Qigong

Just read about a new, new age form of exercise that seems to fit the amount of exertion that I like to do. Just breathe........

Qigong (pronounced CHEE-kung) is actually "an umbrella term for numerous energy-based practices, including tai-chi." It's been a bit slow to spread across America, having first arrived here "in the 1980s and '90s. But a 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about "950,000 American adults have practiced qigong in their lifetimes." Qigong centers across the U.S. report rapidly growing interest.

"The realm of working out has shifted from people just wanting to build bulk and lean, toned muscles to them understanding that the inner health of the body is just as important as the outer health," says Bernard Shannon of the National Qigong Association. "People want to get back to a simpler time," add Ted J. Cibik, a medical qigong therapist. "They want to find something they can practice that doesn't take a lot of apparatus, allows them to deal with their stress, and gives them a good physical workout in the sense that it gets them moving ... There is a whole community of people who are intrigued by the whole mind-body shift happening in clubs, gyms and personal training centers who are now pushing these ancient arts."

Shelley Marks, 46, credits qigong with reducing her "early signs of rheumatoid arthritis." There's actually little in the way of definitive research proving qigong's therapeutic qualities, but the Qigong Institute has a database of some 3,500 studies "reporting qigong's positive effects on hypertension, arthritis and longevity." And qigong clearly is not for everybody: "If they were to go take a regular qigong class, most people would be bored," says Steven Leigh, an instructor. And Kimberly Ivy, founder of a qigong school, thinks its popularity will always be limited, and will never have yoga's "cult of personality." She says: "How do you get celebrity status when you are standing still breathing?"

This really sounds like the exercise for me! ;-D

This article was first posted in Cool News.