It is one of the pillars of Chinese medicine to harmonize body and mind and its benefits are now proven by Western science. On the occasion of the national days of qi gong (1), throughout the month of June, one can discover this discipline for free. We explain what it is and we give you three good reasons to get started (and not for a month).

What is qigong?

In Chinese, qi gong literally means energy work and energy management. To put it simply, it is a kind of very gentle energetic gym in which we perform a series of movements, breaths and awareness of the gestures to find the best possible harmony, both physically and mentally . Everyone can practice, just listen to your body and respect its limits to not hurt yourself. In the parks of China, we attend every morning a parade of young and old people doing their exercises before starting the day.

To lower my blood pressure

Without being as effective as drugs, qi gong helps control hypertension. Two meta-analyzes, the compilations of several researches, have shown that a regular practice does as well decrease the systolic pressure (the first number measured) as the diastolic (the second number) (2).

To live better with an autoimmune disease

The University Hospital of Limoges is currently studying the impact of qigong on the quality of life of people with lupus (affecting the skin and joints). The study is not finished but, at the mid-point, several participants say they have already seen an improvement.

To reduce anxiety

Qi gong helps restore serenity by acting directly in the heart of cells and regulating the production of stress-related hormones such as cortisol (3).

(1) More information: www.france- qigong .org, (2) National Academy of Medicine, (3) The American Journal of Health Promotion