As an Eight Treasures Qigong instructor, what is going on? I have so many requests from new students … Are we all really that stressed? I think so – and many of us are not even aware of how stressed we are.
I do know with my last 3+ years of mobility issues, a simple hamstring injury, then a reaction to an tendon-popping antibiotic which rendered a right hip replacement. Then unbalanced and a compensatory gait aggravated an arthritic left knee I had replaced in December 2024. I have had piriformis syndrome on both sides, a real pain in the butt. I’ve lost muscle and struggle with mechanically moving again. No longer is movement seamless and natural but I am getting better.
I have never been more aware of what it must feel like to be an injured, vulnerable animal who has been hit; scared and scarred with fight or flight pain, with a nervous system unable to regulate, and chemical responses of cortisol and adrenaline. No amount of pep talks nor toxic positivity can convince your mind and body it is ok when it experiences the trauma of injury. The inability to move, reduce weight, and be agile is a crushing blow. I have had to learn to love myself in a body I do not recognize.
But somehow I have been blessed to still be able to teach Essentrics even through two joint replacements. It is overwhelming to stand before class and teach when cleared and after healing.
And now, I have many new Qigong students, too. I knew this Eight Treasures Qigong was magical when I began to learn it decades ago. I was so in my head and needed grounding. I became certified to teach, and after many years of practice, learned to cue so students feel natural in the movement of energy. If learning feels mechanical like it first does, the awkwardness plays on the mind and robs the synchronicity. It is a fine balance of mind and body learning.
Recovery takes a long time and a slow unwinding I am finally able to see. I have been amazed by my Apple Watch metrics since regularly teaching The Eight Trreasures Qigong to some new students and now teaching at Myers Park Country Club.
My resting heart rate has gone from 74 to 64 and that correlates to the exact timing of my Qigong classes.
Need some calm? Join me and book a class at SuuzMoves.com