Welcome to Abbie Qigong

Hello

Hello, and welcome to Abbie Qigong. That's pronounced tchi (or chi if that's a bit hard) and gong or gung. There's no real equivalent sounds in English so get as close as you can to that.

What is Qigong?

You might have heard of Taiji, well it's hard to pin down but in simple terms it's a physical exercise rooted in ancient Chinese medicine. Similar to Yoga, it can be gentle and renewing which is what I intend to teach, or more physically demanding as you might see in Shaolin Qigong.

I'm in training

I'm in training at the moment with the Qigong Academy and I should qualify next year. But my journey has been a long one.

What I intend to achieve

I want to help people feel mentally and physically better. I've found as a woman without a colon, the one-size-fits-all approach in the wellness sphere, the media and sometimes medicine can be unfitting and sometimes harmful. I found qigong, as all as many other benefits, can help people listen to their bodies and help themselves. Prevention is better than cure and the eastern approach is all about maintaining health as well as healing.

It's not meant to replace conventional medicine. If you're under the care of a doctor, or recovering from a serious illness or injury, it's important to listen to your medical professionals as well as within yourself!

As someone who has suffered serious illness, where my life has been saved multiple times by medical doctors here in the UK, I wouldn't dream of having any other attitude. I do think though, had I known about qigong back in 2002, I would never have got so seriously ill with ulcerative colitis, I may have still developed it, I don't think it would have nearly taken my life twice. That said if I had been diagnosed sooner the worst of it could have been prevented. Now though, I am glad I suffered as much and since with related conditions as it's made me learn a great deal about the body and especially the mind and appreciate good health.

I want to be and create the safe space where people can feel comfortable in their bodies and minds to heal and maintain good health

The how

I intend to offer online classes with a donation suggestion, and in person classes in Halstead Essex and Sudbury Suffolk. Free videos on here and on social media.

A bit about me

I'm 50 now and after battles with mental and physical health and, more recently, the menopause, I've found Qigong, along with walks, taiji, tailoring my diet to my changing needs and some western exercises such as weights and callisthenics-type workouts helpful.
What I've learnt the most is one size does not fit all! Just because Qigong has worked for me, doesn't mean it's for you, the important thing is to keep trying new things!

Here, with Qigong, I want to share what I've learned and continue learning, to be a guide and not a destination. I'm not going to tell you what to eat and when, or that you should even do qigong, I'm just here to say 'hey, would you like to try this and see how it feels?' What we need is for people to find ways to listen to themselves, mentally and physically.

For example, in 2013-2014, I was suffering from terrible insomnia. I haven't got a colon (I have an ileoanal pouch) and so I don't absorb electrolytes and other nutrients very well, after nine months of seeing the doctors to find out what wsa the cause, not one of them suggested electrolytes. I had such brain fog, I was getting less than 6 hours of terrible sleep a night, everything I tried didn't work. I found myself at my desk just shutting my eyes for some peace, this turned into meditation, I didn't know that at the time that I had discovered a sort of meditation. After a few days of trying this I had a sudden thought, 'potassium!' I went through everything in the house I knew was high in potassium and within a few hours felt the kind of warmth I hadn't reaslised had gone, so over the next few weeks I started taking potassium but it was't the whole picture,  I discovered I actually needed magnesium to absorb potassium, which also allows you to absorb calcium and vitamin D.
So, through meditation I had found a way to listen to what my body needed and it's been right many times since.

Meditation isn't for everyone, nor is qigong, so it's just here for you to try on your journey to becoming you again, because the real you is a happy and healthy one!