Qi Gong is a practice that offers a wide breadth of ways to work with your mind, body, and spirit. Different exercises focus on different parts of your being, but all lead you in the direction of better health and improved vitality.
In our last blog post we introduced a practice that Lee refers to as Acupressure Facelift and Rejuvenation Qi Gong. We discussed how we can work with the meridians in the face to improve our emotional balance and youthful energy. Today, we’re going to continue our discussion as we explore the process of aging with grace, beauty, and joy.
Cultivating Youthful Energy As We Age
There’s a saying in Qi Gong that reflects some of the core reasons that we practice: “The hinges of an active door don’t get rusty.” In the west, it is often believed that the act of aging inevitably leads to limited movement and stagnant energy. However, it is more common that our lack of movement is the primary factor in our experience of aging. If you look at children, they’re constantly running, bouncing, and doing all sorts of movements that most adults don’t even think of. As we age, it can be easy to lose touch of the intimate connection that children experience with their body. Qi Gong movements are a great way to return to having a fun and engaged relationship with our body.
Children aren’t just great at running and jumping, they are also experts at smiling and laughing. For a child, everything in life is a game (which sometimes annoys parents and other adults). Without even realizing it, children are constantly practicing many different kinds of Qi Gong.
Just as most adults stop moving as much as they grow older, they often stop smiling and laughing with the same intensity and frequency. It’s sad, but the struggles of adulthood too commonly cause our youthful vitality to diminish over time. Instead of seeing the world through curious eyes that are alive with fascination and joy, a layer of stress can make us see and feel in a way that is inhibited and limiting.
While our experience of stress is unpleasant or frustrating, it also deeply affects our health and general well-being. Basically, it leads us to feel older than we really are. Because our society enforces beliefs that aging itself is what depletes our youthful vitality, many people think that there is nothing that they can do to regain the vibrancy and joy that they celebrated as children.
Movement Qi Gong is a wonderful place to start in reclaiming aliveness. Activation exercises, stretching, and flowing routines all awaken the body and cultivate your Qi. However, movement exercises don’t always directly address some parts of ourselves that need joy the most. As mentioned above, children are constantly reflecting their excitement through smiles and laughter. Similarly, adults can seek to cultivate the same youthful glow that they experienced when they were younger.
When we really bring our attention to our face, we realize how much potential it has to influence ourselves and others. Chinese Medicine teaches us that the meridian lines in the face run throughout the entire body. Therefore, it’s no wonder that our smile is closely related to positive feelings and sensations. Even if your smile is brought about through a voluntary decision, it still has the power to influence other parts of your body.
Smiling is the most obvious facial expression that is positive and healthy, but our face is full of other nuances that inform our energy and how we feel. Have you ever met someone whose face is shining with radiance and vitality, even though they may be in their 70’s, 80’s, or even 90’s? Such people are in touch with the youthful spirit that we all have within us.
Acupressure Facelift and Rejuvenation Qi Gong helps us to discover how to tap into our youthful energy and vitality. By working with our facial muscles through various practices, we’re able to reawaken the glow and vibrancy that many may have lost touch with. This results in an outward expression that is more youthful and vivacious and an inward experience of aliveness and energy.
Holistic Health and Wellness
In Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, it’s understood that your entire energy system is interconnected with all parts of your being. As mentioned, meridians are the pathways throughout your body that allow you to circulate energy and cultivate vitality.
Because the face is full of meridian lines that connect to other parts of your body, it has special importance in your holistic well being. Releasing stagnant energy and letting go of stress in your face does more than just bring you a smile. Acupressure Facelift practices also allow Qi to flow to the rest of your body like a nourishing river through your meridian pathways. This is why we say that the practices allow “inner beauty to meet outer beauty.” When you’re able to cultivate youthful joy and vitality in your face, you appear radiant on the outside and feel peaceful on the inside.
Acupressure Facelift and Rejuvenation Qi Gong Workshop
On Sunday, May 12th, 2019, Lee will be leading a workshop to teach students how to do self-massage on key pressure points to help cultivate youthful vitality and energy. The workshop is perfect for practitioners of all levels and is a great opportunity to start practicing Qi Gong or build upon your existing practice.
The workshop will take place from 1-4:30 in the afternoon in Santa Cruz, California. However, it will also be available online so you can join us from the comfort of your own home. Furthermore, we’ll be recording the workshop so you can go back and rewatch the lessons in your media library.
Growing older doesn’t mean you can’t still cultivate and celebrate joy and beauty. Click the banner below to learn more or sign up today.