Meditation and Qigong

Among meditation practices, Qigong is perhaps the least familiar to our Western culture. This practice is meditation in motion. The movements that comprise a Qigong practice are choreographed into a variety of sequences. Some Qigong sequences can be performed to the sun or to the moon; other sequences are seasonal, and there are also sequences to practice any time. The movements are intended to stimulate and circulate Qi throughout the cells and meridians of the body. Meridians are thread like structures in the body that act as channels for energy to flow through. Qi refers to the energetic life force that drives the physical body and connects us to universal energy. Monitoring brain waves before and after Qigong practice indicates that there is more coherence in neural activity between the brain’s right and left hemispheres after completing a Qigong practice, and brain waves lower to predominantly alpha and theta frequencies. A Chinese master skilled in the practice suggests that, “Every day you practice Qigong adds a day to your life.”