In 1997 I participated in a joint project with EZQ and Swedish Asthma and Allergy Associationand had such extraordinarily good results. My asthmatic condition became better, my night vision improved. After a traffic accident I have not had a whole night’s sleep due to pain, but that too changed with the training. I became more mobile and had better sense of balance. My low blood pressure was raised a little.

When I learned about the summer course I wanted to go there, but thought I would never be able to because I could not get down on the mattress by myself and I would not be able to carry my suitcase or travel to the course on my own. However, help came from my acupuncturist who volunteered as my personal assistant. My own family supported me as well. So in 1998, I turned up for my first summer course and since then I have attended 18 days (2 nine days’ courses) every year. You could say that I have actually taken 35 courses.

Summer courses are like being on vacation and I have made many new friends. We are like a family, a qigong family. Among them you can be yourself. Sometimes you find yourself in a bubble, you don’t want to talk to anyone and people accept that, they are not offended. At other times you feel very friendly and outgoing and talk to everybody you meet, except for those who are in their own bubble for the moment.

Insomnia is a problem for many people. Stress is a common reason. Feeling stressed makes it hard to relax and calm down –and it might be difficult to fall asleep. For the body and mind to recover it’s important to sleep well. Bad sleep might lead to different health problems. Research shows that sleeping problems might cause diabetes, type 2.

Regular bedtimes and to be in a calm environment the hours before sleeping might be helpful. Many people, who practice Zhineng Qigong experience that they sleep better, fall asleep easier at night and they don’t need as much sleep as before. To practice Zhineng Qigong in the evening before going to bed is a good way to calm down and relax.

During the autumn and winter, different influenzas are often spread. There are many different ways to make the immune system stronger. A household remedy often used in China is to drink a clear soup made of three different roots. The drink is considered to be extra good to prevent influenzas.

Take 30 gram from the root of black radish, 10 gram from the white part of a leek and 5 gram coriander root. Put the roots in a sauce pan with two deciliter of water. As soon as it boils, take it away from the plate, drink the liquid and eat the vegetables. The receipt can be used twice a day.

By practicing Zhineng Qigong we can get more qi and make the immune system stronger. It’s easier to stay healthy with more energy and a better mood. Many of our students have noticed that they don’t catch colds as often as before. Under the headline “Results – personal stories” you find several stories about that.

Beginning

The most difficult thing about a new habit is to begin. It is easy to come up with a new year’s resolution and make an effort for a couple of days. The difficult thing is to include a new habit in daily life – e.g. starting your day with a workout. “The beginning is half of every action” – one Greek proverb goes. There are many reasons why the beginning is the most difficult part. One such reason might be that you tell yourself that the effort will be more strenuous and difficult than it in reality is. Instead you should think of it as a small effort and tell yourself that you do not have to do so much today. Just a little. That will make it easier to begin, and once you have started you will often experience that things get moving and you will end up doing rather much anyway.

The early bird gets the worm

To most of people it seems to be easier to get things done in the morning. It might require that you get up a little earlier. During the course of one ordinary day many unexpected things might pop up. The longer the day proceeds the more things might happen. If you start up with your habit early in the morning few things have gotten in the way. As a bonus you directly got to do the things you strive for, and you can feel good about the start of your day!

Groups create good habits

By joining a group your chances of making your future habit into a reality increases dramatically. All members of the group have the same focus and help each other to get rid of distractions. To join a group is the same things as telling all others in the group that you will make an effort: All others will expect that you join the activities. If all the others in the group get going, others – as well as you yourself – will feel strange if you don’t.

Group training

To practice Qigong in a group is something that we systematically do in Zhineng Qigong. This makes it easier for the participants to get motivated. The group training in Zhineng Qigong also serves another purpose. When we practice in a group we can get more Qi thanks to our Qifield. If you want to know more about Zhineng Qigong and the Qifield we recommend that you read the following articles:

• About Zhineng Qigong
• The Qifield

Think ahead

To create a good habit you of course have to know which habit you want to create. It is also important to ponder upon why you want to create this very habit. By thinking through this properly you will not have to ponder upon and reason with yourself about weather or not you should continue with your habit today as well.

What, where and when

When you got this far it is time to think through exactly what you want to do. Be very exact, even detailed. Make sure that you exactly what you actually will be doing every day. If you know exactly what you will be doing you can again ponder less; that is save time and energy. For the same reason it might even be good to know exactly where and when you want to do it.

Focus

Another good tip is to focus on one thing at the time. To create a new habit demands energy and discipline. To try to create several good habits at once means that your energy and concentration have to be split up on several things – it reduces the likelihood for you to succeed.

Habit or not?

When have you succeeded in creating you new habit? One way of thinking about it is to compare with another habit of yours. When your new habit has become as automatic as e.g. brushing your teeth you have succeeded.

A habit is a behaviour that has become a natural part of your life. The behaviour is pretty much automated, and that saves a lot of energy.

Energy to do things

It might take a lot of energy to do tasks that have not yet become a habit. The main reason for this is that you have to remember the task and then motivate yourself to do it. This is in contrast to habitual tasks that will be done almost by them selves. We all do many things every day that we do not think a lot about, meaning that we have a lot of habits.

