The Gentle Power of Qi Gong

Now I’m a little (!)  older and possibly wiser and my god I can see the benefits this amazing mind, body, breath practice can bring.

As you’ll have gathered I’m no expert but thankfully I know someone who is, Peter Deadman, he’s a bit of a legend in Chinese Medicine circles (I’m not sure how happy he is with that label) but his list of accolades and contribution to the field is long and far reaching.*

So I’ve studied Peter’s work to bring you a whistle stop intro to Qi Gong;

What does the name Qi Gong mean?

The name itself can be translated many ways but possibly the easiest way to grasp it is ‘qi’ being energy or life and ‘gong’ as cultivation. The cultivation of life, sounds good so far!

What exactly is it?

There is no one way to practise Qi Gong, there are many schools of thought and lineages. A bit like acupuncture, there’s different types but with the same ultimate goal. To help us cultivate our mind and bodies and help us live better lives.

It’s been used to train for martial arts, to treat disease, improve sporting prowess and connect to nature. It also forms a key part of Chinese medicine and in China is practised widely and often prescribed by Doctors.

How is it part of Chinese Medicine?

Chinese medicine focuses on prevention rather than cure. It recommends being at one with nature and creating flow within the world and internally. Essentially, it’s about movement and in that way it doesn’t differ greatly from modern medicine.

In the same way that Chinese medicine talks about the flow of energy so too Modern medicine talks about the smooth flow of blood throughout the body. When things get stuck or clogged up that’s when illness occurs.

How can we achieve freeflow?

That’s a big question, but in terms of movement or exercise you can either pump energy (or blood) through the body with vigorous exercise or you can relax and release the energy to find it’s way around itself.

What are the benefits of Qi Gong (freeflow) over vigorous exercise?

A mixture of exercise is ideal. As we age vigorous exercise can become more challenging, there’s a greater risk of injury and the burst of movement creates a short lived experience of freeflow.

With a slower, more deliberate type movement the risks of injury are minimised, you can enjoy it at any age and the practice can bring about a more permanent state of relaxation.

What are the key elements?

There are 3 ‘treasures’ that we bring together to create a qi gong practice. The body, the breath and the mind.

The body learns to become rooted, harmonised and flexible which is helpful for any type of activity whether it’s walking or martial arts. Integrating the breath into the movement helps it become slower and deeper which supports the mind to being immersed in the body and breath movement.

What does research show?

There have been many studies into the benefits of regular qi gong. It’s been demonstrated to strengthen bones, the heart and lungs, improve the health of the arteries, boost the immune system, support weight loss, improve flexibility, reduce the risk of falling and assist with a wide range of symptoms of diseases such as fatigue.  

What are the benefits of a relaxed state?

Qi gong helps the body to move into the parasympathetic or ‘rest and digest’ state which is known to relax and enable the body to repair. When we’re in this state our blood pressure lowers, our heart functions better and we’re generally calmer and more clear headed.

It helps us build resilience so that even when we’re challenged we’re able to tap into that deep calm and respond to what life throws in a more balanced way.

So who’s in? Yes, you’ll need to practice but anything worth having needs a bit of work. Some of us will find it easier than others. If my experience is anything to go by then those of us who resist it are probably those who need it most. It’s taken age, sobriety and probably a sprinkling of pandemic to bring me to Qi Gong, I’m at the beginning of my journey I hope that you’ll join me.

About Peter Deadman

Peter Deadman has been practising Qi Gong for decades. He qualified as an Acupuncturist in 1978. He is also the founder of Infinity Foods, a naturalhealthfood store (now a co-operative) and set up Brighton Natural Health Centre (charity) ‘with an emphasis on practices that cultivate a calm, centred attention, harmonious body posture and movement and integrated breathing’. Many of the classes and workshops are now online and can be accessed here.

You can find out more about Peter’s qi gong practice, youtube videos and courses here.

He’s also the founder, editor and publisher of “The Journal of Chinese Medicine” and author of “A Manual of Acupuncture” a must have for all acupuncturists. His wonderful book ‘Live Well, Live Long’ is a must for anyone wishing to learn more about cultivation of self. He’s passionate about trees and set up The Chinese Medicine Forestry Trust to promote planetary, human and species health and wellbeing by planting trees and protecting forests throughout the world.

About Jo Darling MBAcC Lic Acu

Jo is a Brighton-based Acupuncturist with a Bachelor of Science degree in Acupuncture from the University of Greenwich. Her training includes western medicine pathology, physiology and anatomy. She is also a member of the British Acupuncture Council.

Jo is passionate about women’s health. She has helped 100’s of women live healthier, happier lives. She has spent over 10 years practicing acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, reflexology and Chinese herbs.

As well as fertility, pregnancy and natural menopause Jo specialises in the treatment of breast cancer patients particularly those thrown into early menopause by chemotherapy. This work inspired Menopoised.

For more information about her work visit her website.

About Menopoised

We understand the challenges of menopause because we are menopausal. That’s why we created Menopoised. The Menopoised Menopause Magnet is a first of their kind, acupuncture inspired, safe, effective and side-effect free. Our products have been created to support a broad spectrum of issues, designed to help guide women through a positive menopause.

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If you’re suffering with hot flushes and night sweats, we can help. When we trialled our heroine product, the Menopoised Menopause Magnet, over 80% of our participants experienced a reduction in the intensity and frequency of their hot flushes and night sweats within a week of use. Read about our research here.

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