Qigong for Diabetics
Among the many Traditional Chinese Medicines is a movement oriented practice called Qigong which involves movement exercises and breathing control. Acupuncture is another Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM. A recent study at Bastyr University in Washington tested the results of having type 2 diabetics do Qigong in groups on a regular basis as well as on their own at home. The results were very intriguing as not only did overweight patients lose weight while performing Qigong but dangerously underweight patients actually gained weight.
Results of Qigong Study
These results are preliminary but seem to suggest that Qigong exhibits a sort of homeostatic effect on patients where their bodies respond by balancing out their body mass to a healthier level. This type of research lends a lot of credence to Qigong and TCM in general which until recently was shunned by the mainstream medical community. The advent of intense acupuncture research has also brought TCM into the mainstream.
Try Qigong for Diabetics at Home
Choose a quiet spot and keep warm throughout the meditation. Sit comfortably at the edge of a chair, feet flat on the ground with your back straight. Breathe deeply and relax. Clasp your hands together, left hand on bottom and right hand on top, palms touching, and rest them in your lap.
Close your eyes and feel a connection between the soles of your feet and the ground. Focus on the midpoint between your eyebrows. Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth. Put a smile on your face and journey down to the wonderfully amazing body that keeps you ALIVE, ALERT & ACTIVE!
Heart -See your heart as a vibrant red color. Focus the energy of “joy” into your heart. Feel it pulse with love. Breathe in and exhale with the sound of HAW.
Lungs – Radiate the feeling in your heart to your lungs. Picture your lungs as pure white. Focus on letting go of sadness and grief. Exhale with the sound of SSSSSS.
Liver – Keep the feeling spilling over into your liver, which is just under your ribs on the right side. Picture it as a vibrant grass-green. When exhaling, let go of anger and frustration with the sound of SHHHH.
Spleen – Continue to the left, under the ribs. Shine a vibrant yellow color into this organ. When you exhale, let go of over-thinking and worry, and use the sound of WHOO.
Kidney – Focus your attention on your lower back, just below and under your ribs. Imagine a deep blue-purple light. Breathe in courage and exhale fear. When you exhale, use the sound of WOOO.
Reference
For more information, please refer to Mantak Chia’s book, Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality.
