Vital - distributed monthly within the Detroit Free Press & The Detroit News. Also available free in hundreds of local racks
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Secret to Longevity?
Qigong followers suggest you take it slow
When Oprah Winfrey hosted her own Ozfest, as in Mehmet Oz, M.D. of www.realage.com fame, she introduced many of her viewers to an ancient Chinese art of energy. In an appearance on her television show last fall, the New York cardiac surgeon and co-author of the bestseller YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger declared that one of the ways to be healthy and live to 100 is by practicing qigong (pronounced CHEE kung).
This was the first time many Oprah fans had heard of qigong, which roughly translates to “breath work.” But those familiar with the practice know it’s a feel-good workout for both body and mind that just about anyone can do. In fact, a 2002 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that nearly 1 million Americans practiced qigong. Heightened interest in the past five years has likely introduced new followers.
Ancient Chinese secret
Qigong is considered an art form through which one can improve recovery time, energy levels and immune function using a variety of methods. It uses subtle, slow movements and postures to draw from life-force energy or “qi.”
According to Robert Levine, Ph.D., co-director of the Henry Ford Center for Integrative Medicine in Novi, qigong is basically a way of coordinating breathing and motion with the intention of achieving health and wellness. “It’s a gentle technique, you really can’t overdo it,” he says, adding that it’s often recommended for patients with hypertension, arthritis and fibromyalgia.
John McNabney, owner of Purple Dragon Studio in Roseville, calls qigong “tai chi’s older sister.” A martial arts instructor, McNabney has practiced qigong in the morning for 25 years. “It’s used to channel energy and relieve stress,” he says. “It’s good for any time of day, but I prefer old-school a.m.”
The connection between tai chi and qigong, explains Andrew Massara of the Royal Oak Center of the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA, is that tai chi opens blocked pathways, while qigong circulates energy as you move from your body’s center, being careful not to lock the joints. “It’s an internal massage that improves strength and flexibility, and gets into the connective tissue,” says Massara, a Birmingham resident.
So long, stress
Levine says de-stressing is the major benefit of qigong, something that’s particularly important for chronic pain patients. “You can’t do qigong without being relaxed, peaceful and focused,” he says. “One of the keys to dissipating pain is to allow the presence of the pain as opposed to resisting it.”
Too often those with chronic pain apply resistive energy, which actually locks the pain in place, says Levine. Qigong can open internal pathways and provide a focused way to both accept and relieve pain. “It helps release muscles in a state of hypercontraction,” he says.
Ed Jackson of Ypsilanti has been practicing one of the more than 1,000 forms of qigong for almost a decade. “It has made a vast difference in health and with my physical, mental and spiritual level,” says Jackson, 59, who also teaches qigong in Ann Arbor. “The world needs this now.”
To find a qualified qigong instructor, visit the National Qigong Association at www.nqa.org.