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Qigong Research, News, and Events - What's New?

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Endorses
Qigong and Tai Chi

"A program of regular exercise that includes cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility, and neuromotor exercise training beyond activities of daily living to improve and maintain physical fitness and health is essential for most adults....Neuromotor exercise training, sometimes called functional fitness training, incorporates motor skills such as balance, coordination, gait, and agility, and proprioceptive training. Multifaceted physical activities such as tai ji (tai chi), qigong, and yoga involve varying combinations of neuromotor exercise, resistance exercise, and flexibility exercise. Neuromotor exercise training is beneficial as part of a comprehensive exercise program for older persons, especially to improve balance, agility, muscle strength, and reduce the risk of falls." American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise.



Harvard Medical School Endorses Tai Chi

harvard medical school

Harvard Medical School's Harvard Health Publications calls Tai Chi "medication in motion". The article explains how Tai Chi when combined with standard treatment is helpful for a range of conditions including arthritis, low bone density, breast cancer, heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, sleep problems, and stroke.

Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chiharvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi. Conventional medical science on the Chinese art of Tai Chi now shows what Tai Chi masters have known for centuries: regular practice leads to more vigor and flexibility, better balance and mobility, and a sense of well-being. Cutting-edge research from Harvard Medical School also supports the long-standing claims that Tai Chi also has a beneficial impact on the health of the heart, bones, nerves and muscles, immune system, and the mind. This research provides fascinating insight into the underlying physiological mechanisms that explain how Tai Chi actually works.

Tai Chi for Health: Current State of the Research and Challenges Ahead (YouTube 1:09:50). On, April 11, 2013 researchers from across Harvard Medical School came together to share the cutting edge research that is happening relating to Tai Chi. This special edition of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine's Research Seminar Series was held in honor of World Tai Chi day, which is happening right now.

What is Qigong

Qigong -- Getting started: basics and practice

Qigong -- More...

What is Tai Chi

Tai Chi - the most popular form of Qigong

tai chi
Find a Qigong or Tai Chi Teacher

Qigong Institute Teacher Directory

Qigong and Tai Chi practice group
Qigong Store

DVDs, Books, and Videos

 

books
National Expert Meeting on Qi Gong and Tai Chi

Summary (.PDF)

head shot of woman doing Tai Chi
Qigong and Energy Psychology

- Short video intro
- Energy Psychology

Qigong and psychotherapy
The Qi Advisor

Frequently Asked Questions or ask your own question

 

frequently asked questions about qigong
Qigong for Teenagers

Qigong Institute Teen Website

qigong for teenagers

"Tai chi is often described as 'meditation in motion,' but it might well be called 'medication in motion.' There is growing evidence that this mind-body practice, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems, including arthritis, low bone density, breast cancer, heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, sleep problems, and stroke. Harvard Medical School, Harvard Health Publications, May, 2009

'Alternative' Medicine Is Mainstream -The evidence is mounting that diet and lifestyle (including practices such as Qigong, Tai Chi, and Yoga) are the best cures for our worst afflictions. Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2009

"Tai Chi is the perfect exercise". Time Magazine July 31, 2002

"The face of exercise is changing in America... Instead of relentlessly pursuing a sculptured physique, people are chasing longevity, stress reduction and improved health through mind-body practices like qigong. The realm of working out has shifted from people just wanting to build bulk and lean, toned muscles to them understanding that the inner health of the body is just as important as the outer health." New York Times April 5, 2007

A 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society describes the "striking immunity-boosting effect" of Tai Chi, the most well-known moving form of Qigong. Tai Chi "builds aerobic conditioning. It relaxes the body's response to stress, which tends to intensify as people age. And it increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain". Los Angeles Times April 24, 2007

"Tai chi, the most famous branch of Qigong, or exercises that harness the qi (life energy, pronounced "chee"), has been linked to health benefits for virtually everyone from children to seniors.." US News & World Report, November 26, 2010

Qigong Study Trips to Asia in 2013

Thailand: March 26 - April 8
China: September 16 - 30
Bali: October 10-22

china study trips

Group trips can be effective ways to further your personal Qigong practice and learn more from a deep, cultural experience. Francesco Garripoli & Daisy Lee have been leading Qigong Group Study & Healing Trips to powerful places around the world including China, Thailand, India, and Bhutan since the mid-1990's and their trips have facilitated hundreds to learn more about Qigong and apply it to their life.

