One Thing to Us Get Through Coronavirus, an Election Year and Other Hard Times

When COVID-19 put us in lockdown, no one was certain when or how it would end. Two weeks? Two months? We heard that, as many as 56% of the world’s population could contract the virus, and that between 1% and 3% of those infected would die from the illness. Doing the math, based on the low-end prediction, that was more than 42 million dead, while as many as 126 million perish if things go badly wrong. Compare that to the Spanish Flu (H1N1 virus) of 1918 that killed 50 million worldwide. According to Ole Benedictow, the 14th century Black Plague (1346–1353) killed 50 million Europeans, which was at the time 60 per cent of Europe’s population. As of early 2024, estimated global death toll stood at between 16 and 28.2 million with 95% confidence.

We hear that “social distancing” was the only way to level the spike. But remaining distant leaves many of us stressed, isolated and without intimate resources, at a time when we most need them. We experienced stress, not knowing how to remain within the bounds of the “stay home order” while continuing to live our lives with some degree of normalcy.

Now, we face the pending presidential elections. Are you undecided? Perhaps you are voting for Trump or for Biden. Maybe you had your heart set on Cornel West or RFK, Jr. Whichever your presidential candidate, November’s presidential election creates stress. Consider one data point. The amount of money political parties and PAC’s will spend in 2024 on electioneering will set records and, in the process, bring an avalanche of negative advertising. Two decades ago the two major party candidates — George W. Bush and Al Gore — spent less than $200 million combined. At the time, that was an unimaginable sum. In 2020, the Trump team alone spent five times that amount, with a budget target set at $1 billion. On the Democratic side in 2020, Tom Steyer spent $186 million dollars before Super Tuesday. By the time Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the race, he had spent $900 million of his own fortune. Much of that money went towards creating an abundance of nerve-racking and mind boggling airwave chatter.

Now factor into virus and election stresses, Trump’s ongoing criminal prosecutions, the rising cost of housing and other financial worries. Oh, and don’t forget climate change. Chronic stress has been shown to cause a wide range of illnesses. Heart disease leading to heart attacks, type II diabetes, obesity, back aches and shoulder pain, erectile dysfunction and worsened symptoms from menopause — these are only a few of the health conditions linked to prolonged elevated levels of stress. Of particular concern at present, chronic stress can lead to viral illness vulnerability such as colds and flu, including the Coronavirus. Faced with so much stress, what is one to do?

Beyond social distancing, washing hands and wearing a mask, there is an ancient practice that can help center and balance us, while relieving stress. It also strengthens the immune system and boosts energy. It’s called ZhiNeng QiGong and, like the Coronavirus, it began in China. The term QiGong describes a range of practices designed to help balance and cultivate “Qi”. While there is no adequate translation for the Chinese word Qi, it is commonly translated as energy. But this is only part of its meaning. Qi includes every thing, and non-thing, in the Universe — dark matter as well as the void, that empty space full of possibility that all matter and energy occupy. The most important thing to know about Qi’s relationship to humans is that Qi follows the mind. Concentrate on fearful events or unkind people, and those events and people accumulate Qi. Give your thoughts over to the world you wish to inhabit, or the person you wish to become, and Qi flows in that direction. So be careful what you wish for, or think about, because every thought sends Qi in that direction.

“Gong” refers to putting sincere effort into an endeavor. Giving one’s best, committing to earned excellence with the goal of achieving mastery — this is “Gong”. Thus QiGong loosely translates as the practice of mastering the life force. The practice of QiGong dates back more than 7,000 years. Today, it has many forms. ZhiNeng QiGong is a contemporary variant, designed to promote health by awakening the innate wisdom of mind, body and emotions. Its only goal is to improve the practitioner’s emotional, mental and physical health by balancing the flow of life energy throughout the body. ZhiNeng QiGong is sometimes referred to as the art of promoting health through the management of Qi. The first ZhiNeng QiGong exercise is called “Raising Up and Pouring Out Qi”. This exercise improves the flow of Qi into and out of the human body. It is designed to open, clean and nourish the whole system of Qi that connects the human body to the universe. Daily practice strengthens one’s body and is especially effective in preventing and curing illness. During the practice, the mind opens, mental and physical capacities increase and acuity improves by gathering and absorbing universal Qi.

According to the Chinese medical model, whenever our body, mind, or emotions fall out of energetic balance, our natural energy flows get blocked, leading to abnormal symptoms. Western medicine refers to these symptoms as illness. Western medicine begins treatment by examining a patient’s symptoms of illness, formulating a diagnosis, then recommending a course of action. ZhiNeng QiGong, by contrast, treats all patients the same. It aims to restore a balanced flow of energy and, in so doing, preventing or resolving illness.

ZhiNeng QiGong need not be seen as an alternative to Western medicine, but may serve as a useful complement. Take an example. If a person has a life threatening tumor, it may be necessary to surgically remove the tumor. While removing the tumor eliminates, for the moment, the life threatening condition, the patient’s health is not fully restored until the conditions leading to the growth of the tumor get resolved. Chronic stress referred to above, as well as negative emotions, impact our bodily health. When people feel depressed they cast their gaze down, and their posture shrinks. This collapsing puts pressure on internal organs, impacting the immune system function. By contrast, when people feel happy or in love, they have more energy, are more creative. They hold their heads up, look people in the eyes and open up their chest cavity, which in turn gives greater space to internal organs and boosts the immune system. ZhiNeng QiGong works in a similar way. It combines ancient wisdom about meridians, acupuncture and acupressure points, yogic postures, breath and mind control to restore and normalize Qi flows. Profound changes begin deep within the body and work their way outward. Eventually, working with Qi awakens wisdom.

QiGong is not therapy. It is a form of instruction that must be lived, a kind of experiential education. Reading about it will not advance one’s health any more than reading about love will get one closer to feeling love, or attending a lecture on the fragrance of an orange will get one closer to smelling citrus. A toddler does not learn to walk by being told how to walk, or by reading about walking. Walking is not a matter of faith. We all only learn to walk by practicing. By the same token, balanced energy flow contributes to health not by believing, or reading, or attending lectures. Healthy energy flow comes through daily practice.Rather than reading more, begin your practice today. Follow this simple routine for 21 days, after which, observe the changes in your stress levels as well as your overall health.

Each of us is an expression of the wisdom of the universe, or in the words of Carl Sagan “We are all echos of the original sound.” A regular ZhiNeng QiGong practice can help to revitalize that connection to the wisdom of the universe.