Menopause & The Healing Power of QiGong
I imagine by now you've noticed that I have a true love affair with the practice of QiGong. I do because I know the healing benefits of QiGong are lasting and total. It's not the same as taking a pill to mask symptoms or to get temporary relief from the symptoms only to have them return again once you stop the medication. QiGong is a form of martial arts. The type of QiGong I'm talking about here is the non-combative self healing type. Click Here to learn more. The healing power of QiGong is a deep, gradual, lasting, complete healing. It's so gradual, you don't realize it until one day you notice that you just feel better! And not just in the areas where you have issues; I'm talking about an overall, deep feeling of wellness throughout your entire body. I'm talking Head To Toe!
When menopausal stiffness and other symptoms took over my body I felt really old. And then I had the nerve to be angry about it because I felt that after all the working out I had done, I should NOT have to deal with that! Who Me???? Really??? What the....You gonna do this to me NOW???
I'm trying to be a Pilates instructor!! How will I look trying to show someone how to do a roll-up when I'm too stiff to even get down on the mat without feeling like I was going to break something????
My husband suggested that I try QiGong for my menopausal symptoms. I thought, why not? It helped me heal after my surgery so maybe it will do the same for menopause symptoms too. It was time to do some research.
What I found is that what QiGong does for perimenopause and menopause is nothing short of amazing. It can help diminish hot flashes, night sweats, and ease anxiety. That’s a BIG one for menopausal women! QiGong can also help with insomnia, and it can calm raging emotions. It can heal and strengthen the reproductive organs and strengthen them after surgery. It can balance and regulate fluctuating hormones and slow the hormonal decline so that you ease more gently into menopause. It can strengthen the shoulders, nourish the kidneys, restore a restful sleep, increase sexcual energy (That's right, I said it!), enhance memory (brain stimulation), promote heart health, prevent osteoporosis, alleviate stiffness, relieve depression, and increase your natural energy stores! All without taking a single hormone!
I knew I had to incorporate QiGong into my programs. It was easy to do because it flows just like Pilates does and the effects are felt almost immediately. Some people feel results after the first session.
I've had clients tell me that after I led them through a QiGong form that they actually felt a tingling all through their body. I've had a client, who at the beginning of our QiGong portion of her session, had a headache and felt unsettled and stressed within her body. This was all due to menopause. When we were done, not only had her headache disappeared, but she was smiling and said she felt on top of the world! She was literally bouncing around the room! Dancing!
I had to calm her down so we could continue with the remainder of her workout session!
Here's a story that really lets me know that QiGong has real healing properties. I had a client who, after a few QiGong sessions, told me she wasn't feeling it at all. She didn't want to continue it in her sessions. She was using oxygen at the time and I think the breathing aspect of the QiGong frustrated her because she had to breathe at a faster pace than most people do. But I convinced her to stay with it. She healed in spite of herself. One day she did the whole session without once using the oxygen and didn't realize it until I pointed it out to her. She was amazed when I told her that it was the QiGong that was healing her lungs! Every time I tell this story, I have to catch my breath and calm myself down because I get so EXCITED! Wooooooooooosah!
It's like this. The Chinese consider menopause to be the Second Spring of a woman's life, and not the gloom and doom it's reputed to be because of the symptoms. A Second Spring to me represents a woman's ability to do for SELF. The kids are grown and out, she took care of home and hearth, worked at a job she probably didn't really like, dealt with emotional upheavals, stress, OPP (Other People's Problems), and now it's time for her to do what she wants to do for herself on a personal level. And she wants to do it while feeling well in her body and on top of the world in her mind! And why shouldn't she? Why shouldn't YOU???
QiGong can be practiced for 10-30 minutes a day or more. Even if you practice two or three times a week you will still get the benefits. Just keep in mind a few precautions:
Don't do QiGong if you have acute inflammation, fever or internal bleeding.
Don't do QiGong if you have a heavy menstrual flow as QiGong increases blood flow.
If you're pregnant, or have serious health issues, consult your doctor before doing QiGong.
Don't do QiGong in the middle of a thunder storm. The energy is unsettled during that time and since QiGong pulls energy from the environment you don't want to bring that unsettled energy into your body. Just sit back, watch the storm and enjoy God's work.
Next Post....Meditation, Nature, and Menopause: Take Time For YOU!
Until then...
Stay Blessed...And Stay WELL
