My personal quest for optimum fitness by my 60th birthday, which was six months away, led to a cross-pollination of two diverse exercise programs. In nature, when cross-pollination occurs, the resulting hybrid combines the best of the two species. I believe that has occurred in this instance as well.
The two modalities I combined are Qigong, and standard everyday exercises such as crunches, lunges and push-ups. Qigong, one of the branches of Chinese Medicine, is a technique that continues to be a part of my life as it has for more than 20 years. As well as utilizing Qigong for my personal wellness, I teach classes and use it daily in my professional practice of Energetic Bodywork. While Qigong keeps me healthy, gravity began to work against my muscular integrity., I refused to accept that as my ultimate fate. I felt an innate knowing that I could be as fit at 60 years of age as I was at 30 years. I made a vow to bring more exercise into my life.
Exercises are incredibly boring for me. While Qigong keeps me engaged, because the mind is utilized every moment, push-ups, lunges, crunches and their cousins just make me want to… well, simply stop! Then it hit me. Why not bring the Qigong mindset into these terribly boring exercises? The resulting routine has been a game changer for me. These mundane exercises now had a consciousness to them, keeping me present in my routine. I no longer worried about the time, the counts or when I would ever finish. I now enjoyed my workout, and it was more effective than either the Qigong or the exercises when performed separately. Conscious Core Conditioning and Training was born.
While I am certain I don’t have to explain what a push-up looks like, you may be wondering. “What the heck is Qigong?” Literally, ‘Qi’ translates as energy, and ‘Gong’ means work or cultivation. Basically, the practitioner uses movement or posture, breath and mental intention through visualizations which train the mind, body and breath to move one’s vital energy, or Qi. The Qi moves through energetic pathways called meridians. The practitioner’s every movement is now conscious, by virtue of the mind using visualizations to dilate energy meridians. Every breath is now present as it guides the pace and effort of the flow. The mind is now fully engaged with intention. Therefore, each exercise works the body, mind and energetic being. The exercise is a meditation.
What I have found through making Qigong a lifestyle, and not just a daily routine, is that each activity, posture, as well as every breath can be a Qigong. Next time, I will give you the Qigong visualizations for some standard exercises.
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If we are truly spiritual beings abiding in a physical experience, then we would do well to honor our spiritual presence by keeping this temporary abode healthy and vital.
Those of us who consciously choose spiritual growth as a life path often treat our body as though it had less value than our soul or spirit.
The following quote is attributed to Buddha: “Your Body is precious, it is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.”
Take a moment to examine your body now, starting with your feet, examine and scrutinize every inch until you reach the top of your head, leaving no part out of the exam. Do you love what you have observed? Can you truly state, “I love my body?”
If you cannot say truthfully that you love your body, perhaps it’s time to manifest the optimum physical vehicle for your soul being. We are one with Divine Spirit. Should we not then co-create that divine body with which to experience our awakening?
In the next entry we’ll begin to explore how to do this 
Namaste,
Al Perry
Al Perry
Posted in Health | Tagged Consciousness, Health, Qigong, Spirituality, Yoga. | 1 Comment »
