Do you ever feel that there’s something holding you back? Maybe, it’s a deep seated fear that discourages you from pursuing your dreams. Or, perhaps it’s a limiting belief about your abilities or self worth that diminishes your confidence. Whatever internal obstacles you might be facing, you’re not alone. In fact, most people experience some sort of internal, self-defeating patterns of one sort or another.
Qi Gong is a powerful practice that can help you address the root cause of toxic thought patterns and unhealthy emotional tendencies. And unlike many pills and medications, there are no negative side effects to using Qi Gong to improve your mental health. It’s safe, natural, and effective.
In this blog, you’ll learn how to use Qi Gong principles to let go of whatever might be holding you back. You’ll also discover why the season of fall is the perfect time to let go of anything that no longer serves you.
To understand how you can use Qi Gong to release emotional baggage and toxic thought patterns, it’s important to understand some foundational principles of the ancient practice.
Qi Gong is the practice of working skillfully with your life-force energy (Qi). In fact, that’s what Qi Gong means. “Qi” means life-force energy and “Gong” refers to work or skill.
Not surprisingly, there are a variety of different ways you can work with your Qi. For example, Tonifying refers to Qi Gong practices that strengthen your internal energy. Just like proper nutrition and exercise helps build your physical body, tonifying Qi Gong practices seek to strengthen your energetic body—which also happens to have a positive effect on your physical body.
In addition to cultivating and strengthening your internal energy, it’s also important to let go of any old energy that no longer serves you. Just think of how you go about recovering from an illness. Along with immune-system boosting herbs and supplements, you also focus on remedies that help rid your body of infection or disease (pathogenic Qi).
In Qi Gong, this process of releasing old energy is known as purging. Therefore, when it comes to letting go of emotional baggage and toxic thought patterns, you want to focus on purging.
There are many practical ways that you can purge old energy in everyday life. In general, most purging practices follow a similar process.
One of the first steps to release self-defeating thought patterns or old emotions is to recognize them. Without becoming aware of what’s holding you back, it’s hard to let go or transform. This is why many Qi Gong practices focus on cultivating skillful attention—the ability to see and understand the energies that exist within you.
Sometimes, simply acknowledging a limiting belief or self-defeating thought pattern will cause it to transform and move on. For example, if you’re holding onto an unpleasant feeling based on believing a false story or narrative, your feeling may dissipate as soon as you become aware that the story isn’t true. In some cases, you might experience a sudden and powerful feeling of liberation as soon as you truly shift your perspective and belief.
Other times, old energy may be a bit more stubborn. Strong emotions or deeply ingrained thinking patterns don’t always disappear the moment you turn your attention toward them. In these cases, it might take intentional work to transform and let go.
Qi Gong offers many powerful practices designed to help you release old emotional baggage, toxic thought patterns, or anything else holding you back. Some purging Qi Gong exercises include combining focused attention with your breath (especially your exhale), guided meditation, and purging Qi Gong movements.
Although you might not always have time for a lengthy Qi Gong practice, you can usually take a few moments to release old energy through your breath. To do this, inhale slowly through your nose, and then exhale fully through your mouth. On your exhale, visualize yourself releasing whatever is no longer serving you. Do this in a focused and intentional way for two or three minutes, and you’ll feel a transformation take place.
Although it’s always a great time to let go of emotional baggage and toxic thought patterns, fall offers you an especially promising opportunity. Because humans are greatly influenced by the ebbs and flows of the natural world, you can take advantage of fall’s “letting go” energy.
During the season of fall, nature lets go of the past to create space for new opportunities. Trees shed their colorful leaves, which fall to the ground and become nutrients for new seeds.
In your own life, fall invites you to turn inward and recognize which old thinking patterns or emotions are ready to be released. In doing so, you’ll create so much more space for creativity, joy, and love to emerge—including self-love.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Qi Gong and fall can help let go of old energy and embrace the opportunities before you, be sure to check out our on-demand Qi Gong for Fall Workshop.
In our on-demand Qi Gong for Fall Workshop, master teacher Lee Holden teaches a variety of powerful Qi Gong exercises designed to help you harness the gifts of fall. These include the ability to intentionally release old energy, cultivate healthy lung Qi, and naturally boost your immune system.
Click on the banner below to learn more about Qi Gong for Fall and can help you cast off old ways of thinking and embrace your full potential.
