Qi Gong after exercise
All too often, when we’ve finished exercising, we rush to the shower and straight off to the next thing we’re doing: having a pint, picking up the kids, doing the shopping ... while if we gave ourselves a few minutes to focus on what we’ve just done, we could massively increase the benefits of whatever exercise programme we’re putting ourselves through. Qi Gong can help us in two ways:
1 – at the end of our exercise session, it can be used to bring the breathing and organ functions back down to the resting level comfortably and safely. This means we don’t feel as hot and rushed, and that our bodies aren’t continuing to pump out adrenaline and other hormonal compounds that are designed to cope with the physical stresses of exercise but that can inhibit our ability to digest food or sleep.
2 – by reflecting on our exercise performance we can ‘learn’ from it subconsciously, reminding our body of the movements we’ve made and teaching it to expect to perform them more smoothly and efficiently next time.
Start in the Wu ji position. This is standing, with the arms and abdomen relaxed, shoulders down, weight balanced equally between the toes and heels. Breathe in a relaxed fashion. After a few relaxed breaths, bring your hands to the centre of your chest on an in breath and than allow them to float back to your sides on the out breath. As you do this, remember the exercise you have just taken and see yourself performing it slowly and with grace and comfort. Repeat for six breaths and then continue the exercise for six further breaths, but focus only on your breathing and the movement of your hands to allow your body to settle into relaxation mode.
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