Dislodge Anxiety

Breathing out anxiety at Catfish Pond, Tarrytown, NY

Yesterday, a few of us hung around after Qigong class and had an interesting chat. The exercises had focused on how to let go of anxiety and cultivate more compassion, both for oneself and for others (depending on the source of the anxiety). Life presents many, many opportunities to become anxious. Sometimes there’s a clear cause, like anticipating a surgery, or driving in the snow. Sometimes the source is more internal, perhaps coming in the form of self-judgement and self-criticism: “Why can’t I get this? What’s wrong with me?” Anxiety is a part of being human. But what can we do about it?

Qigong gives us the tools to dislodge anxiety and transform it into something healthier and more comfortable.  First, we learn to identify anxiety when it arises. How? Simple: we practice slowing down enough to notice what we’re feeling in our bodies. Maybe our shoulders are tightening up around our ears. Maybe we’re teeth-clenching or developing a headache. That’s a lot of energy we’re experiencing! The problem is, that energy has become stuck or stagnant. Like stagnant water, getting stuck in an emotion can be very unhealthy. The power of Qigong is we learn how to keep the energy moving. When we feel anxious, we learn to breath it out, or tap it out, or stretch it out, or shake it right out of our bodies, our minds, our hearts. If we don’t, and it stays stuck there—in Chinese medicine it is thought that anxiety is a symptom of stuck heart energy—it’s unpleasant at the very least, and can be seriously damaging over time. Qigong provides so many excellent tools for self-care. That’s how it helps keep us out of arguments, lingering bad moods, and even doctors’ offices.