Aerobic Exercise and Chi Kung

[Anonymous]

I believe getting 30 minutes of low impact aerobic exercise is beneficial to the physical body for many people. It would be nice if I could combine it with some sort of awareness or chi kung exercise. It is cold outside so if I moved my bed to wall I could put down a circle. The idea of practicing something that hurts people like martial arts freaks me out (doesn’t bother me if you practice it) and the upward current of bagua might not be good for me. Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

Hi Leonard,

As there are many things that could be considered beneficial to the physical body, what particular benefit is it that you’re seeking from aerobic exercise, and why?

[Anonymous]

Hello Paul,

I only know the basics of western and traditional Chinese medicine. However, western medicine made a few things about prevention clear for me from my point of view: don’t use tobacco, eat leafy greens, and get aerobic exercise. As far as I know preventive medicine is the only medicine I need. Specifically, diabetes runs in my family but my blood sugar level is fine right now. There are many other preventative benefits in my opinion.

My knees hurt after running. I don’t want to ride a bicycle in the cold. I’d rather not spend money every month on a gym membership. I don’t want people to make fun of me if I do an aerobics workout video since I am not a female. Plus, I really would love to combine awareness or chi exercises with the physical exercise. I have been wanting to figure something out for months. The best ideas I came up with is learning circle walking from the book “the great stillness” and while doing the walking either putting awareness on my feet or do downward body scans and outer dissolving. However, I think I read or heard somewhere that bagua can make upward currents of energy which would probably be bad for me. I don’t know if circle walking has the same effect. Plus, I realize that as a beginner I shouldn’t just make up my own chi kung.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, Lenny

[Anonymous]

hello leonard

right off, not sure how your health issues would impact this, except that exercise is crucial for managing blood sugar, so this is a good thing to be thinking about for your diabetes…

I practice a lot of bagua, and I find that it’s not a big problem to get plenty of aerobic exercise while walking. ok, it’s a fast walk. sometimes super fast. but still bagua step, using changes, focus on internal chi.

the thing I had to figure out was how to learn how to keep relaxing while I went faster, so I wan’t pushing my nerves even as I was doing more. when I started getting it, it was kinda like a miracle, WOW, faster can be easier?

took a while, and im still working on it, but you can develop GREAT aerobic capacity through this work.

but you really have to let go of the idea of pushing, or having to have it be hard. that puts you right back in a stress cycle, which is not what your going for.

so much of it boils down to learning how to do something easier and easier, at a certain point you can do a lot more, and yet your not stressing out, still relaxed and centered…
hope this helps…

[Author]

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