Many of us out there suffer from issues around Women’s Health either personally or through associated friends and family. Women’s Health covers a vast array of issues including period pain, irregular periods, infertility, pregnancy related issues like lower back pain, fatigue, nausea and insomnia, poor lactation and menopausal symptoms like hot flushes and mood swings. From a traditional Chinese medical (TCM) perspective, there are myriad patterns of disharmony that can cause these symptoms.
Fundamentally a symptom, or series of symptoms, indicates an imbalance within the body. Sometimes, it can be just one energetic pattern of disharmony, other times, and more commonly, there can be a number of patterns of disharmony out of balance at once. We are all complex beings and it is important to get to the root of the imbalance within each individual so that we can treat accordingly; there is no one-size-fits-all. This idea, of treating on an individual basis, is what drew me to TCM in the first place. We each have a story and despite the fact that I might have the same ‘chief complaint’ as my neighbour, for example, period pain, it does not necessarily mean that we have the same imbalance(s) and therefore, our treatments can be different.
Because there are many patterns of disharmony in women’s health, it is important to seek a qualified TCM practitioner to help identify your specific imbalances and establish a safe adjustment to lifestyle changes and Qigong and acupuncture regimes to aid recovery.
It is important to note that women who are menstruating should avoid practising vigorous standing poses, back bends and inverted poses while pregnant women should not practise any abdominal tightening poses or twisting. For this reason, very gentle Qigong exercises such as Nature’s Fragrance Drifts up from the Stream in the Shi Ba Shi Qigong exercise set is very beneficial as it aids in tonification of the Renmai and Dumai Channels, which are commonly affected in women’s health issues and it helps to calm and refresh the body, rebalancing energy and putting it where it counts – in the Dantian. The three Opening and Closing Qigong Forms are beneficial too as they help to centre and balance energy, encourage the free-coursing of Qi and gently clearing perverse energy while encouraging energetic flow to the Dantian.
Always remember that if you feel any negative affects with Qigong exercises, to stop them right away and consult a TCM professional; your health and comfort are of uttermost importance. If you are interested in learning more, why not join us on our thirty day Qigong Teacher Training Course in Bali? It is going to be very special and we would love you to join us.
