Tai Chi Qigong for Insomnia, Balancing Heart Qigong

Due to its gentle nature Tai Chi Qigong is ideal for insomnia and can help to calm the nervous system, reduce and overactive mind and reduce worry – all of which can leave is feeling depleted and anxious. Simply breathing more deeply, relaxing the body and moving gently in a focused way has huge psychological and physiological benefits. Tai Chi Qigong can work as an effective tool to combat both the effects of insomnia and help to reduce the root cause – it also feels great too.

Try the following exercises every day for 5 minutes and your insomnia may be reduced or even eliminated.

Balancing The Heart Qigong
The following exercise works to restore balance in the heart and reduce the unwanted effects of exhaustion. Using the energy points Lao Gong (Palace of Weariness) - an acupuncture point used for exhaustion on the Heart Protector Meridian and Yong Quan (Bubbling Spring) - a point used to ground energy and bring people into their bodies, this exercise works to strengthen internal qi and calm the nervous system. It is also fantastic for helping us melt away some of the psychological baggage that prevents us from sleeping.

1) Stand with you feet at shoulder width in a comfortable upright position. Bend your knees slightly so you feel more connected to the ground and gently "rooted". Imagine a thread of golden light from your crown gently lifting you up to align your spine and tuck your chin gently in until your head feels comfortably placed. Place you tongue gently on the roof of your mouth (to connect the pathways of Qi in your body). Relax your shoulders and imagine/feel any tension in your body melting away through the soles of your feet. Click to learn how Chinese medicine treats Psoriasis.

2) Create a smooth and gentle pulse of movement from your feet and up through your body. Your knees will unbend slightly, then raise your arms to shoulder height. Turn your palms in towards each other to align the Lao Gong energy points. Breath: Breathing in.

3) Tilt the body gently forwards, opening the arms out to the sides and increasing the pressure on the front of the feet slightly (massaging the Yong Quan energy points). Breath: Breathing out.

4) Tilt gently back as you bring the arms back in again and come back into a more upright relaxed stance. Breath: Breathing in.

5) Relax the body, bend the knees slightly and bring the arms back down to waist height again. Breath: Breathing out