At the end of summer we started our training groups again. In Ekenäs the term started out of doors and not until October moved indoors again. 

The photos below show the training group during the outdoor practise and one of the participants practising out of doors in Lappland.

Dark November can be a tough month. When it gets colder and darker, Qigong practise can offer a lot of help. Grab the opportunity to take part in our daily online training and the Summer Course Training Online. These offer a big support in everyday life.

A lot of work in front of the computer and sitting still for a long time can be a strain on the body. It can make you stiff and tired, reduce your ability to concentrate, and cause headaches and pains in shoulders and neck.

If you have spent more time in front of the computer during the last months, practising Qigong can be a way of removing the bad effects of sitting still for a long time.

*Think of your posture when sitting in front of the computer

Alternate between standing and sitting if possible, and keep your posture straight but at the same time relaxed. During our basic courses we teach how to stand and sit in a way that is relaxed and can help us to conserve our energy instead of getting worn out. How we stand and sit has an impact on our health and the more we use the body in a good way the better we will feel.

*Take short breaks for training during the working day.

One way to avoid health problems due to too much sitting down is to find a moment to train during the working day. Practising Qigong is a good method to improve the circulation without working up a sweat. The practise does not take much time since you do not need to shower afterwards. If you have already attended our courses and are now working from home – practise Hold Qi Up, Shenxin Qigong or La Qi, even just a short while, during your working day.

*Do not forget the eyes

A general feeling of tiredness often starts with the eyes. Several hours in front of the screen or reading can tire the eyes and it is good to give them some rest from time to time.  An idea can be to let the eyes shift focus, i.e. look away from the screen and instead look at something further away. A more powerful way of relaxing the eyes we teach in the course ‘EasyCare for Eyes’. By taking a break from your work in front of the computer and doing the ‘EasyCare for Eyes’ the health of your eyes can improve. The eyes influence the rest of the body so the practise is also good for general well-being throughout the body.

While some naturally have plenty of energy in the morning, for others that part of the day can be more challenging. Depending on your state of health, one can experience problems with everything from waking up, getting out of bed, stiffness in the morning, pain or bad temper. Practicing Qigong can be one way of reducing the difficult things and instead get a feeling of well-being in the morning. European Zhineng Qigong teaches several methods that are good to practice in the morning, but which to choose? We have previously published articles in our blog where some participants have shared what they practice in the morning, and why. Here is once again what one participant said.

Hold Qi Up in the morning makes my body supple and my mind calm

”I practice Hold Qi Up in the morning because it gives my day a very good start. It is a nice way of getting my body started and I feel good by starting the day by getting supple. If I am stiff and in pain it disappears by practicing. I also feel that I acquire balance by Hold Qi Up, my mind is calm. After practicing in the morning I can start the day in a calm and ordered way even if I am very busy. Practicing gives me a structure for the whole day. Even if there are lots of things going on in my life, and a lot of things happen, it is as if I have a basic calm with which to meet the day. Practice makes me happier. My dog also likes my practicing Hold Qi Up, she has noticed that I play more with her then!”

If you want to achieve the best possible result, practising regularly is important. But living with small children can make that somewhat difficult. We will publish the stories of a few parents here on the website.  You can read the first one here!

It was difficult making time for Qigong when my children were babies. Our days were occupied and they fell asleep late and woke up early. When we had found a routine that worked it didn’t take long for it to change. So, I didn’t practise as much as I wanted to but I tried to accept things, knowing it was just a phase. As the children got older and started sleeping  at more fixed times I got up early in the morning to practise before they woke up. But quite often one or the other would wake up earlier than anticipated and my practising was interrupted. My practising routine would also get disturbed when they became ill, or simply when they changed their sleeping habits.

However,  it has been possible for me to attend the longer Qigong courses. My family have also joined and these courses have been crucial to keep up my energy levels when the children were small. Our whole family has gathered a lot of qi and it has been very helpful in our everyday life.  

Somewhat Older Children

Now that the kids are four and six years old it’s starting to get easier to practise regularly, especially thanks to the online training. It helps our entire family to adapt to the routine. The children appreciate that many people they know all practise at the same time as we do and that gives the moment a special feeling. I practise in their bedroom and our evening routine has become much better and calmer. When I’ve thought of skipping the training to start putting them to bed they’ve urged me to practise instead. Sometimes one of them will come sit in my lap when we practise La Qi. They will sit quietly and relax. 

Games During Practise 

It has been important to me that Qigong is a natural part of the kids’ day. They’re welcome to enter the room when I practise but I’d rather they don’t disturb. Easier said than done… Their favourite game is to sit on my feet when I bend forward and play house. Or hang different stuff on my arms when they’re stretched out. Sometimes when I’m done practising, my legs are tied together with a belt. Of course this affects the quality of the training but it’s better for us to keep this moment positive than have it connected to negative feelings. We also talk to the children about results and why practising is important.

It is amazing that the children can get acquainted to Qigong at such an early age, both the training itself and all our Qigong friends!

