A Breath of Fresh Air -- Fitness for Mind, Body, and Soul

Every Friday, I go up the hill to Clover Park to practice Qigong.
We are outdoors, under chinese elms, and can hear birds chirping and children playing as we do our series of movements.

"The word Qigong (Chi Kung) is made up of two Chinese words. Qi is pronounced chee and is usually translated to mean the life force or vital-energy that flows through all things in the universe. The second word, Gong, pronounced gung, means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Together, Qigong (Chi Kung) means cultivating energy, it is a system practiced for health maintenance, healing and increasing vitality." [source - National Qigong Association]

Our group is held under the auspices of The Cancer Support Community, Benjamin Center. We all have had a brush with cancer -- we are victors, caregivers or still in treatment. We practice two forms of Qigong. The first, liangong, was developed by Master Wen-Mei Wu. It's a series of 54 movement sets.

ISBN: 0865681996

The second, guo lin qi gong, is a walking practice. It combines breathing and moving energy with walking. More info here.

Here's a simple relaxation technique from Master Yu that is easy to do anytime:

[image from p124 of above book]

Remember to breathe deeply!
Have a great weekend!

I'll be linking up with Katy's Friend Beauty Friend Friday. This month's theme is Health and Fitness.
See what others have to say on the subject here.