Qigong is an ancient practice that was developed in ancient China over 5000 years ago. The word qigong translates to energy work. It differs form tai chi because qigong is an umbrella term that tai chi fits under as a martial arts form of qigong. Qigong tends to use simpler movements, while tai chi is more complex. Both have tremendous value, it really depends on your goals. There are actually 1000s of research papers that were done on qigong showing its benefits.

Benefits of Qigong

1. Mood

Clinical trials and meta analysis’s have shown the beneficial effects on mood. This could be do to paying attention to the breath and focusing on the now. Balancing the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system can help calm thoughts.

2.  Cognition

Coordinating the breath with the movement, while learning different movements can be very beneficial for the brain. A study showed how a regular qigong practice can assist in Parkinson’s disease and motor control.

3. Stress management

Qigong is great for stress management because it can bring the body into homeostasis and promote psychological well being.

4. Pain management

Qigong can be helpful in pain management. Studies show it can help with musculoskeletal pain.

5. Energy

Qigong will bring more vitality to each organ, in turn having more energy.

Practice

I don’t recommend finding random videos on the internet because you could potentially do more harm than good. It’s better to find a teacher, or a course. Some great ones are on satorimethod.com