This last week I have had the opportunity to visit some really interesting places, including a town in the republic of Georgia called Tskaltubo. Tskaltubo was a spa town during Soviet times – with something like 13 different spa hotels, or sanitoriums as they are otherwise known, spotted all around the town. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the spas were all abandoned. It makes it a fascinating place to visit, to see these once grand buildings, empty, abandoned, and gradually decaying.
I made a vlog of my visit there which you can watch below:
Visiting these old abandoned spas made me reflect on the role of nature itself in healing, curing and creating vitality. You see, these grand old spas were used not just for vacations, but also medically. A doctor could write a prescription for you to go and spend a week or two at the sanitoriums, bathing in the natural mineral waters (known as balneotherapy), to heal whatever was ailing you. Once upon a time this type of treatment was quite commonplace, not just using healing waters, but also using therapies such as spending time by the seaside, or in the mountains for the fresh air and so on. It was well recognized that sometimes in order to change what was going on inside you, you needed to change the environment outside you, and different environment have different healing benefits.
In a way the crumbling old spa buildings I visited are a bit of a sad analogy for the current awareness and appreciation for these types of therapies though. When once it was held in high esteem, now in these modern times our society seems to largely overlook the healing benefits of being in nature. We tend to see the ability to spend time connecting to nature as a luxury, or just a vacation, without recognising its important role in maintaining our vitality, or even playing a valuable part in healing when we have lost that vitality.
There is hope though! And again, the spas serve as analogy. In recent years two of them have been sold by the Georgian government, with the contractual requirement that the new owners restore or build new facilities on the sites. Maybe they will just be used for holidays, or maybe the will again be recognised as having therapeutic value. There are groups in our society which are recognising and starting to promote the therapeutic value of spending time in nature, for both mind and body. One such movement is the Forest Therapy movement, which promotes people spending time amongst the forest participating in a range of activities for therapeutic benefits. One such group is the International Nature and Forest Therapy Alliance (INFTA), with which I have an advisory role. It is great to see this appreciation for the healing value of nature re-emerging.
How does nature therapy relate to Qigong?
In Qigong practice we work to make our energy healthy and vital. There are many parts to qigong practice, and while many of them work primarily with the mind, the body, and the breath to stimulate and balance the energy (known as qi) inside us, some practices also put particular emphasis on connecting to the energy around us as a way to renew our vital energy. If you have studied some of the Long White Cloud Qigong courses, it is likely that you have encountered this focus to at least some degree within practices such as Waking the Qi, Between Heaven and Earth, and Qigong Walking. Further, the quality of the energy in your environment will have an effect on all of your qigong practice, whether it is a main focus or not. If you have had the opportunity to compare how your energy feels when you practice outdoors by a lake or river, on a mountaintop, or in a quiet forest, you will know that it is quite different from practicing in different indoor environments. The difference is tangible. This is one of the exercises that students do as part of the Mysterious Qi course, as part of expanding their appreciation for different factors within and influences on their qigong practice.
As our understanding of Chinese philosophy develops, we can begin to use the energy of the natural environment around us in more sophisticated ways. One aspect of Chinese philosophy that is particularly useful is Five Element Theory. This helps us to understand the effect that the different elements we find in nature: Earth, Metal (Air), Water, Wood, and Fire, have on us. Rather than just appreciating the therapeutic value of one element, we can understand the interplay of the elements to find just the right combination to achieve the therapeutic action we desire. When we get this balance just right, the energy flows much more freely, and the effect of our qigong practice is magnified greatly.
Working with the energy of nature in this way, as well as other aspects of Five Element Theory will be the focus of some of the new course material from Long White Cloud Qigong that is in development and will hopefully be available some time next year. But there is no reason to wait until then to start to bring more of the healing power of nature into your life and into your qigong practice.
Ways you can bring more of the healing power of nature into your life
- If at all possible spend some time outdoors everyday. Its great if you can do your regular qigong practice outdoors, but if that is not convenient maybe just go for a walk or have your lunch outside in nature.
- Experiment with different natural locations near you. See if you can notice the difference in how you feel under a tree, at a beach, on a mountain or hilltop, or in an open field. This will start to act as a guide for you in the future to identify the energy that will best give you a boost – or calm, when you need it.
- Bring nature into your indoor spaces as well. Plants in pots that enjoy living indoors, and moving water from portable fountains are great ways to do this.
- Become a nature explorer. Take the opportunities to explore different natural environments whenever you can. This might be when you are travelling for holidays, or work, or even just weekend excursions. When you visit them, pay attention to the energy you feel there and not just on the look of the scenery. This will add a whole new layer of enjoyment to your experience.
- Connect with a local forest therapy guide for ideas of how you can make your interaction with your natural environment richer.
Qigong in nature
As mentioned already in this article, being immersed in healthy energy from nature can greatly enrich your qigong practice, but equally, practicing qigong can also greatly enrich your experience of being in nature.
In qigong practice we become very aware of our own energy, and as this develops we start to have richer and richer sensory awareness of the energy around us as well. Bringing these two together, complement each other perfectly in a synergistic way.
Of course you can apply this to your own practice whenever you wish, but there is also an excellent opportunity to do this coming up in May 2020 at the Long White Cloud Qigong 200 hour Qigong Certification program in Chiang Mai in Thailand. We held a retreat at this location last year, and participants commented on how much easier it was for them to connect and tune into their energy there than in their normal practice at home. This will be an opportunity not to be missed, so if you think three solid weeks of qigong practice in a beautiful natural environment is something that would interest you, check out the details here.
I hope you have enjoyed this article and that it has reminded you to bring the healing power of nature into your regular daily life. To make sure you don’t miss out on any future articles make sure that you
Yours in qi!
John Munro
Founder – Long White Cloud Qigong