of related interest
Managing Depression with Qigong
Frances Gaik
ISBN 978 1 84819 018 4
Chinese Medical Qigong
Editor in Chief: Tianjun Liu
Associate Editor in Chief: Kevin W Chen
ISBN 978 1 84819 023 8
Traditional Chinese Medicine Approaches to Cancer
Harmony in the Face of the Tiger
Henry McGrath
ISBN 978 1 84819 013 9
QIGONG
MULTIPLE
SCLEROSIS
Finding your feet again
Nigel Mills
LONDON AND PHILADELPHIA
First published in 2010
by Singing Dragon
an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
73 Collier Street
London N1 9BE, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.singing-dragon.com
Copyright © Nigel Mills 2010
Photography by Paulyne Skipsey
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.
Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 84819 019 1
eISBN 978 0 85701 029 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The development of the approach outlined in this book would not have been possible without three sets of people: first, the people I have worked with, who were experiencing the condition of multiple sclerosis (MS). I am continually amazed at the resilience and inner strength of people who face MS. I was particularly impressed by the commitment and perseverance of the people who participated in the programme and I was pleased to share in their progress.
Second, the development of this programme would not have been possible without my own experience of some excellent teachers of qigong. I would like to acknowledge particularly my first teacher Simon Carey-Morgan, who helped to design the initial programme and who undertook some of the initial individual training sessions. I have also benefited from some inspirational training in qigong from a range of other teachers including Brian Cooper; Bruce Frantzis; Daverick Leggett; Dek Leverton and, in more recent years, Zhixing Wang. I cannot claim to be an authorized teacher of any one qigong school or style. The final programme described in this book, reflects a personal selection of some qigong strategies, drawn from a broad range of sources, that I have found are usable by, and useful for, people with MS.
Third, I would like to thank those people who supported the research programme and scientific evaluation of the initial programme. The research study would not have been possible without the support and funding of the MS Research Trust and the statistical expertize of Janet Allan who carried out the analysis of the data.
Disclaimer
The techniques and practices described in this book are not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical treatment and care. The book is intended to supplement any medical treatment being received. The book is also intended to supplement training from a recognized qigong instructor and is intended as a reference guide to complement ‘live’ instruction. If the reader undertakes any of the exercises, responsibility must lie solely with the reader.
Chapter 1
WHAT IS QIGONG AND WHY SHOULD IT BE USEFUL FOR MS?
What is qigong?
Qigong is a way of being.
Being soft, yet strong.
Qigong is a way of breathing.
Breathing deeply, yet calmly.
Qigong is a way of standing.
Alert, yet relaxed.
Qigong is…
A way of moving
A way of opening
A way of closing
A way of grounding
A way of giving
A way of receiving
A way of awakening
A way of healing.
How is it achieved?
By standing, in a certain way.
By breathing, in a certain way.
By stretching, in a certain way.
By bringing your awareness into your body, in a certain way.
By extending your awareness below your feet.
By learning how to move, in a certain way.
By letting go.
Through cultivating compassion for your body.
Through allowing yourself to be nourished by qi.
What is qi?
Qi is beyond words. The words are, however, attempted throughout the course of this book.
Where does qigong come from?
Qigong was developed as a means of achieving health and longevity in ancient China. Jahnke (2002) describes how qigong is first referred to in an ancient text called ‘The Yellow Emperor’s