In my early twenties I was a practitioner of Vinyasa Flow Yoga and dance struggling with chronic lower back pain. I loved the intensity and exhilaration of a sweaty, fast-paced flow class with deep, heart-opening backbends. But the aches that would come and go were a reminder that there was something not right with my practice. An inner voice told me to seek out a softer, kinder and more sustainable practice that would heal my body. Little did I know I would eventually find Qigong as my answer. Nor did I know I would use Qigong to help heal people, even during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Initially I had no idea what this would be but an unshakeable faith kept me searching. As I was heading out to work one morning, spontaneously, I took a different path to the metro from usual. As I was approaching the courtyard in the community park, a vision came into sight: A sea of seniors, each standing one arm’s distance apart, engaged in fluid, wave-like movements, their faces glowing and serene. They were practising Qigong. I paused to let it all sink in, and I realised that this was what I had been searching for. Four years later, I became an instructor of this healing practice and now use the ancient wisdom of Qigong and Chinese Medicine to support my clients to heal and reconnect with their bodies, hearts and minds.
Qigong is an ancient mind-body internal energy cultivation practice. It has roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taoist philosophy and martial arts to coordinate your body, breath, and heart-mind. With more than 4,000 years of history, Qigong was first known as ‘Dao Yin’, and initially practised by Taoist priests. Later on it was adoption by Shaolin monks and other martial arts practitioners. In the 1950s medical doctors started to promote it as an exercise to boost health, calling it ‘Medical Qigong’. Since then institutes such as Harvard Medical School and others have demonstrated Qigong, and Taichi, a martial form of Qigong, to be beneficial for the healing of various conditions including arthritis, depression and respiratory issues like asthma, COPD and COVID-19.
Anna is an established playwright, writer and Yoga teacher-in-training in her early fifties. She had registered for my Qigong for Women’s Lung health program hoping to find relief from long COVID-19. She’d been struggling for months with the side effects of lethargy, brain fog and worst of all, blurry vision. Doctors had suspected that her loss of vision was due to nerve fibre loss and an increase in key immune (dendritic) cells on the surface of the eye (cornea) as a result of COVID-19.
I guided Anna over Zoom to locate the lung meridian points under her right collarbone, close to the armpit area. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, showing how she could massage both sides at the same time. Like a bird protecting herself with her wings. Inhaling, she floated her palms away from her chest, forming the form of a bird about to take flight. Exhaling, she turned her palms away from her, and gently let them touch. I guided her through the remaining movements from Lotus Rises from the Mud, a Qigong form that promotes lung health. Her breathing eased noticeably and her face started to relax. By the third time, she could do it easily from memory. By the fourth time, the corners of her lips had started to turn up and her eyes to glisten.
After we went through the other forms and concluded the practice with a guided standing meditation, Anna unmuted herself:
‘It’s been almost a year since I lost my vision because of long COVID. Today, for the first time, practising Qigong, the fog cleared for a while and I could finally see clearer. Thank you, I will continue to practise Qigong!”
It’s been over three months since that practice and now Anna is well on her recovery from long COVID-19. It gives me great joy that I can share this wonderful healing practice with everyone.
Anna’s recovery was permanent and she felt much better with consistency in practice. The healing effects of Qigong is something that I, that even as a practitioner, continue to be amazed with.
Wenlin Tan
Wenlin is a Women’s Health & Well-being Specialist, Qigong & Yoga Educator, growth consultant and curious human. She specialises in supporting aspiring female founders to optimize their well-being and impact in the world by aligning with the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Eastern Philosophy, Qigong, Yoga and Psychology. After leaving a successful career as a globe-trotting Healthcare Research Manager, she created several ventures, including Qigong for Yoga Teachers, an online resource community, Tuesday Tribe, an accountability group for digital creatives and Be Become Belong, a self-growth series for purpose-driven professionals.
Social media FB: FlowWithWenlin | IG: FlowWithWenlin
Email: wenlin@wenlintan.com
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