Qigong is based on movements that nurture and strengthen the various body systems by harnessing the natural biological processes of the body.
A good example of this 'movement principle' is the heartbeat and breathing; when they stop, life stops! Even when the body stops moving and everything slows down, such a during sleep, the heart continues beating and the chest continues its rise and fall.
If we were to examine sitting at a desk like we would examine a Qigong exercise, Four Main interesting aspects are revealed:
1. Lack of movement: This causes a reduction of blood and qi circulation, reduction of flexibility, weakening of the muscles and stiffening of the joints. In particular the lower body and legs become weak and inflexible. Also consider that the internal organs depend on the nurturing and cleansing qualities of blood to function. Qigong exercise promotes good circulation in the entire body.
2. Reduction of body awareness and sensitivity: The lack of movement of the body can lead to disconnection from your body such that you cannot sense clearly the state of your internal health, condition of the body and mental-emotional changes. Qigong exercise helps one to develop and refine awareness and sensitivity of the body and one's 'inner state'. This feed-back is invaluable for daily life.
3. Postural deviations: Aside from the degradation of awareness of your body, postural deviations can accumulate and further reduce weakness of the body through inefficient movement patterns that increase the wear and tear of the joints and tissues. Qigong helps to realign the body and strengthen good alignment.
4. Too much brain activity: The body is stagnating but the head/brain is working over-time. Mental activity drains a huge amount of the body's vital resources. This can lead to imbalance between the head and the body which unsettles the mind and causes qi to get stuck in the head. If there is a lot of mental activity this needs to be balanced with body movement/body work to keep the entire human being healthy. Just like the physical body can stagnate, also our mind and emotions can become heavy, thick and inflexible. Qigong practice achieves balance between body and mind and replenishes energy and increases energy levels.
Remember; your body is MADE to MOVE! Movement is the essence of Life; Your quality of movement is like checking the quality of your pulse. Whilst the modern lifestyle can free one from rigorous physical work, it does not free one from the fundamental need to move one's body. This is why we need to precisely inject good quality movement and exercise regularly into our week.
This way we can ensure the the various layers of the human being such as the blood and qi, the muscles and joints, the organs and mental-emotional spheres are working effectively like gears connected to each other in an interconnected living, breathing system!
The Life inside of you and it's state is the Life that you Breathe into the things that you do. What kind of quality do you want to bring to yourself and others? This is the quality that you nurture in yourself. if you spend too much time sitting and not enough time moving....don't delay! It's time to get Moving!