Qigong & Massage
Feeling sluggish and lethargic?
Book a massage combined with Qigong today and feel energised!
All Daizen massages begin with a complimentary foot ‘detox’ ritual. This is designed to ensure you feel completely relaxed and at ease; and will enable you to fully enjoy your chosen therapy.
You also get to choose your own special oils - pre-blended just for you. Select your favourite from the Daizen Aromatherapy oils.
Everyday Qigong Class
Tuesdays @ 11pm - 45 minutes
Venue: Dullatur Community Hall, Cumbernauld
Qigong tip:
“Concentrated focus is vital while performing the movements, giving Qigong the qualities of mindful meditation. It is low-impact and moderate in intensity suitable for all ages, gender & health conditions”.
Daizen empowers you to embrace self-care with Massage & Qigong
Introducing a unique therapeutic treatment combining Massage & Qigong to promote wellness, vitality & relaxation.
The COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time and the greatest challenge we have faced since WW2. Science has taught us many lessons on the importance of preventive measures for spreading the COVID-19 virus, such as washing our hands and social distancing, however, much of the information has overlooked a vital element of staying healthy – information on how to support your immune system to fight off harmful pathogens and prevent diseases.
Charge up your immunity
The goal is to empower you to take charge of your health by sharing resources on how to boost your immunity to stay healthy in the midst of the pandemic and beyond. Massage and Qigong - this unique combination of therapies is designed to help you stay in good condition mentally, physically, spiritually and revitalising your whole being.
Good medicine is integrative medicine that focuses on the whole person, holistically, using all appropriate therapies in recognition of the interaction between the mind, body & spirit to help you stay as fit and healthy your entire life. Integrating regular massages with Qigong, a gentle yet effective form of exercise aims to help you do just that. As you get older, maintaining your level of health and fitness gets trickier. Things change with time, so be ready to adapt. Try new things. It’s important to develop a love of physical activity, and to make it a mainstay in your life in some form or another.
This is why Daizen has introduced Qigong into its mix of multidisciplinary therapies available. Here at Daizen, we provide a diverse range of massages which can be combined with the dynamic, meditative exercises called Qigong (Harvard Medical School calls it "moving medication") to help you relax and stay fit forever.
Qigong
Qigong is a traditional form of Chinese exercises created 2000 years ago, widely practiced for their health benefits. It involves performing gentle movements that are synchronised with the inhalations & exhalations of the breath, and like yoga, it is a powerful holistic practice for both the 'body & mind.”
Massage
Massage involves working the soft tissue of the body, to ease day-to-day stresses and muscular tension whilst promote relaxation. It helps to increase delivery of blood and oxygen to the treated areas and can also be used in support of other therapies to assist in the rehabilitation of muscular injuries. Definition by FHT, 2020
Massage and Qigong are both complementary approaches to bodywork. The benefits of both therapies have been recognized since 200 BC where knowledge of their usage in ancient China was compiled in The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon (Neijing) which is still thought of as the bible of Chinese medicine today. In this medical bible, Qigong is believed to balance the energy, blood and body fluid flow from the inside, and massage strengthens the flow from the outside. Qigong uses focused intention and specific body movements to guide the body’s energy or ‘Qi’ in healthy ways, whilst the body manipulation of massage helps to do so from the outside. The stimulation of blood flow and other bodily fluids through massage enhances circulation which also helps warm up or loosen stiff muscles and joints thereby making the practice of Qigong more effective.
Both Qigong and massage therapy can truly benefit health when they are used as a preventive therapies to help the body and mind function at optimal levels.
Benefits of Qigong
Eases Stress & Balances Emotions
Recent studies have shown that practicing Qigong regularly can help focus the mind and calms stress/anxiety resulting in better clarity of thinking. For many people, the “past” is often dragged into their present leaving them frequently feeling angry and stressed. Or, they are forever thinking forward to the “future” leaving them consumed with worry, anxiety, and overthinking. Qigong uses flowing physical movements combined with controlled diaphragmatic breath to connect the mind to the present moment, where there is only stillness, peace and quiet. It is by connecting yourself in the moment and being “present” that healing of the mind and body can truly take place.
Boosts the Nervous System
Qigong exercises are meditative movements and share many of the healing elements observed in mindful meditation. As with all meditation practices, Qigong has an incredibly calming effect on the Central Nervous System. As the mind, breath, and body are connected to the moment, the parasympathetic nervous system is engaged and the brain releases feel-good hormones, e.g. serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals act as our natural opiates, creating a relaxed state which promotes healing on the cellular level and in addition, decreasing the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, flowing within our body.
Helps to Prevent Injury to Joints & Ligaments
Another key benefit of practicing Qigong is “kinaesthetic awareness” or our ability to navigate space and the awareness of how we move. Qigong develops your awareness of posture & weight distribution, improving your ability to react and respond to an external stimulus such as slouching, trips, falls, or loss of balance. The soft, slow, movements of Qigong stimulates the body to increase muscular stability, flexibility and range of motion around all joints of the body.
Relieves Pain
The practice of deep breathing in Qigong is an important part of managing chronic and acute pain. Essentially, by giving the body more oxygen with diaphragmatic breathing & allowing the body to enter a parasympathetic state (automatic relaxation response), this gives the mind & body the best chance to help cope with pain.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
In the sixth century BCE, Lao Tzu first described breathing techniques as a way to stimulate Qi energy. From there, two types of Qigong breathing exercises evolved: Buddha’s Breath & Daoist’s Breath. Both methods infuse the body with Qi & help focus meditation.
Meditation and Diaphragmatic Breathing. The original image is Copyright © BBC & has been modified for the research purposes of this article and used under the “fair usage” policy.
How to breathe diaphragmatically
Buddha’s Breath
When you inhale, extend your abdomen, filling it with air.
When you exhale, contract your abdomen, expelling the air from the bottom of your lungs first and then pushing it up and out until your abdomen and chest are deflated.
Use your abdomen when you breathe, consciously pushing your belly out. Put one hand over your stomach - feel how it rises and falls.
Try practice inhaling for a slow count of eight and exhaling for a count of sixteen.