Building Inner Stability With Qigong

Learn about the benefits of Qigong, an ancient self-cultivation practice to strengthen your inner stability and resilience.

By James Yardley, of Yardley Healing Arts

We are living in an unstable time, overflowing with social, political, and environmental troubles, along with continual media and technology overload, which is paradoxically isolating us more and more. The workloads seem to keep on getting greater and greater. It can sometimes feel like we are on a nightmarish never-ending roller-coaster ride from hell. This “ride” can produce a type of low-grade and chronic fearful, anxious, and panicky feeling within us. Many of us are becoming triggered easier by the little stuff; feeling burnt out, feeling disconnected from others, and feeling a growing discontent with our lives.

Inner Stability is the thing which is needed most when the tide is high, and the stakes are up. It is an inner strength, firmness – that inner compass – that is the bedrock of our resiliency. Where does this stability come from and how do we get more of it you may ask? Perhaps we must reframe our focus – from looking for inner stability from outside of us and turn inwards to experience stability from within ourselves. How does one begin to experience inner stability from within? One excellent way is through a mind-body practice called Qigong (Chi Kung).

“To change culture, we must change ourselves; to change ourselves we must change what we rely on for touchstones.” Amy Edelstein

According to the National Qigong Association, Qigong is defined as “a mind-body-spirit practice that improves one's mental and physical health by integrating posture, movement, breathing technique, self-massage, sound, and focused intent.” There are thought to be thousands of unique Qigong styles, forms, schools, and lineages created over Qigong’s long history in China. “Qi” can be translated as vital energy; “Gong” can be translated as skill or cultivating skill through practice. Qigong is the ancient source of Tai Chi, and is the original practice used to cultivate life force energy, or Qi – the same Qi that is at the base of acupuncture and related modalities. Qigong is being verified in the East, as well as in the West, by a growing base of research which shows it to have incredible human health benefits. Research has shown Qigong to be beneficial for conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depressive symptoms,preventing falls, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and more.

“When we make a habit of honoring our inner compass, we strengthen the skills of listening within ourselves, and we can more easily follow that guidance when our balance is compromised.” Barbara Alexander

Building inner stability is more important than ever during these incredibly challenging times, and Qigong may fit as a unique antidote. As a certified teacher of One Thousand Hands Buddha Qigong, I have found my practice ever more critical to staying grounded and resilient during this time; self-care is essential.