Midlife, A Time For Qi Gong

One of the silver linings of the pandemic was the number of classes offered online. And with nothing else to do, I took full advantage! I took a meditation course, a class called One Last Talk, and an introduction to Qi Gong.

I had been curious for many years about Qi Gong and how it might support greater mindfulness in my life. And while I found the introductory class intriguing, by the time I took it I was suffering from Zoom fatigue. I also found it hard to concentrate with everyone around all the time. As a result, it unfortunately did not become a regular part of my life, although I remained intrigued.

And then recently Qi Gong entered my life again. Unbeknownst to me a friend has been practicing for years and mentioned how Qi Gong has been instrumental for her in navigating midlife.

As you know, I am always on the lookout for tips for navigating midlife and she kindly offered to share her experience. Happy reading!

Karyn: What is Qi Gong?

Rachael: Qi Gong is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. It has roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts. The essence of the practice is balance.

Qi means breath, energy, vital life source. Gong means work but different from how the West thinks of work. It is the kind of work that is done to cultivate something.

I like to cultivate stillness in my mind and body. In this calm state I can tune into more subtle sensations I’m experiencing, like a dull ache or a sense of slight restlessness. Normally I can’t feel these when my mind is active.

Karyn: How did you come to Qi Gong?

Rachael: I grew up meditating and started doing yoga in 1990. In 1995 I moved to China for work and wanted to continue with yoga. I started asking around; there were no yoga classes. People suggested I try Tai Chi and Qi Gong.

I found a Tai Chi and Qi Gong teacher and I practiced seriously for a couple of years. My teacher, Wang Laoshi (Teacher Wang), was very strict. She followed the martial arts movements from Tai Qi with precision. I remember she’d get very mad at me when my form was wrong, saying things like, “That’s ugly!” And “Your foot needs to be at a 45-degree angle!”  

She focused on the elegance of the form. I didn’t know any better, so I went along with it for a while, but I knew that I wasn’t experiencing the physiological and psychological union I found with yoga. Eventually, I stopped.

Then before the pandemic, when I was 51, I took it up again. I was still practicing yoga and meditating but I found yoga was too active and sitting meditation too still. I was looking for something which combined movement and breathe work and was linked to a spiritual practice.

Around the same time, I serendipitously found a Tai Qi school while travelling in rural China with my son. I decided to give Qi Gong another chance. Ping Laoshi (Teacher Ping) taught Qi Gong as a moving meditation.

He was less concerned about form and instead focused on regulating the body, the breath, and the mind in tandem. He had an incredible practice and the calmest energy. Every move he made seemed to be done with ease and his smile radiated from within.

When teaching me Qi Gong, he told me to move with effortless effort, saying things like, “Imagine you are loose clothes.” “Your movements should flow like water.” “Release the tension in your body and feel how your breath connects you to the world around you.” He taught me to slow down, focus, and notice each movement.

His teaching resonated with me as an older woman. I was in a place where I was ready to let go. I was done grasping everything so hard - mothering, working, wifeing, daughtering, and more. It was the right time for me to hear his teaching. I had a different level of maturity than when I tried Qi Gong in my twenties. Once I let go, I could really feel the energy.

To start, Ping taught me a form called the 8 Golden Brocades, an ancient movement sequence to calm the body before needing to exert a lot of effort. He suggested that I use it at the start of each day.

Karyn: Can you talk more about the general practice of Qi Gong as well as your own practice?

Rachael: Qi Gong is powerful because it is a practice of letting go and moving with ease. And it is gentle on the body. As I have gotten older, I notice my joints and muscles don’t have the same flexibility. I hold tension and pain longer. When I do Qi Gong, there seems to be more space for my joints to move. I carry this feeling through the rest of my day.

Although I still practice yoga and sit for meditation, Qi Gong has become my moving meditation. It allows me to move with stillness.

Since the pandemic, I spend a lot of time sailing. When I started doing Qi Gong on the boat, I had this incredible energetic experience. When I stood on the bow of the boat, surrounded by the sea and sky, I felt so small compared to the force of the wind and water. I understood the vital energy that Ping talked about. The universal energy which was larger than me.

I realized when I felt vulnerable or anxious, I could do Qi Gong and use the vital energy from the sky, the earth, and the sea for support. It was a tremendous sense of comfort that led to feelings of gratitude and abundance.

Karyn: How often and how long do you practice?

Rachael: I practice every day. I did some research on the minimum amount of time for the brain to acclimate to stillness, focus, and attention. I learned that 12 minutes or more is enough to feel a physical and mental shift, so I practice 12 minutes or more every day.

Karyn: What is the connection between Qi Gong and gratitude?

Rachael: When I practice Qi Gong in the morning, feeling my breath and body in a moving meditation, it is enough to ring the gratitude gong. This practice has made me in awe of the world around me and helps me be as present as possible, though it’s not always easy.

I have found Qi Gong to be very helpful at an age where I am grappling with the big questions. It reminds me not sweat the small things. And I think I’m a better listener now from tuning into the natural world around me.

Karyn: If someone wants to learn more about Qi Gong, what would you suggest?

Rachael: Mimi Kuo-Deemer, based in the UK, is a very good teacher. She has several videos on Vimeo and Amazon (Qigong Basics & Qigoing Flow), as well as several books. Master Ming Tong Gu also has several videos online.  

Parting Thought

In the last few years, I have found myself seeking out activities which are quieter and bring greater calmness and stillness to my life. After speaking with Rachael, I am inspired to give Qi Gong another try.

See you next week…