I had a lot of trouble with a tennis elbow, that most probably was due to problems with my neck. My physical therapist said that the kind of training I did was not good since I had to bend my neck backwards. Someone told me about Qigong and I even managed to get my partner with me on a course in Borgå in 2005. We formed a group that practiced together once a week. We have been doing that ever since. After some time of regular practice my symptoms disappeared.
It’s difficult to practice regularly but that’s the only thing that works. When I took a break with the practice I immediately started to feel trouble in my neck again, it was stiff and felt awful, but fortunately I felt nothing in my arm. Then after the first practice I could feel how something happened in my neck and it was better again.
Managing depression
I’ve been doing a lot of different alternative practices so there has been no lack of knowledge on my part, but still it seems difficult to fully realize that the only thing that matters is to practice. There’s no short cut. The physical symptoms are easy to see and work on, but the mental side is more difficult. I’ve been suffering from regular periods of depression. Qigong practice and the way of thinking has helped me to be more present and focus on the positive and on helping others. Even when there are lower periods I’m nowadays capable of handling them in a slightly different way and it doesn’t feel as frightening.
The gentle smile
When we in Qigong practice learn to look at the world with a gentle smile, it’s not just an outer thing. We really influence ourselves and the people we meet in this way. Research shows that muscles in the face activate the same processes in the brain as the spontaneous emotion. In my work I use a stress managing program that aims at creating balance in the autonomous nervous system. Through breathing evenly and focusing on the heart, and feeling a positive emotion there is coherence. This can be measured. Research shows that we influence each other’s coherence. If my autonomous nervous system is in balance (for example if I practice Qigong), I influence the person I meet in a positive way.
Everyone is striving for something good and the feelings that work best to put us in a state of coherence is gratefulness and benevolence, taking care of. In Qigong that is all there.
Anita Björkestam