At this time of year we usually publish a packing list to help with suggestions and ideas of useful things to bring to the Summer Course. This year is very different, no Summer Course in Nossebro but a Summer Course online – SOL. You do not need a packing list for an online course, but nonetheless it is good to prepare yourself for the course. Here we give some suggestions of how to prepare yourself to get the most out of the course.:

Administration: Enrol and pay for the course well before the first day. Make sure that your application for time off has been submitted and approved. This is a way of avoiding unnecessary stress.

Practical things: When the adminstration is done it might be a good idea to focus on the practical side of things. Co-ordinate with the rest of the family so that everyone knows that you are taking part in a course during the time the practise takes place and ask them not to disturb you during those hours. Plan the days to avoid stress before and after practise, have some free time before and after. Pick a calm spot where you can practise undisturbed, preferably at the same place every day. Find your qigong shoes and put up your qigongpictures to create a harmonic ambience. 

The feeling: Everyone taking part in SOL has participated earlier in one or several of our Summer Courses. One way to prepare to practise together again can be to remember the feeling of being at the Summer Course. Recall nice memories, take out the group photos from years past or look at the postings in the blog from last years Summer Course. To look forward to a course can help us to get more out of the course.

Your aims: During the Summer Course we usually focus on what we want to achieve by practising. You might want to be calmer, more supple, concentrate better or some other improvements of your health. Focus on that which is important to you and wish that you will get it. That might help us to keep our motivation and get us faster to what we want to get.

A nice midsummer to all of you and we will meet at SOL!

In many ways it is a very different and trying spring this year. When the situation drains your energy one way of taking care of yourself is to focus on something nice that can give you positive energy. Of course it is not the same for everybody but one thing that most of us like to do at this time of the year is to watch for the signs of approaching spring that are appearing more and more now. Some of us do not have the opportunity to be outside as much as usual and most of us can no longer can go on longer excursions or travel. Because of that we would like to share with you some photos of signs of spring and also to invite those who have your own photos of the new season, e.g. from your garden, to mail them to us at feedback@zhinengqigong.eu to be published here on the homepage. In that way we can share beautiful signs of spring from the Nordic countries and from England!

Another way of giving yourself positive energy is to keep up your practis of Qigong. The best practise is the one that you actually do and here our new online practise can be a greate help. To have one or more sessions booked makes it more likely that you will acually practise. Apart from excellent practise, several who have tried experience a good feeling of practising together when we are up to 150 participants in the same session. One participant said ”It helps a lot. Both the feeling of having a lot of Qigong friends out there and the practise itself.” Click here to read more about our online practise.

The Winter and Summer Courses are two longer residential courses that we hold on a yearly basis. Every year we also offer additional training courses where we focus on the movements and practise learned on the longer courses. So we have “Winter Course Training” where we practise what we were taught during the Winter Course and “Summer Course Training” where we focus on what we were taught during the Summer Courses.

These courses alternate each year between Stockholm and Gothenburg. Last time they were held in Gothenburg where we practised in a very nice dance studio situated in Majorna. The studio was filled during a well-attended course.

Click here to read more about our residential courses.

Photo from the Winter Course Training, which took place at the beginning of November. During the many breaks, cups of tea were served in a room behind the studio.

A couple of photo from the Summer Course Training this year, which took place shortly after New Year´s Day. During the course the training hall was filled to capacity by the 70 participants.

A course in EasyCare for the Eyes took place one evening during the Summer Course training.

Some of our courses are residential courses where we eat and live together. The courses contain quite a lot of practise and since you leave ”the everyday world” you have the possibility to focus more on practising and consequently obtain better results. Since there is time for socialising, if you want to, several participants have found new friends. The possibility to combine holiday with practising is also very popular.

These are our yearly residential courses:

The Winter Course

During the Winter Course in Karlskoga we mainly practise Shenxin Qigong and we practise a lot! We live and eat at Karlskoga folkhögskola. You can choose between a mattress in a dormitory or a single or double room. The Winter Course takes place in week 8 and lasts 6-9 days.

Spain

The training trip to Spanish Almuñécar is a combined training and holiday trip. We stay in a hotel with a sea view and practise on the beach in the morning to the background sound of the rolling waves. Half-day is practise and the rest is holiday. One day we arrange an excursion and you can participate if you feel like it. Due to the availability of space in the hotel family members are welcome to come even if they do not participate in the course.

The Summer Course

The Summer Courses are our biggest courses. Here we are a great many who live and practise together. We practise a lot but there is also time to meet new and old friends. The courses take place in Nossebro in Västergötland and they start on the Monday after midsummer. During Summer Course 1 we focus on Hold Qi Up and during Summer Course 2 we practise Xing Shen Zhuang. In all we can practise for 18 days running.

The Autumn Courses

Every year we arrange Autumn Courses in Finland as well as in Norway. Usually we arrange them as residential courses. They are four day long practising courses where we mainly practise Hold Qi Up. They are open for anybody who has attended a basic Hold Qi Up course.