Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Neck Pain

Hi,

I have osteoarthritis in my neck and whenever I try to do the active exercises, the pain becomes too intense moving into the base of my scull. I've tried the exercises sitting down, and even lying down, but there is something about holding the arms up in the building of Chi that stresses my neck and shoulder area. I think maybe that if I just push through the pain, the Chi will help rebalance the underlying block, but I also want to respect the message my body is giving me and be gentle with her.

Any ideas on what I could do differently? Wish I was back in Minnesota. I could see Master Lin in person.

Thanks,
Anita

Do you have anyone learning the program with you who could do some of the Qigong healing on you?

Hi Anita,

is every exercise painful? If not, try just doing the exercises that don't hurt.
You could also try to go only with the sitting meditations for some time.

You can do the walking and sleeping exercise. Just try to "think" and breathe QiGong as much as possible.

I don't know if this will work, but just do the painful exercises in your mind. Visualize and feel them as if you were really doing them - without the pain.

This last advice I have "stolen" from Feldenkrais. This great method has helped me to get rid of a lot of tensions and to develop my coordination and balance.
I cannot give advice on a got self-study book - my books are all from german authors or from Feldenkrais himself. Feldenkrais sheds some light on the method, but I found other books better for self-study.

I hope this helps,

Jens