Qigong (often spelled Chi Kung or Chi Gong in English) are sets of breathing and movement exercises, which are said to benefit one’s health through stress reduction, relaxation and exercise.

There are literally 1000’s of different exercises but one of the most common, especially in the West, is the ’18 Tai Chi Qigong’ or Shibashi (from the Chinese for 18).  Many of the movements in this set resemble moves in Yang Style Tai Chi, hence the name, but it must not be confused with Tai Chi as unfortunately happens in certain classes.

There is a huge amount of literature about Qigong, both articles and books, and you can find a selection on the Links page.

Obviously though the only way to gain the benefits is to practice and practice for quite a while! It is certainly not an overnight cure for all those aches and pains but for those of my students who have persisted with the exercises they can certify as to the very positive results.

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