I was introduced to Qigong by a co-worker in 1994 after receiving some acupuncture to deal with my tummy issues (this was before I learned that I'm gluten-intolerant) and stress in Malmö at Marcus Bongart's Qigong Center in the harbor. I was told that I could be "detoxifying" in the beginning with resurfacing bodily symptoms but eventually my skin would clear up and I would become calmer. I did sleep better and learned to sit still and meditate and get in tune with doing motions slowly with synchronized breaths, deepening into my lower abdomen, called Dantien, but have also experienced unwanted energy outlets.
In 1995 I learned the system called "Six Secret Words" that I did for twenty years, sometimes not at all for a couple of months and then resuming. It felt good doing but somehow I experienced that practice as something working on my energyfield around my body but not within, still affecting it. I changed exercises in 2015 when I found Holden Qigong online and try to follow his videos, which has helped me in many ways, especially clearing out other people's energies, centering myself and reclaiming my own Chi, while focusing on grounding myself. I have also developed my own motions to refill my solar plexus according to my needs this year.
As dancers, we might not need to use Qigong to become more flexible or strong but for mental and spritual training inbetween that enable us to focus, breathe better and more efficient. Doing Qigong elevates my mood to a more mature positive attitude with better confidence back into my normal extroverted self, which I can use with others and also for performing dances. This alongside receiving years of dental treatments, eating glutenfree since 2008 and Lomilomi, has been proved helpful for my health, but also met with more resistance when I no longer want to remain what others might have preferred me to be...