Healing Qigong for Women
by Deborah Davis

The most powerful tool for healing lies within you—your breath.

The re-emergence of Qigong’s ancient healing methods is particularly relevant for women today…

Breath is our inherent gift at birth that anyone can learn to cultivate for vibrant health and self-healing. Can you imagine leading a dynamic life into your sage years without medication and disability? The Chinese have developed breathing exercises called Qigong, which have been used for over 2,000 years to obtain health and longevity.

Qigong are gentle yet profound exercises that combine three elements—focused breathing, gentle movement, and visualization—to harmonize the body, mind, and spirit. Medical Qigong is both curative and preventive, and will activate your body’s own inner resource of vital energy through slow movements and stretches, healing sounds to detoxify your organs, and self-massage on acupressure points. This low impact exercise (very similar to Tai Qi) is a blend of dance-like movements and meditation, which are both relaxing and invigorating. Qigong incorporates stress reduction and numerous health benefits, such as balancing hormones, reducing stress, and regulating blood pressure, without risk of injury. The movements are easy to learn, less strenuous than yoga or Pilates, and are more accessible to women of varying ages and fitness levels.

The re-emergence of Qigong’s ancient healing methods is particularly relevant for women today since Western medicine has no protocols for maintaining agility and grace as we age. Women go to doctors twice as frequently as men, yet many of their complaints are not curable according to allopathic medicine. Conditions such as menopause, PMS, depression, fibromyalgia, and fatigue are most often controlled by pharmaceuticals, but studies now reveal that many of the standard drugs for these imbalances (such as Premarin for menopause) are fraught with deleterious side effects. Numerous research has also reported that stress is a prevalent cause of disease; problems which could easily be alleviated with mind-body therapies, such as Qigong.

According to ancient Chinese texts, the human life span is 150 to 200 years, but today only a minority of people live to become centenarians. Although the life expectancy in the West has risen, our quality of health is burdened by poor diet, stress, and our preoccupation with incessant busyness. We have become divorced from our natural body rhythms.

Most of us are unaware of the potential power of our body/mind, yet this is what we can learn to cultivate through a daily Qigong practice. There are many accounts of Chinese Qigong masters who have developed their Qi (energy) to dissolve cancerous tumours with a wave of their hand, heal patients long distance with focused intention, or make their body so weightless they can stand on suspended rice paper without falling through! These incredible and mysterious abilities are accomplished by disciplined and concentrated Qigong training enabling them to control both their mind and body. The good news is that you don’t have to be a Qigong master to experience the innumerable benefits of this ancient healing art and you’ll feel the benefits right away!

Much of the Chinese Qigong history revolves around men, however, many women were also proficient at Qigong, especially as healers. Ancient female shamans and Taoist adepts were Qigong masters who were sought after for their remarkable abilities in divination, healing, spiritual teachings, and mastery of the body. They were able to “slay the red dragon,” (i.e. stop their menstrual cycle) in order to redirect their energies for higher spiritual purposes.

There is a rich body of Qigong developed specifically to address the uniqueness of a woman’s body and emotions as she ages. Women’s Qigong is different than other forms of Qigong since women have two important energy centres distinct from men. The woman’s centre is called the Uterine Palace, which lies right above the pubic bone. Even if you don’t have a uterus, you still have the energetic blueprint of this power centre. Qigong breathing and movement concentrated on the uterine palace will slow the decline of hormones, maintain or heal the reproductive organs, and stimulate sexual vitality.

The ancient Taoists believed that the point between the breasts is a secret area for nourishing a woman’s blood and essence. Breast Qigong and many Taoist forms focus on moving the Qi in the chest, keeping the breasts and lymph clear and healthy.

Through my years of Qigong practice, I have seen infertile women become pregnant, tumours disappear, chronic disease alleviated, and cancer patients go into remission and revitalize their lives. Qigong will enable women to take charge of their own well-being and heal common complaints such as hot flashes, PMS, heart problems, and osteoporosis. With only a 15 to 30 minute daily practice, women can reclaim their vitality and emotional equilibrium, as well as increase their energy, slow aging, regulate hormones, and relieve tension.

Deborah Davis, LAc, is the author of Women’s Qigong for Health and Longevity: A Practical Guide for Women Forty and Older, as well as a popular instructional DVD, The Spirit of Qi Gong. Specializing in Women’s Qigong and leading workshops internationally, she has a private practice in medical intuition, acupuncture, and medical Qigong in Ashland, Oregon. (www.womensqigong.com, qi@earthlink.net) She will be leading a 4-day women’s qigong retreat at Ancient Spirals (near Saskatoon) August 24-27. She will also be available for private intuitive or qigong sessions. Please contact Monté Gagné at peaceofprairie@gmail.com for registration and also see the colour display ad on page 22 of the 17.1 issue of the WHOLifE Journal.