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Qigong exercises involve breathing and movement to circulate vital energy within the body. They can improve physical and mental health, and basic exercises include diaphragmatic breathing and releasing tension in the shoulders and back. Some qigong exercises have been adapted to other forms of exercise, such as yoga.
Qigong exercises are Chinese disciplines of breathing and movement practiced throughout the world. The term qigong is general, with many specific types of qigong exercise practiced and focused on slightly different goals. Although qigong exercises have been practiced for thousands of years, the correct practices and actual health benefits are still widely debated. Performing basic qigong exercises requires little except the right teacher, which can be in the form of a person, books, or even videos.
Qigong exercises generally involve many specific movements and control systems of physical and mental origin. These can include slow, controlled movement, meditation, and stretching. With all of these movements, the main goal is to circulate qi, or vital energy, properly within the body. Qigong exercise is not only for promoting physical fitness, but also for curing both mental and physical ailments.
Different movements and styles belong to different types of qigong, but there are some basic exercises that are universal. Diaphragmatic breathing exercises are used in basic training to prepare the body for qigong and to teach controlled breathing. This exercise is done by sitting up straight or lying down and breathing very slowly while imagining that all your lungs and even your belly are filling with air. Once you feel full of air, pause for about a second, then release it just as slowly, imagining all the air leaving your body. This can be practiced for several minutes until controlled breathing feels natural.
Other qigong exercises focus primarily on releasing tension in the shoulders and back and improving posture. Upright posture has been shown in studies to allow for deeper breathing, and deeper breathing generally allows more oxygen to flow throughout the body. A basic exercise to release tension can be done by sitting upright and relaxed, inhaling using diaphragmatic breathing for a few moments, then tensing the shoulders as much as possible. After holding your muscles tense for a few seconds, begin to release the tension as you exhale very slowly. This is usually repeated about eight times.
Many qigong exercises have been adapted to other forms of exercise or relaxation, such as yoga. The horse pose, which is famous in yoga, is actually a qigong exercise and is a basic pose for many of the other movements. Postures like these help maintain the flow of blood and qi and improve posture, which is very important for proper qigong practice.
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