High blood pressure has long been called “The Silent Killer” due to the fact that there are often no clear symptoms noted before the unfortunate resulting stroke or heart attack occurs. To combat that built-up stress and pressure, here are 3 Qigong exercises for high blood pressure.
Although there is much that is not fully understood about the root cause, there are many lifestyle factors that are proven to contribute to the condition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojgbeiyks9s&t=2s
What factors affect your blood pressure?
Topping the list are of course proper diet, exercise and weight loss. But what science is finally beginning to understand is the mechanism by which “stress” contributes to the overall picture.
What is Epigenetics?
To understand stress’s physical effect on the body, first, you must understand Epigenetics. Although the pure science of Epigenetics has been around for nearly 40 years, It’s taken all that time for the concept to filter its way down into more commonly applied science and eventually western medicine (one day..lol).
To put it simply, Epigenetics is the concept of how individual cells interpret toxic stimuli in the internal environment of the body. That interpretation then leads to a corresponding effect on how those cells function and replicate themselves.
If the cells detect toxins from the food eaten, the air breathed or the corresponding hormonal and chemical reaction to mental and emotional stress, those cells cease to function and replicate in a healthful way, leading to dysfunction and disease.
That being said, the cells of the heart and cardiovascular system are the last places that you want this toxic reaction to be happening
How does your diet affect blood pressure?
When it comes to eating, people have struggled for decades with how to fill their stomachs in a healthy way. This has resulted in the number of diet regimes on the market outnumbering the populations of some small countries. However, if we turn to the basic biological nutritional requirements of the human body, we can narrow things down quite quickly.
So, from a nutritional perspective, we can keep it simple by following two simple precepts;
Remove the food like substances that our bodies are not designed to eat.
Provide the body with the essential vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins that it can’t make for itself.
To do this, here are 5 rules to follow to ensure your diet is acting as a Tonic and not a Toxin to your cells and of course your Heart.
Remove all wheat, dairy, corn and soy from your diet.
All food eaten should come from as certified organic sources as possible.
Three quarters of our plates should be filled with dark green or bright coloured veggies that grow above ground
One quarter of our plate should be filled with animal or plant based protein.
Drink a minimum of 2L of water per day.
By following these five rules as strictly as possible you will dramatically reduce your internal toxic load. It will also ensure that you are providing your body with the building blocks to build a better, healthier you.
Now that doesn’t mean that you can never eat pizza again (nectar of the Gods!) it just means that 90% of the time you make mindful choices that heal you, and 10% of the time…..well…..you don’t!
What is the best exercise to regulate blood pressure?
As for exercise, once again there are a million in one different way to get active. You could lift weights, do yoga or qigong, go for a hike, run, swim, dance, walk, or do martial arts. It’s not so much what you do, but rather how often you do it and most importantly how it makes you feel, while and after you do it.
All of the activities I listed can be a tonic or a toxin to your body. It’s all in your perspective. Lifting weights is great to increase strength and muscle mass, but if going to the gym causes you to feel negative or self-deprecating in any way, all that good becomes bad on a cellular level.
Swimming is an amazing full-body exercise that provides wonderful conditioning both for your muscles and for your cardiovascular system. However, if the thought of getting into a bathing suit in public is making your skin crawl, once again the activity becomes a toxin.
How do your emotions affect your blood pressure?
As I said, it's not what you do, but more importantly, the emotional and mental impact that determines whether you actually get the bang for your buck you were hoping for. No matter what activity you choose to “get healthier”, if the very thought of it is stressing you out, quit while you’re ahead.
The good short-term stress of physical exercise will always be trumped (sorry) by the lasting negative long-term stress created by your mental and emotional perspective.
Is Qigong good for High Blood Pressure?
This is where Qigong exercise once again is a blessing in disguise. Because the physical movements of Qigong are performed while mindfully connecting your focus to your breath, as well specific visualizations or positive emotions, you heal not only your body but your mind and spirit as well.
The combination of slow, dynamic range, physical movements with deep, diaphragmatic breath and peaceful, loving mental intention are what make Qigong such a powerful self-healing modality.
The best qigong exercises for blood pressure
These three Qigong exercises are specifically designed to stimulate the heart meridian that travels from the chest down the rear portion of the inside of the arm to the pinky finger. But as with all qigong exercises, the very nature of being a physical moving meditation has a healing effect not only on the cardiovascular system but every cell in the body.
Exercise #1 - Compressing the heart
This exercise has a massaging effect on the heart itself. In addition, due to the fact that the movement crosses the midline of the body, this exercise has a strong stimulating effect on the neural plasticity of the brain as well.
Exercise #2 - Fanning Flame
This exercise serves to stretch and activate the heart meridian that travels down the arms, In addition, during the exercise, the practitioner focuses their intention on a clear picture of unconditional love. This positive emotion has a healing effect on the vibratory energy of the heart.
Exercise #3 - Filling the Heart
This exercise is coordinated with a visualization of first emptying the heart of anything sad, sick or grey and then filling it with beautiful healing ruby-red light. This is the colour that has the strongest vibratory resonance with the heart meridian and organ itself.
These exercises can be used as often as you like to heal your troubled heart and every cell in your body at the same time.
…Give it a Try!
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