Sign up for a trip at www.wujiproductions.com and a donation to the Qigong Institute will be made in your name!

holding qi ball in library

Qigong Research and Education
since 1984

Ken Sancier portrait


"The founding of the Qigong Institute was a natural outgrowth of my interest in promoting Qigong. The goal of the Qigong Institute is to promote the scientific understanding of the basis of Qigong". Dr. Ken Sancier.


Qigong Institute Chairman of the Board Francesco Garripoli and President Tom Rogers give a short introduction to the Qigong Institute and its website.

Qigong Institute Podcasts

Qigong Institute on Facebook

Qigong Institute and Qigong Overview (.pdf)

Qigong Institute YouTube Channel

Qigong for Cubicles and Corporations

Mary L. Durham, PhD, head of Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research, explains that “stress in the workplace is an enormous burden – not just for employees but on companies as well.” She cites the fact that after heart disease, stress is the second-most disabling illness for workers, with an annual price tag of more than $300 billion in lost work time, health care costs, and stress reduction efforts.

Enhancing Profitability with Corporate Wellness Programs (video 4:48)

Qigong for cubicles

Spending too much $$$ on healthcare for your employees? Can't get enough exercise because you're working too much? Want to know how to reduce stress? Listen to Dr. Roger Jahnke talk about how to live and work with less stress by doing Qigong now.

qigong for corporations

CFO's, HR Executives, Benefit Managers, Medical Directors, and Wellness Professionals should see the American Institute for Preventative Medicine's wellness whitepaper: The Health and Economic Implications of Worksite Wellness Programs (view as webpage or .pdf). This paper clearly justifies the economic and health benefits of WORKSITE WELLNESS PROGRAMS such as those incorporating Qigong and mind-body practices.

Job Stress: America's #1 Health Problem? The Newsletter of The American Institute of Stress.

Companies Get Strict on Health of Workers. Employers are feeling the need to intensify their efforts to create an environment where people feel they are responsible for their own health.

Yoga, meditation, ‘mindfulness’ – why some of the west’s biggest companies are embracing eastern spirituality

pubmedMeditation by phone found effective for corporations. Findings suggest that a meditation program delivered via phone can be a low cost, feasible, and scalable intervention that shows positive impact on health and well-being, and could allow meditation to be delivered to employees who are otherwise unable to access traditional, on-site programs.

Buddhist Meditation: A Management Skill?
A handful of executive MBA programs around the country — from Harvard to Michigan's Ross School of Business — are teaching students Buddhist meditation techniques. It's not necessarily about teaching spirituality, but focus. There's no way to quantify whether learning how to be centered during a stressful business meeting is balancing the bottom lines at companies. But students say slowing down does help them be more effective.

Read how Qigong Reduces Stress in Computer Workers and watch Dr. Jahnke's short video on Enhancing Profitability with Corporate Wellness Programs.

Watch a WorldTaiChiDay.org produced video entitled Why Tai Chi & Qigong Should be Part of Corporate Wellness (video may take a few moments to load).

Meditation Reduces Health Care Costs by 28%

Meditation Can Reduce Health Care Costs. Changes in physician costs among high-cost transcendental meditation practitioners compared with high-cost nonpractitioners over 5 years.

Mayo Clinic Recommends Tai Chi and Yoga for Stress

Mayo Clinic Study Suggests One Simple Question Regarding Stress Could Help Employers Tailor Wellness Programs and Improve Participation.

Yoga and Meditation Based Programs Reduce Employee Stress

pubmedEffective and Viable Mind-Body Stress Reduction in the Workplace: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness-based and therapeutic yoga programs may provide viable and effective interventions to target high stress levels, sleep quality, and autonomic balance in employees.

Meditation finds an ommm in the office. Managers are promoting mental-awareness techniques to help employees cut stress and improve communication. And executives are finding meditation helps them stay cool under fire.