Different kinds of habits

A bad habit can be described as a type of behaviour that rewards you in the short term and that feels very good at that very moment. In the long run it will prevent you from getting what you want. A good habit will instead feel very satisfactory in the long run. As it has become a natural part of your life it might also reward you in the short term.

Think through the advantages

To create a new habit motivation is necessary; otherwise there is a big risk that you give in before the rewards are evident. Before you change anything you should therefore think through what you will gain or lose by creating a new habit.

In Zhineng Qigong we recommend that you practice regularly, that is to adopt the habit of practicing every day.

An important requirement for obtaining good health and a feeling of well-being is to continuously strive for an inner balance, both physically and mentally. There are a lot of things that can help us coming closer to this state. Eating carefully composed meals, physical activity and spending time in nature have been mentioned in previous health tips as being important tools for obtaining and keeping a good balance in life. Listening to or performing beautiful music can be another way.

Music as a balancing force

An increasing number of studies indicate that music can reduce the effects of stress and enhance a person’s well-being. Slow and quiet music can make us calm down, whereas music with a faster rhythm and pace can activate us. However, it is not always easy to choose what we need most at a certain point of time, as different sounds can affect us in different ways. But the right music or the right sound in the right situation can act as a balancing force in our lives.

Less pain and anxiety

The idea that music can have a positive effect on us starts to spread within the health care sector. Research shows that patients who listen to music before, under and after an operation suffer less from pain and anxiety. As a consequence, their need for pain-killers is also reduced. Frequently listening to music we like also seems to have a positive effect on our cognitive functions.

Increased levels of oxytocin

One reason why it is good for us to listen to music we like is that it increases levels of a hormone called oxytocin, which makes us feel calm and gives us a feeling of well being. Oxytocin counteracts the effects of a stress hormone called cortisole and may result in both lower blood pressure and less beats per minute. The immune system is also affected in a positive way.

Concentration and mental relaxation

Obviously the positive effects of music are not only confined to persons who listen to music but also by those perform music. A person who sings or plays an instrument uses his or her body in an active way while at the same time focusing on this very activity, thereby making it less likely for disturbing thoughts to pop up and enable us to relax mentally in a deeper way than before.

Training Zhineng Qigong is another way of finding physical and mental calm. By concentrating on a certain training method and following the flow of the movements we try to obtain a balance in our mind and in our body. Sometimes we also use sounds as a part of our training.

The red date is an ancient fruit that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. It has a very good blend of nutrients and is believed to have anti-aging properties.

A lot of nutrients

The red date (also called Jujube) contains a lot of vitamins and minerals, 75% of the essential amino acids (building blocks for protein) and many useful organic acids. Most notable is its high concentration of antioxidants.

Energetic and calm

The effects of the red date include higher energy and calmer mind, which is an interesting combination. It is also known for improving sleep and treating fatigue.

The red date can be eaten as it is, and has a nice and slightly sweet taste. An alternative is to boil the dates and drink the water. For adults we recommend eating 3 dates per day.

During the last century, our society and culture have profoundly changed, which amongst other things means that we don’t have to use our bodies like we did before. These changes have come quickly and we only have to look back 50 years in order to see the difference.

Our inactive life style affects our body posture in a negative way. A good body posture is characterized by an uplifted head and an upright body with the chin slightly drawn in. There are many examples of poor body postures. Common problems include not raising the head up (e.g. due to raising the chin up), being round-shouldered or sway-backed.

Why is a good body posture so important? A poor body posture can eventually lead to several problems. Headache, impaired hearing, reduced skin sensation as well as sexual dysfunction are some of the problems that might develop, but back and neck pains can also be contributed to poor body postures. Constant tiredness is another possible effect of a poor body posture.

A good body posture can reduce tension in the body. It will be easier to relax and the circulation in the body will be improved. These things make it possible to avoid many of the problems mentioned above. You will experience less strain in your body and will be able to work more efficiently, which of course means that the body will need less energy. This will in turn lead to an energy surplus and also an improved mental clarity.

For some persons it might be difficult to keep the body upright, the strength and energy it requires might not be available. In Zhineng Qigong we practice a good body posture, at the same time the exercises aim to increase our vital energy.

From a medical perspective health is all about achieving and maintaining an inner state of balance, a state called homeostasis. A balanced intake of nutrients can help us to achieve and maintain such an equilibrium.

Individual nutritional needs

However, getting there by using any particular diet can be difficult as we are individuals with individual needs. Not only do we as individuals have different nutritional needs, but a single person might also have different needs at different times.

Please note that big differences in nutritional needs might exist between persons that have the same gender, age, body-weight and length. It is therefore difficult to recommend food, herbs or nutritional supplements that are good for all to eat.

Eating healthy foods

Even substances that are generally acknowledged to be healthy, such as water, vitamins and fibres, are only good for one’s health if they are consumed in the right amount. If the dose is too high the effect on our health will be negative.

A simple way to get a balanced intake of nutrients is to eat many different kinds of food and above all to avoid too much focus on any specific kinds of food. A good mix of foods will provide a lot of different nutrients and might also be helpful by reducing the risk for getting too much of certain nutrients.

In Zhineng Qigong we try to get a balanced state directly through our exercises.