, cough, sinus pressure. Breathe out, using your mind to expel what you don’t want.
For more detail on this method, please click here to view my previous video on “Get Rid of the Negative with Qigong Breathing Exercises”.
2. One of the Six Healing Sounds
This is a “discharging” method which means you can use it to rid any sick or waste Qi from your body. In this method you use a specific sound to rid sick Qi from the Lung system. The sound is “tssss” and it creates a specific frequency which resonates with your lung system. In this way you can help enhance your immunity.
a) Breathe into the lower belly (Dan Tian) for 3 breaths.
b) Think of the lungs for 3 breaths.
c) Exhale each time saying the “tssss” sound as you turn to the side looking over your shoulder. As you do this think of expelling waste or sick Qi from your lungs.
You can perform this method from a standing position or as you are walking.
3. Discharge With Vibration
This is a very quick and easy Qigong for immunity method in which you simply vibrate the body to expel any sick or waste Qi from your body. It is Lesson 3 in my free 3 part Space To Relax video series (see below for details on how to access this).
4. Get Advice From Your Practitioner or Local Health Store
The ideal time to book a course of treatment with your Chinese medicine practitioner or acupuncturist is before your immune system is challenged. Make use of your healthcare practitioner or consult with your local health store to get advice on the best immune boosting herbs and supplements.
What Do I Do Next?
To learn even more tips on Qigong for immunity enhancement go 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. Abdominal breathing is Lesson 1 and Discharge with Vibration is Lesson 3. Also, for the free audio meditation “Calm Your Busy Mind In 8 Minutes” scroll to the bottom of the Space To Relax homepage.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button. 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 learned more about Qigong for immunity boosting.
If you are on Facebook head over to my free 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.
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.
