Why practice Qigong?

We all encounter challenges in our lives that can impact our physical, emotional and mental well-being.  Whether it’s day-to-day stress or stress from encountering structural inequities and inequalities, or perhaps the difficulties of coping with a pandemic - we all are presented with potentially challenging situations in our lives that can impact our well-being.

Unless we consciously choose our inner state of being, it’s all too easy to let external circumstances negatively impact our health. In a Gallup poll survey of 150,000 adults worldwide, 55% of Americans experienced stress during a lot of the previous day, compared with just 35% globally (and this was conducted before the pandemic). America is a leader in stress worldwide and studies show that chronic stress has a significant impact on the immune system and our overall well-being.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 6 in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease which is 133 million Americans or 45% of the population in the US. 

It’s clear that stress leads to many of us living in survival mode. How do we make this shift from surviving to thriving?

What if I told you that there is a practice which studies show has the ability to lower stress and decrease anxiety?  What if I told you there is a technology that improves immune function, improves sleep quality, lowers blood pressure, and reduces inflammation? A practice that in a recent peer-reviewed article appears to aid in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of respiratory infections, including COVID-19?

Too good to be true, right? That’s what I originally thought, too.

My background in public health says: show me the data.  Is this evidence-based?  There have been many studies including RCTs which have examined the effect of qigong on health.  A few have focused on perceived stress and anxiety following a period of qigong practice.  These studies suggested a desirable effect of qigong on perceived stress immediately following the program and the effect lasted for weeks beyond the practice. This confirms what practitioners of qigong know which is that the practice can reduce stress, improve immunity, and provide an enhanced sense of peace.

Check out the Qigong Research page to learn more about the potential benefits of practicing qigong.