Qigong For Weight Loss

Start: 4/2/2017

Like many strong, brave men who hit their 40s, I used to be young, vibrant, and had a decent physique. Along with hitting 40, I have had to give up most of my beloved activities (climbing, kung fu, hiking, cycling, snow camping to name a few) to be a decent father. Now my sedentary lifestyle consists of a full time job in front of two computer screens, and coming home to further support my family. I have started up the Iron Shirt Qigong practice that my dad taught me decades ago to help remedy this. My dad’s version of Iron Shirt Qigong is a little more yang (harder and more external) than Mantak Chia’s version. I plan to practice daily and will be updating my progress every week or every two weeks. Veronica and I have already seen some dramatic results in my mood and energy through out the week. Let’s see if I can drop some weight and see my muscles again.

Update: 4/17/2017

I haven’t seen a good weight difference on the scale that I bought at Goodwill, but I am able to fit into pants better. My weight at night is around 140 lbs, and about 135 lbs in the morning. I have been faithful in practicing Iron Shirt Qigong everyday. I started the Golden Phoenix Washes Its Feathers for 45 counts, but I increased my time in the Golden Turtle / Water Buffalo from 180 to 200 count, which became too difficult, so I stopped doing the Golden Phoenix. I hope to be able to start the Golden Phoenix again next week. Even though I haven’t seen much weightless results, the exercise is maintaining a happy emotional state of mind for me.

Update: 6/2/2017

Today I am happy to report a 5 pound weight change! It took me more than a month to report back, but the change is genuine. My weight at night is around 135 and in the morning it is around 130. I am able to hold the Golden Turtle posture for a count of 105 and the same for the Water Buffalo. Last time I checked in I had stopped the Golden Phoenix, but now I am up to 72 repetitions. I think starting up the Golden Phoenix is the main reason for the weight loss as it is the most physically active exercise of the iron shirt. I am sorry I don’t have any images or videos of the iron shirt to share yet. I am making slow progress in setting up a space to create them. Recently we fulfilled our workshop with Mantak Chia, which had a lot of wonderful insights. One of them was a Taoist chart of when to best eat. I have just started incorporating it into my lifestyle. Basically it recommends to eat heavy in the beginning of the day and less as you bring the day to a close–this is the complete opposite of my previous dietary plan!