Lesson 32 – Qigong Routine For Post Exercise Recovery (Replay of Live Qigong Class)

Lesson 32 – Qigong Routine For Post Exercise Recovery (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 Routine For Post Exercise Recovery – Introduction

This is a replay of a live session showing you a Qigong routine for post-exercise recovery. This is a quick way in which to relieve stiffness and discomfort in your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints after exercise. However, you can also use it for feelings of stiffness when you get up in the morning or for anytime when you feel tired as a quick “pick me up”.

The aim of this Qigong routine is to create the conditions in which we can:

  • Discharge any “waste Qi” (lactic acid, muscle inflammation);
  • Nourish our muscles and tendons by promoting the flow of Qi and blood;
  • Increase our breathing capacity and efficiency.

Qigong Routine For Post Exercise Recovery – Method

  1. Begin by taking a comfortable standing (more on Qigong stance here) or sitting position (more on seated Qigong here).
  2. Settle into your practice by relaxing your body and mind with Abdominal Breathing.
  3. Cup your hands and tap the whole of the surface of your body in order to release any waste Qi from the muscles, tendons and ligaments, bringing it up to the skin surface.
  4. Discharge Waste Qi with Vibration (see here for full method).
  5. Embrace The Tree for however long is comfortable for you (3 minutes up to 45 minutes for more experienced practitioners).
  6. Use your hands to massage your lower back and kidney area which can often feel stiff after exercise.
  7. Smooth out your Qi field from head to toe, using your hands.
  8. Consolidate your practice with a few abdominal breaths, taking time to observe any changes in the state of your body and mind.

Integrating This Qigong Routine for Post-Exercise Recovery Into Your Day

Perform this whole routine, or only part of it, ideally within a few hours of exercise to prevent stiffness and discomfort from developing in your muscles.

Please watch the following videos I made previously which you could combine with this one:

  1. Qigong Stretch for Athletes.
  2. As the Liver system is responsible for the tendons in Chinese medicine try this routine: Liver Cleansing Qigong Exercises.
  3. The Spleen system is responsible for the major muscles of the body so try this routine.

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 along with how to rid waste Qi from your body in 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.

Website homepage.

How To Establish A Qigong Routine

How To Establish A Qigong Routine

“I’d love to do Qigong but how do I find the time to practice regularly?”. If you are someone who struggles with finding the time for yourself then you’re not alone. I understand exactly how you feel as sometimes I feel like this myself. We are all busy and sometimes life can get in the way of our best intentions. What I’ll be sharing with you in this post is how to make it easier to create a regular habit of Qigong and how to establish a Qigong routine which does not take too much time out of your busy schedule.

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 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.

5 Tips On How To Establish A Qigong Routine

1. Integrate Qigong In To Your Day

If you are so busy that you cannot conceive where to find time to practice Qigong then this post was made for you! There is a solution. It’s not ideal as even 5 minutes of regular practice time is beneficial. However many of the Qigong exercises I teach do not require dedicated practice time. You can easily integrate them in to your day instead. Abdominal breathing is the perfect example of this. You can do it while standing in a queue, driving, walking the dog or watching TV.

2. Make The Decision To Practice

The decision to practice Qigong has to come from you. By making this commitment to yourself then you are more likely to be able to maintain your Qigong routine. If you are too busy to practice then you are precisely the person who can benefit most from regular practice because it actually frees up more time for you. Because Qigong helps to calm and focus your mind, you will be more efficient at carrying out your day to day tasks, in contrast to chasing your tail without clarity or focus. Your increased efficiency means that you will get more done in less time, leaving you with time to spend doing fun things with friends and family!

3. What Is Your Why?

Why do you want to practice Qigong regularly?
What are you struggling with right now?
How does this struggle affect you?
How do you think Qigong will help you with this?
What will that mean for your life, relationships, health and job?

Take some time to sit and write down the answers to these questions. They will give you a reason to practice Qigong and establish a Qigong routine. Whenever you feel as though you can’t be bothered to practice then refer back to your answers. They will give you your “Why” and your inspiration to get out there and practice!

4. Choose A Good Location In Which To Practice

Choosing somewhere in which you feel comfortable is very important for Qigong practice. Ideally this will be somewhere in nature like a forest or beach. However, if you live in the city it could be somewhere like a park or next to a river or canal. The location you choose also needs to be somewhere which is easy for you to get to on a daily basis. You will not be motivated to practice daily if your favourite place is half an hour away by public transport! Choosing a place that is close by and easy to get to will maximise your chances of practising daily.

5. Establish A Regular Time Of Day To Practice

The best time to practice Qigong is at a time that suits you. Often first thing in the morning is the best time for most people as it is quieter and you have also set yourself up in the best way possible for the rest of your day. However, night time might suit some of you, depending on your routine.

Practising at the same time every day helps you to develop the habit, just like cleaning your teeth, so you are less likely to skip a day once this habit is established.

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 establish a Qigong routine (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.

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Breathing and Relaxation Techniques – A Huge Misconception

Breathing and Relaxation Techniques – A Huge Misconception

Today I want to let you know about the huge misconception that’s out there about Qigong breathing, relaxation and meditation exercises. There is the idea that if you are going to do relaxation exercises then you need to put a certain amount of time aside every day to do this. Because of this, many people find breathing and relaxation exercises very difficult to implement. They have the idea that they would like to do some form of relaxation exercise but never seem to get around to doing it. They just don’t have time.

From my point of view, this is a huge misconception. As I teach Medical Qigong online through my Space To Relax programme and in face to face workshops, the main focus of that teaching is to show my students how to integrate Qigong breathing and relaxation exercises into their day. I know myself that if I have to put aside and allotted time every single day for practice then it is very hard to keep to that….but….I also know that if I’m able to integrate Qigong exercises into my day then I can do it so easily – it just happens!

Qigong exercises can be done when you are walking, standing in a queue at the post office or in the supermarket, in bed at night just before going to sleep (using some of the Qigong breathing and meditation exercises). It’s very easy to integrate Qigong breathing and meditation exercises into your day.

So, if you have found in the past that you have been discouraged from practising any kind of relaxation exercise because of the time factor and having to make a slot available in your day then be discouraged no longer!

The benefits of Qigong breathing and relaxation are huge and numerous. They will help you to relax, relieve your stress and overwhelm. Many will help you to sleep peacefully at night or give you much more energy so that you can achieve much more in your day than you thought possible, taking it all in your stride.

I would encourage you to try some Qigong exercises so if you are thinking, “Yes, I can do this, this will be workable for me” then head over to www.spacetorelax.com and on the homepage you will see you can download a free Qigong meditation called “Calm Your Busy Mind in 8 Minutes”. Once downloaded you can listen to it on your laptop or phone whenever you have a tiny bit of relaxation time while sitting enjoying a cup of tea or just before going to sleep at night. This method is so easy to integrate into your day as it takes so little time.

I’d love to know what you think of the meditation so please leave a comment below or head over to my free group on Facebook: Space To Relax Free Group and ask to join so you can then leave a comment there.