Nearly 80% of Americans will experience some degree of low back pain at some point in their lives. 20% of those people will see their acute issue turn into something more long-term and chronic. Back pain is a common complaint which can be debilitating and drastically lower people's quality of life, preventing them from being able to exercise and generally participate in the world around them. Indeed, in my acupuncture practice, I've seen a lot of messed up backs. Some of them respond remarkably well to acupuncture. Sadly, some of them do not. Collectively as a nation, we are trying to clean up the mess of the opioid epidemic, and that means coming up with effective pain management solutions. This is what I love about Cosmos Qigong. It's not a pain management solution. It's a solution to the pain. Period.
From the ages of 18-26, my back hurt all the time. That all went away within months of starting to practice Cosmos Qigong. While that may sound miraculous to some (and very pleasing to me), my story is actually relatively boring compared to what some of our students in Shaolin Wahnam have experienced as a result of their training. A student with a herniated disc, in constant pain and relying on oxycodone to get through his days for almost a year, saw his back pain vanish completely in an afternoon when he first learned qigong from one of our instructors with no recurrence. Another with multiple herniations, years of pain, told by his doctors that his only solution was spinal decompression surgery and a complete fusion, saw his pain gone after a few weeks of self practice and a long weekend of courses with Grandmaster Wong in 2012. He is now pain free, continues his qigong practice, and is now learning kungfu. Chatting with him a few weeks ago he remarked, “that almost seems like a lifetime ago.” One of our instructors, told to expect to end up in a wheelchair, also now pain-free, very mobile, and teaching these arts. These are just a handful of people who have used Cosmos Qigong to be completely free of their back pain.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, when we look at the cause of pain through a qigong or Chinese medicine lens, it is simply the blockage of energy, or qi, that results in pain. It doesn't matter how the blockage got there in the first place. Remove the blockage and the pain resolves itself. In our weekly classes, we learn exercises like Lifting the Sky and Carrying the Moon, which are remarkable in their ability to resolve back pain, and Pushing Mountains, to strengthen the spine once the back pain has improved. These exercises owe their effectiveness to the fact that they help direct energy around the area of the spine. While that may sound kooky to some (and I understand why), it is important to remember that the body conducts energy much like how an appliance conducts electricity. If the wiring is faulty or there is rust inside, it's not going to work as effectively as it would otherwise. When we remove energy blockages in our bodies, we also allow for them to be able to heal themselves faster and more effectively.
Let's face it, pain sucks, and back pain sucks even more. It is possible to break the cycle and overcome back pain. If you are ready to be free of yours, our weekly classes can show you the way. Why wait another moment?