Qigong
Yan Xin [Meditative] Qigong: This form of qigong is said to help with physical and emotional disturbances, as well as to help healthful people to maintain and improve themselves. Dr. Yan Xin developed it by combining the aspects of qigong that involve meditation with traditional Eastern/Chinese health maintenance and improvement techniques. Please read the bottom of this page about the extensive benefits I received from practicing it as a researcher at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) under an anthropology dept. professor while working toward my Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Human Development and Family Relations with a Concentration in Counseling.
-Sam Schaperow, B.S., M.S.
About Meditative Qigong:
Traditional Eastern Perspective:
Our bodies all contain energy (qi). When qi becomes out-of-balance, our well-being can become compromised. The Yan Xin Qigong practitioner learns how to re-balance his/her qi with the power within the mind as well as postures to help the body (self-induced acupressure is a part of the process), thereby improving the well-being of one or more of the following:
Mind
Body
Spirit
Maximum benefit is said to be realized when a practitioner does qigong approximately every day.
Western Perspective:
Yan Xin Qigong is primarily practiced by being in a certain posture while thinking about specified thoughts until the mind reaches an altered state (see here for a 2006 neuroimaging study). The positive thinking during this qigong practice can help a person to feel better in close proximity to meditation, while the frequent practice of qigong can help a person to remember peaceful thinking when facing stressors in life.
Physically, said posture can strengthen and readjust parts of the body that would benefit from this experience. Please see below for a practioner's experiences as a part of a UCONN study.
Clear Case-Study Benefits of Yan Xin Qigong:
In 1997 I developed a chronic physical health problem that no medical specialist could help with. Years later I was in an anthropology course, and despite the very extensive amount of extra work it would entail, I decided to become involved with a study a section of the anthropology dept. was conducting to more conclusively determine the benefits of Yan Xin Qigong. I could get some course credit, and hopefully heal in the process. I was required to do "participant observation" amongst practitioners and journal about my experiences in a specially formatted method.
When I began qigong, the posture was very painful on my lower back. No one else there had that experience. I knew my back was prone to pain of varying degrees (mostly mild) practically every day due to the years at high school where I carried most of my books in my backpack instead of trying to go to the locker on such limited time between classes. The back pain was not the health condition I was doing qigong for, but it did interfere. I nevertheless did qigong, despite the pain. The next day I did qigong the pain was not as bad. On the third day the pain was almost gone. I then noticed that throughout my days I was not experiencing back pain. After years of ~daily back pain, it was surprising to see it go away. In researching it, I found Dr. Yan Xin had included the posture of straightening the back in relation to a Chinese medicine/healing belief that the curvature of the back can induce health conditions. In my case qigong clearly, even to an M.D. who reviewed the case, remedied my back problem. Unfortunately it had no effect on the health condition I originally sought help for, however between how my lower back unexpectedly reacted and the relaxation levels doing qigong gave me, I can say I had benefits. Knowing of how people benefit from Yan Xin Qigong, I now recommend it to others nearly two decades later.
For more info. on the benefits of meditation in general, please see here.