Qigong exercises not only relieve stress, but keep it from coming back! We all know that qigong, like tai chi or yoga, helps us relieve stress and tension by stretching our muscles and calming our minds as we focus on moving our bodies or qi throughout our bodies. But, like many of us Westerners, I began wondering what science has to say about the empirical results of qigong exercises.

So how do qigong exercises keep stress away?

Qigong exercises work as a type of biofeedback that helps us retrain areas of the mid-body whole. When we take even just 10 minutes each day to practice some qigong exercises we are training our awareness on the state of qi throughout our body.

One of the first things you notice when you start doing qigong exercises is that they are very relaxing and rejuvenating. As we relax and learn to open up to let qi flow through our bodies, we soon realize that tension is an obstacle to qi.

Over time, practicing qigong exercises will help you naturally seek a state of attentive calm, from which tension is unlikely to grow. And when you do notice stress building, you’ll be able to balance things by doing some qigong exercises, thus reducing your overall stress level.

Biofeedback is a very simple and effective approach to modifying our natural reactions to situations

After all, when you’re able to sense that a particular position, set of circumstances or emotion is having a negative effect on your energy levels or wellbeing, you’re halfway to correcting the problem.

Qigong exercises are especially good at relieving stress because they allow you to focus your attention on your body and the mind-body connection with or without physical movement. Yoga and tai chi enhance body awareness, but qigong exercises are unique in their ability to simplify and exercise the mind-body connection.