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Do you or someone you know have Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disease with many symptoms.   It makes you feel tired and sore all the time.  You don’t sleep well and you may also suffer from headaches, food allergies and irritable bowel.  In addition, you may have fibro-fog a symptom that affects your ability to think. The research is mounting to support practicing qigong to relieve symptoms and two people have been cured by practicing qigong.  Several studies were examined in this review.  Here are the findings from the studies: Practicing Qigong can improve: pain sleep fatigue physical and mental function These improvements were achieved in many of the studies – even though the studies were very different.  The time spent practicing and type of qigong practiced was different in the studies.  The authors of this research focus on 4 random controlled trials (considered the gold standard for research) to make recommendations.  They highlight that practicing qigong 30-45 minutes daily for 6 to 8 weeks consistently produces results.  These benefits were constant after 4 to 6 weeks.  In addition, study participants continue to practice Qigong! It is interesting to note that it does not matter what kind of qigong you practice.  This validates what many of my teachers have said, bad qigong is better than no qigong.  What is important is that you do it, and you do it every day.  I teach some of the qigong that was mentioned in the studies.  I have introduced qigong to my fibromyalgia clients who take an aqua-fitness class with me.    The class is 60 minutes long.  The first 10 minutes is range of motion exercises followed by 20 minutes of gentle cardio.  We then practice qigong for 30 minutes.  The ladies love the class, [...]

By |May 24th, 2019|Categories: Blog|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on Do you or someone you know have Fibromyalgia?
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What are the 18 Luohan Hands?

Here is an introduction to the history, philosophy, and practice of The 18 Luohan Hands. In romanized Chinese, the 18 Luohan Hands is written Shiba Luohan Shou, which is pronounced as follows: • Shi (like the word “ship” but without the “p”) • Ba (rhymes with “La”, ) • Luo (rhymes with “claw”) • Han (rhymes with “con”) • Shou (sounds like “show”) The word Luohan comes from the Sanskrit word Arhat. Both words refer to a person who has cultivated a high level of spirituality. After the Buddha passed away roughly 2500 years ago, 500 of his top disciples gathered together in a grand council. Together, they reviewed and discussed his teachings word by word. These disciples became known as the 500 Arhats. 
When Buddhism spread from India to China, there were some cultural adjustments. For example, the Chinese paid special homage to 18 of the 500 Arhats. Statues of these 18 Luohan are often found in Buddhist temples today. 
When Bodhidharma taught at the Shaolin Temple (roughly 1000 years after the passing of the Buddha), he chose to pay homage to these 18 Luohan, perhaps in an effort to reach across the cultural divide. So he named a set of Qigong techniques after them. 
The word Shou means “hands”, but refers to the 18 techniques. So a figurative translation would be the 18 Techniques of the Enlightened Ones. Over time, the 18 Luohan Hands evolved into the 18 Luohan Fists. Here, “fists” also refers to the techniques, but implies that they are not just for health. In other words, it was a form of Kung Fu. This was the birth of Shaolin Kung Fu, a martial art that would become legendary. The 18 [...]

By |April 12th, 2018|Categories: Blog|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments
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6 REASONS TO LEARN QIGONG FROM MONICA MARQUIS

  1. I practice daily! This is a feat in of itself. Half of the population in Canada is not active enough for health. In addition to my Qigong practice I swim, walk, hike, inline skate, cycle and I teach aquafitness. 2. I am passionate about movement and I believe movement is medicine, taken daily you can ward off most ailments including aging. 3. I am a fitness and physical activity specialist.   I have worked in the fitness industry for 25 years. I have many certifications including: aquafit( instructor, trainer, therapist), Bone fit certified, Watsu 1,11,111, Ahi chi, Tai chi, Yoga, and Qigong teacher training. 4. I am a health promotion specialist who worked in public health promoting physical activity and chronic disease prevention.  If you live in Halton, you may remember me as the coordinator for Active Halton, a group of government and private organizations dedicated to increasing the physical activity levels of Halton residents.  We did some amazing work that still influences decision making of local governments.  I coordinated the Mississauga Halton Fall Prevention Initiative and promoted the Home Support Exercise Program to  Mississauga and Halton residents. I ended my career in the health sector (public health, and the Mississauga Halton LHIN) after spending 18 months with a non government organization - Osteoporosis Canada. While there,  I encouraged health care professionals (surgeons and physicians) to implement best practices in Osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment.   I assisted with best practice implementation at 3 hospitals in York Region - all three implemented the best practice guidelines and received awards. 5.  I know chronic illness, if there is something I don’t know I am good at finding out causes, treatment and best practices. In addition, [...]

By |February 14th, 2018|Categories: Blog, Qi Gong|Tags: , , , , , , , |0 Comments
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Five Reasons to Try Qigong

Carrying Mountains one of the 18 Luohan Hands   Movement is medicine! Did you know that the single most important thing you can do for your health is move more everyday!  I believe that movement is medicine, taken daily you can ward off most ailments including aging.  I love to move, and want to share one of my favourite movement medicines Qigong to all who are interested. Easy to do and restores health: Half of the population in Canada is not active enough for health.  People claim they don’t have time. Qigong can be practiced anywhere, anytime, for any length of time - inside or out, and no props are required…just YOU!  For best results aim for 30 minutes a day. Endorsed by research!  The Harvard School of Medicine has endorsed Qigong.  In a recent review, Harvard researchers cited the following improvements from practicing Tai Chi and Qigong. Some of my students have seen improvements, like less pain, lower blood pressure, increased sex drive, and no more heart burn, in as little as 2 weeks. Manage stress: Qigong is a form of dynamic meditation where you calm the mind, breathe into the poses and follow the flow of energy through your body.   When you practice Qigong, your internal chemistry, and energy function optimally. Qigong builds mental and emotional strength while teaching the body to react in a positive way to stress. Treat, manage or prevent disease! Qigong is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Qigong movements are a form of medicine each movement encourages the flow of Qi, the circulating life force (or energy) that circulates via meridians throughout your body.   According to Chinese medicine when the meridians are blocked or if the energy is [...]

By |March 16th, 2017|Categories: Blog, Qi Gong|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments
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