Introduction:
At Ventura Aikido, we are incorporating Qigong, AikiShintaiso, Aikido: Weapons and hands-on exercises to promote health. Qigong and AikiShintaiso are very similar and they are both promoting the free flow of Qi and blood, and both are working on all the meridians. There is a bridge between all three practices as they are promoting each other and they are improving health and the free flow of energy throughout the body.
I would like to introduce some strategies that we use in Oriental Medicine that can be applied in this context.
Sedentary Lifestyle:
It could be an origin of why some people get sick. A UCLA professor stated that sedentary lifestyle is the new smoking of the 21st century because people are not using their lungs to their full capacity and it is leading to cancer. I mentioned the "free flow of qi", this is a very good example, if we are not promoting flow in our bodies then the energy gets stuck and it leads to diseases such as obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, pain: back, shoulders, knees, ankles..., high blood pressure, cancer and Metabolic syndrome.
A sedentary lifestyle and mental health: People who are not exercising are at risk of depression, anxiety, mood swings and insomnia.
Aging:
I often talk about women's health but we rarely discuss Andropause, men as well go through different stages in their lives, it might be more settle but it is still happening, low testosterone leads to a decrease in energy, lack of intimacy, gaining weight and an increase in depression.
Physical activities can really help to prevent and fight those conditions. The first step of self-defense is yourself.
There are many conditions that could be discussed in this blog and so many are not caused by sedentary lifestyle however it is the example that I chose because for this particular causative factor, our program can reduce all the symptoms within months of practice.
Strategies:
The first strategy is to come to class, it seems easy but it is quite difficult for some people to be consistent with a program.
Patience is a requirement. It doesn't take days, it takes months to see some results but the investment the student puts into it, it will provide an equal return.
The instructor needs to provide a gradual routine that is going to be safe and help the student. If our goal is to improve the flow of qi, it has to be done step by step and a strong foundation will have to be put in place. Sometimes, people have a new year's resolution and they sign up at a gym and after two weeks, they drop out because they are too sore to continue or they injured themselves. It is obviously not the right approach. We have to push ourselves in the right direction.
Qigong and Aikishintaiso can help to provide a strong foundation to heal and they can also provide a fundamental base to Aikido.
Aikido incorporates both disciplines so a student can choose to solely start aikido even though he or she will be introduced to them during practice. It all depends on the student physical fitness. (A beginner student should not lift 25 LBS weight if he has never done before, it should start at 5 or 10 LBS.) A progressive approach helps to promote health and reduce the risk of potential injuries.
Conclusion:
People, who want to stay healthy or improve their health, will find what they are looking for in our school. Remember your return will be based on your investment. It is not about studying hard, it is about consistency. The qi needs to flow!