I asked a Vietnam combat vet, Marine, three purple hearts, shot five times and left for dead, star of the "Eyewitness to Combat" segment of this site, who's been doing Qi Gong lately, what he liked about it -- and how he would describe it to a fellow vet. Here's what he said, verbatim:
"Are you tired of feeling miserable every day and dragging your ass around? If you are, I've got something that takes 24-28 minutes, doesn't require any exertion/doesn't feel strenuous, will give you energy all day long and change your whole attitude!"
He's been doing it pretty faithfully lately, and losing weight -- possibly another of its many benefits, since it appears to work on metabolism. I asked him how he felt about having skipped a few days, unavoidably. "I missed it!" he said; adding, "I got lethargic, lazy, and listless; lacked energy; and my joints started hurting again. I missed the peace that it creates as well..." He also said, "I like Qi Gong because it gives me energy; it gives me a sense of well-being; it actually calms me down; and actually makes me feel good. It's almost like a narcotic, but a very pleasant one. It's not overwhelming; but it has a very subtle calming -- and -- energizing effect. It gives me energy without psyching me up and getting me hyper. About halfway through, I start feeling really relaxed and good and then I don't want to stop."
Now that's what I call a ringing endorsement :-) Remember, YMMV -- "Your mileage may vary" -- and also, be sure to check with your healthcare practitioner before beginning any exercise program. That said, Qi Gong is probably one of the more mellow, but useful, exercises you could begin.
Last month, Jane Brody, who writes about health for the New York Times, had an article called "A Downside to T'ai Chi? None That I See" about a counterpart exercise to Qi Gong. (That article is linked here.) "After reviewing existing scientific evidence for its potential health benefits," she writes, "I’ve concluded that the proper question to ask yourself may not be why you should practice tai chi, but why not." (The rest of her article is well worth reading.)
Says Brody, "There is no question that tai chi can reduce stress. As the study authors described it, tai chi “combines meditation with slow, gentle, graceful movements, as well as deep breathing and relaxation to move vital energy (called qi by the Chinese) throughout the body.” She continues, "If nothing else, this kind of relaxing activity can lower blood pressure and heart rate, improve cardiovascular fitness and enhance mood. ... Regular practitioners of tai chi report that they sleep better, feel healthier and experience less pain and stiffness, though it cannot be said for certain that tai chi alone is responsible for such benefits."
So there are two choices, among several others, for "moving meditations" that provide health benefits and relaxation. I've been enjoying watching how much this combat vet has enjoyed Qi Gong, though, so I thought I'd ask him for his own opinion on it. As someone who's done both T'ai Chi and Qi Gong, I think Qi Gong is easier and more accessible; the vet seemed to agree, because he found it easier to learn and also required lower overall fitness, yet still produced benefits. The most important thing of all is finding an exercise that produces value that you can incorporate regularly. Like healthful eating, these practices don't help if you don't do them; so find one that works for you and make it a part of your lifestyle.
© 2010 by Lily Casura / Healing Combat Trauma. All rights reserved. Use with attribution.
