Do you ever find it difficult to hear what others are saying, even if they’re near you?
As people grow older, it’s normal for their sense of hearing to become reduced, making it hard to perceive the world around them with as much auditory crispness and clarity.
Fortunately, Qi Gong offers some simple yet powerful practices to naturally improve the health of your hearing. These are exercises you can do whenever you want without relying on external devices or technology.
In this blog, you’ll learn how your ears and hearing are connected to the broader energy system within your body. You’ll also learn a Qi Gong routine that’s specifically designed to boost the health of your hearing and naturally improve your hearing.
Unlike much of Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, and Qi Gong recognize that your entire energy system is interconnected. If you have a headache, it’s not just viewed as an issue with your head but as a larger imbalance in your energy system. In other words, TCM and Qi Gong focus on addressing the underlying causes of ailments you’re experiencing, not just the symptoms that are visible on the surface.
In Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, your sense of hearing is connected to the Water Element and your Kidneys, as well as your bones and endocrine system. When your Water Element and Kidneys are strong, it’s easier to enjoy the sounds and voices around you. When your Water Element and Kidney energy is deficient, your hearing may suffer.
Based on this, if you want to improve your hearing, it’s important to focus on cultivating and circulating your Water Element and Kidney Qi. As you’ll discover, the exercises in this routine are aimed at helping you to do exactly that.
We’ve provided this routine as both a video as well as in written instructions.
To start this routine, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. You can also sit if needed but try to position your upper body upright with your feet planted on the floor.
When you’re ready, place your fingers on the pressure point directly behind your ear lobe. This point is called Triple Warmer 17. To find this spot, try to locate the small notch that’s directly behind your ear.
Once your fingers have found that point, press firmly and wiggle your fingers as if you’re giving yourself a gentle massage. This pressure point is great for estimating the Qi in your ears so your energy is activated and flowing. Continue to activate this point for thirty to sixty seconds.
Next, place your pointer fingers behind your ears and let your middle, ring, and pinky fingers rest on your cheek. Then, move your hands up and down vigorously so your fingers move quickly across your face on either side of your ears.
This is an excellent exercise for clearing congestion out of your ears, which can help you hear more clearly. Continue doing this movement for a minute or two until you’re ready to move on to the next exercise.
Now, take your first finger and your thumb and hold each ear firmly. Pull your ear lobes gently to stretch your ears. There are 161 different pressure points in your ears, and this exercise helps activate your energy and circulate Qi throughout the rest of your body. It also helps create more spaciousness in your ears, which can further help improve your hearing.
Do this exercise for a minute or two before moving on. The next practice is a flowing movement called The Fountain, and it’s designed to cultivate and circulate your Water Element and Kidney Qi.
To begin The Fountain, bring your hands directly in front of you by your waist and then the back of your hands face one another. Then, bring your hands up slowly until they’re above your head. Let your palms face outward as your arms circle towards the side and move downward until they return to your waist.
Continue doing this exercise for two to three minutes. Bring your hands up slowly until they’re above your head, and then move your arms outward so they move in a big circle as they return to your waist.
Try to find a sense of flow as you do this exercise as if you’re mirroring the movements of water. Relax your body and ‘let the energy move you’ instead of trying to do the movements yourself. The more you can relax and find flow, the more rejuvenating the exercise will be.
As you cultivate the Water Element through this exercise, that energy will naturally flow to your ears. You can think of your Water Element and Kidneys as the branches of a tree, and your ears are like the flowers.
Next, bring your hands in front of you and let the palms of your hands face each other. Move your hands back and forth slowly, and feel the energy between your hands. Then, bring your hands up to the sides of your head and radiate that energy into your ears. Feel rich, nourishing Qi transmitting through your ears and enlivening your energy there. You may feel warmth or heat radiating in your ears.
If you want to improve your hearing naturally, be sure to check out our Qi Gong for Healthy Hearing Workshop.
This workshop is led by master Qi Gong teacher Lee Holden. Like the routine above, all of the practices in the workshop are focused specifically on improving your hearing naturally.
Click on the banner below to learn more about how Qi Gong can help improve the health of your hearing.
