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There are two types of high blood pressure, essential (or primary) and secondary. Essential hypertension makes up 90 to 95% of all high blood pressure cases and has no identifiable cause. Secondary hypertension can be caused by kidney, adrenal, or thyroid disease, abnormal blood vessels, preeclampsia, sleep apnea, certain medications, including prescription drugs, birth control pills, cold remedies and decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers, especially acetaminophen, drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines, and excess alcohol.
Qigong Hypertension Studies & Articles
Slow and gentle qigong exercises, which are a lot like tai chi but less complex, can be a wonderful complement to an established high blood pressure reduction regime. There are numerous qigong exercises to help reduce blood pressure, included here are some excellent basic sequences.
Qigong exercises often work in combination with the breath, so you need to figure out what your breathing method is. It’s been found that up to 90% of people with clinical high blood pressure or heart disease actually breathe opposite to the recommended deep abdominal breath method. This ‘reverse’ breathing can put strain on your system and cause constriction of the blood vessels, so it’s a good idea to develop the habit of abdominal breathing, instead.
Exercise 1 ~ Abdominal Breathing
How to: when you breathe in let your belly expand and as you breathe out allow your belly to move towards your spine. When you breathe in, focus on breathing into the belly and also on filling the lungs from the bottom to the top. When you exhale, pull the abdomen in and allow the breath to leave the lungs from the bottom to the top.
The following qigong meditation is easy to do and is quite effective at calming your nervous system and helping to lower your blood pressure. Sit in a relaxed posture, with your spine aligned and elongated. Imagine the feeling of warm water or slightly cool water pouring down over your head, upper torso, arms, mid and lower torso, legs, and feet. As the water flows down, feel that it takes with it all the tension and excess heat from your body. When the water reaches your feet, let it continue downward, flowing into the earth. You can do this exercise a few times throughout the day, for 36 breaths each session.
Exercise 3 ~ Stimulating the Bubbling Well Point
The next exercise is also easy. It has the effect of bringing upward-rising energy down, as well as tonifying the meridian that is in charge of your life energy. In a seated position, repeatedly rub the sole of each foot, specifically the area between the arch and the ball of your foot aka Kidney 1 or The Bubbling Well Point. Rub towards the toes. Do about 100 to 400 vigorous rubs per foot. This may sound like a lot of repetitions, but once you’re in the habit of doing this wonderful exercise you won’t ever regret the time taken.
What to do if you are on high blood pressure medication and are doing the exercises? Remember to check in with your doctor to have your blood pressure monitored and medication levels adjusted accordingly.
High blood pressure isn’t necessarily a life sentence. By working with your doctor and changing your lifestyle in a way that supports your body and reduces blood pressure, you can dramatically improve the quality of your health. And don’t forget to walk. Walking has the ability to lower your blood pressure if done consistently.
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Photo Credit: Walter Groesel
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