When you know your body is out of sorts, it is easy to head for the medicine cabinet or a doctor and that may be just the thing to do.  Another option I have found that consistently provides subtle and sometimes not so subtle relief and more is Qigong.  In my experience, it is one of the most powerful and gentle physical practices I can do that puts me on a healing path.  Those of us over fifty benefit particularly because it can take you from where you are, to your next most healthy state.

Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice that improves health, physical strength and increases longevity.   Although I’d been introduced to Qigong earlier; it wasn’t until this year that my curiosity was peaked about the difference it could make in my health.  My first session was with Susan Snyder and during the half hour we were doing Qigong my body went from tense to relaxed and from cold to comfortable.  A month or so later, another practitioner Brendan Thorson urged me to attend his free workshop, so I did. 

Given that I had a symptom to work on, and an eager teacher at hand, I decided to take an eight week course.  I immediately got the benefit of working with a skilled instructor and co-participants.  Aching knees were initially the symptom I wanted to address, those cleared up in a few weeks. In fact, I forgot that was why I decided to take the class! 

My vague awareness of how my body was functioning became more finely tuned.  A healing pattern became clear.  In the process of tuning into my body and spending more time caring for it, I become aware of discomfort in a certain area of my body.  Stiff shoulders and neck became the next area for attention.  Once addressed there was progress. Another classmate noticed that the pressure she felt from work did not subside, however she became calmer.  Her hot flashes also diminished significantly.

*Susan and Brendan represent two different schools of Qigong and have their unique styles.  It is wonderful to have such good choices.  (Wikepedia is the website that I directed you to about Qigong and it suggests there are 10,000 styles of Qigong, so no wonder we have different options available here in Seattle!)