The festive season brings with it a mixture of sentiments, from the joyous anticipation of gift exchanges to the stress of holiday preparations. However, for many, it can be a season marked by the challenges of life.
Feelings of sadness, loneliness or anger can be amplified for anyone going through the heartache of a divorce or breakup, grieving the absence or loss of a loved one, or facing strained or even abusive family relationships.
This is where Qigong can help, by connecting you to your inner strength and restoring your emotional balance.
Rather than turning to less healthy alternatives as a coping mechanism, and feeling worse for it, Qigong offers a holistic approach to managing the heightened emotions that accompany this time of year.
Unpacking the Emotional Baggage
Relationship breakdowns, missing and grieving loved ones, and difficult family dynamics can create a flood of emotions. Recognizing and acknowledging these feelings is the first step toward applying targeted Qigong remedies.
Be kind and compassionate with yourself while knowing that you have the power to cultivate the positive energy you need to calm your mind, heal your heart, and lift your spirits.
Qigong, which means ‘energy work’, improves the circulation of our Qi (life force energy), reconnects us with our ‘true self’ and helps us find something to be grateful for in the present moment. It is a valuable tool for navigating the complex feelings that can arise during the holiday season, offering a pathway to emotional stability and well-being.
With more time on our hands during the holidays, without the usual distraction of work or study, our minds can turn to unhealthy rumination. Coupled with less physical movement, this can lead to ‘Qi stagnation’.
Qigong helps restore balance and harmony to our energy system. It is a quick and effective way to get out of our head and bring more energy into the body.
Remedy 1. Qigong to Calm You Down
When faced with strained relationships during holiday get-togethers, it’s easy to feel frustrated or angry, and anxiety can escalate. Qigong is a powerful healing tool that helps to ease emotional turbulence, promoting a sense of inner peace during challenging times.
Exercise: Pulling Down the Heavens
Begin standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and arms by your side. Inhale through the nose and bring your arms out to the sides and up over your head, rounding the elbows above you, with palms facing down. Exhale through the nose as you glide your hands down the front of your body. Imagine a violet light moving down through your body, calming your mind, and releasing any negative emotional energy to the Earth to be transformed into positive energy. Repeat the movement several times. Feel a wave of relaxing energy flow down through your body.
Remedy 2: Qigong to Cheer You Up
The festive season can be a bitter-sweet time for those missing loved ones or grieving losses. Slow, intentional motions paired with conscious breathing provide solace and emotional clarity, allowing space for both grief and gratitude during the holiday season.
Exercise: Buddha Holds Up the Earth
Standing with feet shoulder-width and knees slightly bent, round your arms in front of you at waist level, palms facing up. Take a deep, slow breath in through the nose as you bring your hands up and when they reach the lung area, slowly turn the hands so palms face upward as you continue to raise the hands above the head. Exhale slowly through the nose as you glide the hands softy down, turning the palms at the level of the lungs, and continuing to lower the hands to waist height. Repeat several times. Finish with your palms in front of your lungs. Feel the warm energy radiating from your hands and visualise breathing healing white light into your lungs.
Remedy 3: Qigong to Get You Moving
Sitting around and indulging in rich festive treats is part of the holiday fun, but it can leave us feeling heavy and lethargic. A few minutes of Qi-activating exercise can make all the difference. (A caution though: don’t do this exercise less than 2 hours before bed as it is very energising!)
Exercise: Knocking on the Door of Life
Stand with your feet shoulder-width and bend your knees slightly. Lengthen through your spine and relax yours shoulders. Turn from your hips and waist, letting your arms swing naturally and easily with the momentum of the hips turning from side to side. Let your arms and hands gently knock across the abdomen and across the lower back. Continue for 1-3 minutes. This exercise stimulates key pressure points and activates the flow of Qi through the energy channels in your body. Breathe deeply as you move.
Remedy 4: Qigong for a Tranquil Sleep
Navigating the holiday season becomes more manageable with Qigong practices that prepare the mind for a restful sleep, offering respite from the emotional complexities of the day. It's particularly beneficial for those dealing with insomnia or heightened stress during the holidays.
Exercise: Spinal Cord Breathing
Standing with feet shoulder-width and knees slightly bent, bring your hands in front of your shoulders and make a light, loose fist, extending elbows out to the side. Inhale through the nose slowly and open your arms (bent at right angles), expand your chest and look up. As you exhale, round your back, tuck your tailbone under, and move your elbows toward each other in front of your chest, tucking your chin in slightly. Repeat several times, synchronising the movement with your breath.
Qigong AS A GUIDING light
Qigong can turn what might have been an emotional roller-coaster into a calm journey of self-discovery and healing.
By incorporating these remedies into your holiday routine, you will not only create and maintain a sense of equilibrium but also embrace the true spirit of the season. Qigong will become your companion, a guiding light, offering a soothing balm for life’s pains.
Simply find a quiet place, indoors or outside in nature, and give Qigong a try.
About the author: Kerrie Womersley is a Certified Advanced Holden Qigong Teacher and Advanced Soul Realignment ‘Akashic Records’ Reader, helping people discover their true Divine nature. Connect with her by visiting www.findyourselfnow.com.
The Find Yourself Qigong Online Studio is a safe and sacred space, especially for empaths, introverts and highly sensitive people who struggle with the negative energy of others and their environments. Become an Online Studio Member and refine your natural intuition for a divinely inspired life.