While Qigong is gentle and consists of easy movements, it is important to know that there are safety and precaution guidelines to be aware of.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, nor a Medical Qigong Practitioner. I am not offering medical advice. The information here is not intended as a replacement for care from the appropriate healthcare professional. If you have a specific medical condition, and you are interested in learning more about how Qigong can benefit you specifically, please do seek out a qualified Medical Qigong practitioner.
Having said that, I’d like to share some helpful guidelines. Please see the Resources section for links to articles and videos referenced for compiling these guidelines. For expediency, feel free to use these handy links to jump directly to the relevant sections of this post.
General Guidelines
Special Medical Condition Guidelines
Qigong Tapping Guidelines
Inner Smile Meditation
Resources
General Guidelines
>Wear loose comfortable clothing, and well fitting shoes (if worn)
>Do not be fooled by the simplicity of Qigong. It is very effective!
>Relax deeply and (as much as possible) allow the mind to be free of concerns
>Approach each practice from the richness of deep intention
>Do all movements slowly and gently
>Throughout the practice, listen to your body, and move within your comfortable range of motion
>Do not continue doing any movement that is painful or causes you discomfort
>Use the minimum effort necessary to do the movements, and do not force them
>If keeping the knees bent causes excessive stress or discomfort to the knees, straighten them between (or during) movements
>Practice daily if possible. The results you seek come with perseverance
>Avoid doing too much
>Avoid expecting too much too soon. Most often dramatic results come over time with vigilant practice
Special Medical Condition Guidelines
General Notes
>Please get your healthcare professional’s approval to take a Qigong class, and find out if there are any special precautions that must be taken
>Some complex and vigorous forms of Qigong are contraindicated for (should not be used by) people who are weak, or in the wisdom of years (elderly)
>People with severe diseases should feel free to modify the practice to fit their comfort zone (level)
Knee Problems
>Avoid turning your foot while your knee is bent. Straighten the knee before turning the foot
>Avoid standing in one spot or holding a position because it puts extra stress on the body, especially the knee and hip joints
> On Daisy Lee’s DVD Lotus Rises Through the Water – Medical Qigong Form, specifically during the Sweeping and Clearing the Dantiens movement, she advises those with knee issues to stay in place and NOT step back
Hip Replacement
>Avoid crossing the foot on the affected side of your body, over to the other side of your body
>Again – Avoid standing in one spot or holding a position because it puts extra stress on the body, especially the knee and hip joints
Shoulder Problems
>Movements involving the shoulder should be done slowly, being sure to stay within your comfortable range of motion
>Moving the hands above the head should be done with care, being sure to stay within your comfortable range of motion
Pregnancy
NOTE: I am finding mixed information regarding whether Qigong is safe to practice during pregnancy. I have seen an article suggest sticking with Medical Qigong during pregnancy. I have seen another article state that moving Qigong is contraindicated during pregnancy. On Daisy Lee’s DVD Lotus Rises Through the Water – Medical Qigong Form, there are two specific variations for her Rebirthing Creation Qi movement that she instructs pregnant women to NOT do (back horizontally extended variation; dropped from the waist variation – due to the inversion). Please consult with your healthcare professional and/or a qualified Medical Qigong practitioner to be sure if Qigong is safe for you to practice during pregnancy.
Qigong Tapping Guidelines
Qigong Tapping/Massage are movements that either tap, cup, drum, pat, knock, slap, or smooth the body with the hands, bean bag, etc. Do not do these movements:
>If you have metasticized (breast, uterine) cancer. NOTE: However the rest of the body (beyond a 6 inch margin of the affected area) can be tapped/cupped etc. if done gently and feels comfortable
>If you are currently undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment
>If you have malignant (breast, uterine) cancer. NOTE: Gently hold your hands over the affected area instead
>Over open sores or broken skin
>If you are menstruating and prone to heavy bleeding. NOTE: Can be done when you are not menstruating
>If you have a malignant cancer diagnosis, instead of smoothing the hands over the body in various Qigong movements, you can move the hands off the surface of the body, and clear the energy field, while sending healing love and light into the affected area instead
Inner Smile Meditation
If you attended my event that I mentioned in the main post, we ended the Qigong for Stress & Anxiety demonstration with a very abbreviated Inner Smile Meditation. This practice has it’s own special section here in the Safety & Precautions post because it is a very safe practice to do regardless of your condition. It can be done either laying down or sitting upright in a chair. YOQI’s Marisa Cranfill states that “Smiling brings deep relaxation into the organs and opens the connection to the unconditional love in our hearts.” Further, she says “Smiling is a safe way to cultivate energy in the organs because on the physical level, the act of smiling sends a message to the brain to release feel good chemicals called endorphins into the blood stream. When these chemicals are released, the nervous system calms down and stimulates the relaxation response in the body. In the relaxed state, the organs function at their optimal state, the heartbeat begins to slow down, blood pressure decreases, and the mind becomes calm and we feel safe.” I don’t have a link to Marisa’s YOQI Inner Smile Meditation. However, here’s an Inner Smile Meditation by Lydia Richards that I found on YouTube which is pretty close to what we learned. It’s a little over 14 minutes long. I strongly encourage you to set aside the time to actually do it, and observe how your body feels afterward.
Resources
>Some of the guidelines in the General and Special Medical Condition sections are drawn from Dr. Paul Lam’s Teaching Tai Chi Safely web page. Remember Tai Chi and Qigong are in the same family, and some would say that Tai Chi is itself a kind/type of Qigong.
>Some of the other guidelines in the General and Special Medical Condition sections are drawn from Roger Jahnke’s Feel the Qi – Guidelines for Practice web page
>I have documented/derived the Qigong Tapping Guidelines from Daisy Lee’s Radiant Lotus Qigong DVDs. NOTE: While Daisy’s system of Qigong focuses on women, I think the guidelines can be generalized and applied to other cancers/diseases as well. Additionally – with the obvious exception of the guideline for menstruation – men can benefit from the Qigong Tapping Guidelines as appropriate.
>The Inner Smile Meditation quotes are from the YOQI Module 1: Qigong Fundamentals Online Training Manual.
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