Do you ever experience stiffness or pain in your joints caused by arthritis?
Millions of people around the world suffer from arthritis. Although there are various treatments, many of them carry negative side effects that can lead to other health issues.
Fortunately, Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong offer practices that can help you overcome the pain and discomfort caused by arthritis. And unlike most Western medical treatments, these practices have no negative side effects.
In this blog, you’ll learn a nine-minute Qi Gong routine that’s designed to help reduce the pain and discomfort caused by arthritis. You’ll also discover the energetic causes of arthritis based on the principles of Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong.
Western medicine offers in-depth explanations about the physical reasons that arthritis occurs. Many of these explanations may be correct, but according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Qi Gong, there is also an energetic cause of arthritis as well.
In TCM and Qi Gong, arthritis is connected to your energy (Qi) becoming stagnant within your body. When your Qi doesn’t move and flow, you can experience stiffness, pain, and arthritis.
You can think of the energy in your body as the water in a stream or river. If a stream stops flowing and the water sits in the streambed for too long, it can become dirty and polluted. If the stream flows freely, on the other hand, it will stay fresh and clear.
The energy in your body works the same way. Therefore, it’s very important that your energy stays active and flowing in order for your joints to stay healthy and mobile. We’ve provided this routine in both a video as well as written instructions.
To begin, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Once you’re in position, shake your arms in front of you and relax your wrists. Your hands should move back and forth as you shake.
This is an activating exercise that awakens the Qi in your arms, wrists, and hands. As you shake, feel stagnation melt away as your energy is activated.
After a minute or two, turn your hands over and continue shaking. This helps release stagnant energy and increase the flow of Qi throughout your limbs.
Do this exercise for a couple of minutes, and then notice how you feel. You may experience a buzzing or tingling sensation in your hands and wrists.
Next, bring your hands in front of you. Then, spiral your hands so one hand moves over the other. You should feel a gentle stretch and activation in your wrists as you move.
After a moment or two, spiral your hands in the other direction. Try to focus on making the movements fluid and flowing. This exercise is wonderful for cultivating suppleness in your hands and wrists and increasing the flow of energy throughout your body.
These next two exercises will focus on your shoulders.
While standing, bring your right foot forward so your stance is staggered. Let your right arm hang loosely in front of you.
Now, start to shake your right arm as it’s hanging in front of you. Similar to the wrist-shaking exercise, this exercise activates the energy in your arm and shoulder. It also helps you release tension and tightness in your shoulder.
After a minute or so, move your shoulder upward and back in a small circular motion. Your arm should still be hanging loosely in front of you as you move your shoulder. This movement helps oil the joints in your shoulder and helps cultivate suppleness in that part of your body.
When you’re done, do the same exercises with your left shoulder.
Bring your left foot forward, let your left arm hang in front of you, and shake your arm to release tension and tightness. Then, move your left shoulder in a circular motion to oil the shoulder joint.
When you’re done with that exercise, bring your hands down to the sides of your body.
This next exercise is called “Flying.”
With your arms at your side, inhale gently and raise your arms slowly out to the sides of your body. Try to make the arm movements fluid and flowing.
As you move, feel the energy move down your arms, wrists, and into your hands. Notice your Qi become more alive and flowing as you move your arms up and down. This is a wonderful exercise that increases the circulation of energy and cultivates suppleness in your shoulders.
Lastly, bring your hands down in front of you and let your palms face each other. Move your hands back and forth and feel the Qi between your palms. Then, bring your hands to your lower abdomen, take a few deep breaths, and take that feeling of suppleness and flow with you into the rest of your day.
If you enjoyed this brief routine and want to learn more Qi Gong practices designed to help improve joint health, be sure to check out our Qi Gong for Healthy Joints Healing Series program.
When you sign up for Qi Gong for Healthy Joints, you’ll get immediate access to Qi Gong lessons that help create suppleness and flow throughout your joints. In doing so, these exercises help you overcome pain and stiffness, allowing you to move more freely and experience greater vitality in your body.
The practices in this program are led by master Qi Gong teacher Lee Holden. And because the program is offered online, you can enjoy the lessons from the comfort of your own home whenever you want.
