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Upcoming Tai Chi & Qigong for Airway Clearance
Living with bronchiectasis can sometimes feel like a long list of things we need to do, along with things we may decide we’d rather not do anymore.
Airway clearance, exercise, appointments, cleaning equipment, preparing healthy meals, and trying to reduce infection risk can add a lot of tedium to everyday life.
At the same time, some simple pleasures we once enjoyed may no longer feel quite as appealing. Maybe it’s a long hot steamy shower, relaxing in a hot tub, or spending time somewhere that now makes us think twice about environmental exposures.
I’ve started thinking about this as a “pleasure swap.”
The idea is simple. If I decide to give up or limit something that once brought me pleasure, I try to intentionally replace it with something else I enjoy.
That might be photography, a walk somewhere beautiful, a good book, music, time with friends, or perhaps trying something new.
Tai Chi or Qigong could be wonderful options. Not only can they help reduce stress, but they also encourage gentle movement and breathing.
Here’s what I find especially intriguing. Marcy Weiner uses Tai Chi and Qigong as her airway clearance routine, and she’ll be teaching an upcoming hands-on class specifically focused on these practices and airway clearance.
Breathe, Move, Clear: A Hands-On Tai Chi & Qigong Practice for Airway Clearance
🗓 Thursday, August 13
🕚 11:00 AM ET
Registration is now open:
https://tinyurl.com/47wyckfj
Of course, what each of us chooses to avoid, continue doing, or modify is very personal. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
But I think it’s important that living with bronchiectasis doesn’t become entirely about managing bronchiectasis.
Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do isn’t just replace a habit. It’s replacing it with another source of enjoyment.
Has anyone tried Tai Chi or Qigong? I’d love to hear about your experience.
Warm regards,
Linda Esposito
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Last year I saw a woman on one of the meeting for BE say she'd been doing Qi Gong for years with a master and it's helped her keep her disease stable. So I found a teacher here in Scottsdale and started working with her twice a week. She concentrates on lung exercises for me. I know I feel more energized after we work out. I do it on Zoom. She does have classes here in Scottsdale. Last time I was at my pulmonologist she said she thought I sounded better. Her name is Xie Ling Welch and her practice is Hug the Moon.
Roz
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8 Reactions@rozie83
Hi Roz,
I just sent her an e- mail asking when her next set of on-line classes are Thank you. I'm always looking for alternative ways to address this.
@rozie83 how wonderful! Yes, that was Marcy. She was part of the NTM IR patient conference in California.
I will definitely check out your teacher!
Linda
@becleartoday
Hi Linda,
That was the first conference I had watched and learned a lot. Are you in the Phoenix area? You have a lot of knowledge about the disease and media offerings. Much appreciate you.
Roz
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1 Reaction@baro Hope it works out for you. She studied in China with masters. Roz
@rozie83 thank you. I’m in New York City. And I think you and I exchanged emails many years ago 🙂
BE well,
Linda
I lived in the midwest most of my life. Summer here has been almost unbearable for the last few years. I check the air quality every morning. Too many poor air quality days.
Good luck with everything. Roz
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2 ReactionsI used to do Qi Gong years ago on a daily basis for about 5-6 years. I started when I lived in the mountains in Keystone, CO in 2006. I also saw an acupuncturist (Dr Henry Wu) in Denver who was not only a cardiologist from China but also a Qi Gong master. The first time I saw him, he spent at least 30 minutes on exhaling into the dantian. I felt more grounded and it helped with my energy level. When I was in Keystone, my home backed to the national forest and during the summer, I would do my qi gong in the same spot every morning. After about a month, I started noticing red poppies popping up around the area I practiced my qi gong. Just in that area. I thought that was so interesting. I also got pretty good at creating energy balls and remember telling Dr Wu about how big the balls got and how fun it was-he immediately asked me what I do with the energy after I'm done-and told me: "always return it to the dantian". Thanks for the post Linda and Roz for sharing your class info!
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1 Reaction@kathyjjb sorry about typos...got woken up way too early today.
@kathyjjb It took me a while to figure our what the dantian is. I thought it was Bentium. Who knows which is right? How nice you practiced Qi Gong in the woods.