In January, 2017, the students in Anne Spoon’s Post Secondary class started off the new year with a focus on health. QiGong teacher, Wendy Ballen, volunteered her time to teach the ancient Chinese health practice of QiGong.
QiGong (Chi Kung) is made up of two Chinese words. Qi is pronounced ‘chee’ and is usually translated to mean the life force or vital energy that flows through all living things in the universe. The second word, Gong, pronounced ‘gung’ means accomplishment or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Together, QiGong means cultivating energy in a system that is practiced for health maintenance, healing and increased vitality.
The students, ages 18 to 22, took to it immediately. When asked what they liked about QiGong, the responses were all positive. “I liked it to get out all that stress out of my head, it was good,” ” I liked the breathing,” and “It feels good to do QiGong,” were just some of the comments from the students. As a teacher, Ms. Spoon observed instant changes in the students’ behavior and demeanor. “They were calm and more attentive. We were so fortunate to have Wendy come to our class and share her QiGong with us.”