Qigong For Beginners

Qigong focuses on relaxation, flexibility, core structure, connectivity and softness. So, it makes it an ideal option for reducing stress and managing joint pain and other ailments with beginner-friendly exercises.

But it’s important to understand the basics of Qigong in order to maximize its benefits when you’re just getting started. Here’s your guide to Qigong for beginners:

The Many Benefits of Qigong

Qigong exercises offer several physical and mental health-related benefits.

This ancient health approach focuses on relaxation, flexibility, core structure, connectivity and softness. So, it makes it an ideal option for reducing stress and managing joint pain and other ailments with beginner-friendly exercises.

Qigong is ideal for promoting flexibility and enhancing your stamina and strength. It has also been linked to improved heart health by helping to lower blood pressure.

This practice, which originated from China, has also been linked to helping in improving joint pain, promoting blood circulation and reducing anxiety.

Is Qigong Right for You?

Knowing if Qigong is right for you often comes down to a personal choice and evaluating your needs.

There are various forms of Qigong that may prove more beneficial for beginners than others. So, it’s crucial to choose exercises that help you accomplish your health goals.

It’s ideal to focus on exercises that are easy to modify and complete to prevent injury and increase your chances of success for the issue or condition you are trying to improve.

5 Warm-Up Qigong Exercises to Try

If you’re ready to get started with Qigong, then it’s worth trying some beginner-friendly exercises. These exercises focus on the motion of different parts of the body and are ideal for helping you to relax without increasing the risk of injury.

Here are five worth trying:

Finger stretching: Give your fingers the warm-up they need by stretching them. This exercise helps to increase your fingers’ flexibility and strengthen them. The goal is to stretch each digit while in a relaxing position. Start slowly with the index finger and work your way to your thumbs.
Push the sky: Use your two hands to imitate pushing the sky to get a full-body, warm-up experience that helps to wake up your body. This exercise is ideal for getting your blood flowing and calls for raising your hands, gentle breaths in and out and rotating your palms. You can practice this exercise in sets to relax and improve balance.
Shoulder rolls: Rolling your shoulders can help loosen up tension in your muscles and joints in your shoulder. Warm up by alternating rolling your shoulders forward and backward in slow, circular motions.
Waist circles: If you sit all day or for long stretches of time, you may find waist circles beneficial. When you do waist circles as a warm-up exercise, you help loosen the tension in your hips and lower back. So, it’s an ideal Qigong exercise worth practicing daily. The gentle circular motion you create when doing this exercise also helps to strengthen your lower back and hips. The key is to start slow, press your hands towards your back near your kidney area to warm it up and use your hips to create horizontal circles repetitively for one minute. You can make circles in the opposite direction as you take soft, relaxing breaths while doing the exercise.
Wrist rolls: With wrist rolls, you can focus on loosening the joints of your wrists to enhance the wrists’ flexibility and softness. It involves repetitious movements of your clasped hands in opposite directions. Start slowly to create a relaxing effect and help enhance movement.

Learn About Gongbu and MaBu

Qigong has several fundamental stances but Gongbu and Mabu are ideal for beginners to learn.

While both exercises are often done while you stand, you can modify them to a more comfortable position and even sit as you practice the exercise.

Gongbu is known as the Bow Stance and mimics a lunging pose you create if you were to use a bow and arrow.

Ma Bu is referred to as the Horse Stance. This stance is ideal for helping you to transition between different forms or techniques when your practicing Qigong.

Your feet are typically shoulder-width apart when you begin this stance. Your torso is in an upright, natural position as you bend your knees to a 90-degree angle to line up with your toes.

Focus on keeping your knees lined up without your toes while maintaining a relaxed stance so you can avoid injury.

How Often Should Beginners Practice Qigong?

If you’re just starting out with practicing Qigong, it’s important not to overextend yourself.

You can often practice warm-up or meditative exercises that are beginner-friendly, such as waist circles or wrist rolls.

You can also practice fundamental stances frequently, but it’s important to ensure you are doing the stance correctly to avoid injury.

Above all, listen to your body and practice when it feels right.