Stress/Anxiety › Mimi Kuo-Deemer
These practices have been specifically created and sequenced for watching online on Movement for Modern Life to reduce stress and anxiety you may feel in your life.
Within our anti-stress and anxiety series, we have a range of practices which include:
-
25:37
Qigong for Calming the Heart
In Chinese medicine and Qigong, the heart is seen as the sovereign and ruler of your body. In this gentle qigong class, we explore movements that help calm the heart and help it govern our bodily domain with care, spaciousness and ease. These gentle Qigong forms are accessible to bodies, yet are powerfully calming. This practise can be done standing, but you can also do them all seated in a chair. No mat is required.
-
24:45
Qigong for Anxiety
A Qigong class with gentle movements to help to calm, ground and ease anxiety. In Qigong and Chinese medicine, anxiety arises when the flow of qi, or life energy, through our organs and meridians becomes stuck, stagnant or caught in chaotic whirlpools. In this class we’ll do practices to support our qi to flow in more natural, balanced ways. When this happens, the tendencies towards restlessness, worry and fear - all things that can trigger anxiety - can gradually start to fall away. All you’ll need is some comfortable clothes and some space to stand.
-
37:07
Qigong Balance Series 3: Emotional Balance
The third class in the qigong balance series uses movements, mudras and visualisations to guide you through the Chinese organs and meridian systems – each of which has a related emotion. For example, the liver relates to anger, the heart to joy, the spleen to sympathy, the lungs to grief, and the kidneys to fear. When we can help support the optimal function of these organ and meridian systems, our emotions will also naturally find greater natural expression and balance. No props are needed, not even a mat!
-
26:56
Qigong and Restorative Yoga: Finding Balance
This is the second class in the three-part series, Qigong and Restorative Yoga. The first part of this class is a qigong elemental practice that will help balance the Chinese Five Elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water in your constitution. We will then do some quieting restorative practices to finish. You’ll want to have a yoga bolster or sofa cushion and a blanket.
-
26:26
Qigong and Restorative Yoga: Finding Harmony
Finding Harmony is the first of three classes in the series of Qigong and Restorative Yoga. It focuses on harmonising breath, body movement and the balance of yin and yang. It can be hard to find harmony in our lives of conflicting needs and priorities. Class starts with active qigong and then go on to a relaxing restorative yoga class. Ideally, have a yoga bolster and two blankets. Alternatively, you can also use a sofa cushion and two bed pillows.
-
28:37
Gentle Yoga to Nourish and Support Series: (5) Effortless Ease
In this final class of this series of yoga/qi-gong moves to nourish, support and revitalise the body and mind, we orientate our practice toward effortless ease. In Chinese this is a concept known as wuwei, or effortless effort. It is something we cannot strive toward but rather a quality that arises spontaneously through steady cultivation and practice. As such, we will take the ideas of rooting, rising, aligning and balancing and see what is possible in working with the fluid flow of effortless ease.
-
16:37
Mindfulness Meditation on the Elements
This beautiful, simple meditation class focuses on mindfulness of the body as experienced through our elemental constitutions of earth, fire water and air, space and consciousness. The Buddha taught about elemental practices as a way to train attention but also to wake up the fluidity of our changing experience. Just as the elements of the natural world dance in an ongoing interconnectedness and ongoing state of change, we can also begin to become aware of our body and our experience of it through the elements with us and all around us. Enjoy! Clothing by Rumi X.
-
15:38
Take a Break: Yoga & Qigong Part3: Renew and Revive
The third in our work break series includes deep twists and standing poses to energise and get the blood moving again In qigong, it’s believed that energy flows where intention goes (yi dao, qi dao). This active practice combining yoga and qigong will revive and renew your body’s circulation and prana/qi flow. It’s a great one to do if you’ve been at at the desk and want a more active break, or as a morning practice to do before work. Clothing by Rumi X. "
-
18:10
Take a Break: Yoga & Qigong Part2: Focus + Clarity
The second in our series to provide a constructive break during work or study. These Yoga and Qigong practices all provide you with renewed clarity, and will help clear the cobwebs, also focus on clear alignment through the spine and limbs. It’s great to bring a mental focus and concentration back into the body when we're too in our heads. With some precision in our alignment as well as intentional practices from qigong such as ‘clearing the cobwebs’ (one of my favourites!), we can move forward with our day more embodied awareness and presence.
-
21:59
Take a Break: Yoga & Qigong Part1: Exhale + Sooth
Take a short break from studies or your work. Much of our body’s tension is muscular, but actually, what the muscles and our body crave when we feel tight is deep, satisfying breaths.This short practice releases tension by focusing on exhaling fully and uses Burmese qigong, chest and shoulder openings and forward folds to calm and sooth the mind. Perfect for taking a break to release tension during the day, but also great after a hard day's work. Clothing by Rumi X.
-
42:09
Metta: Care for Ourselves and Care for Others
Featuring moon rather than sun salutes, this more nourishing practice is a beautifully nurturing slow flow and a nourishing sequence for the heart and soul. Great for when your body needs a little extra support, but you'd like to keep your movement practice. The human heart circulates the most oxygen rich supply of blood to itself first before it moves it out to the rest of the body. As humans we can also learn to care for our own bodies and experience, and use this care as a springboard to cultivate greater care for others and the world. “It is not arrogant or egotistical to feel good inside. You had nothing to do with it. It's simply the honest response to clearly perceived Reality.” – Erich Schiffmann
-
24:56
Winter Warmers: Yoga and Qigong for the Inner Fire part I: kindling the fire
Yoga and QiGong for kindling the inner fire. Movement and circulation for warming the body in the cooler months. With Sun Salutations and twists for firing the spirit up. This class will do the trick for any time you feel like you need a little extra fire in your life and is perfect for morning time.
-
36:08
Qigong for Meridian & Joint Health
Energise your meridians and stimulate your joints with these gentle QiGong movements. Perfect to set you up for the day or settle you down for sleep, this all levels class will kindle optimal health and wellbeing, leaving you feeling your best.
-
22:45
Moving Meditation: Qigong Basics 3
This third part of the QiGong basics series begins to move the qi through the body. Inspired by the crane and the bear, which represent aspects of yin and yang respectively, the movements begin circulating qi through the body. Movements in qigong are generally slow, circular, repetitive, graceful and flowing. Its power is in its simplicity.
-
23:23
Moving Meditation: Qigong Basics 2
This second part of the Qigong basics series is aimed at purifying and cleansing the qi in the body. The qi, like any transportation system, can often be stuck, stagnant, overactive or diseased. These practices work to cleanse the body of toxic qi and fill it with healthy, vibrant qi. You finish feeling as though you have had a good internal wash that leaves you feeling more purified and nourished.
-
20:44
Moving Meditation: Qigong Basics 1
This first part of the QiGong basics series focuses on standing meditation and breathing practices, both central to the qigong tradition. QiGong is a Chinese energy practice that works with the principle of “xing ming shuang xiu” ”“ meaning “the spirit and body are equally refined and cultivated.” It is designed to bring the qi, or life energy, into the body and encourage it to flow without blockage. Founded on the virtues of trust, integrity, wisdom, and compassion, QiGong practices help create a feeling of inner and outer peace, energy, and wellbeing.
-
04:46
Kapala Bhati Breath
In this short class, Mimi shows the energising Kapala Bhati breath which is an invigorating tool for energising the body and clearing the mind of negative emotions.
-
39:45
Winter Immune Boost 3
The third part of the immune series focuses upon internal cleansing. This class uses gentle movements, breath practices (pranayama), some QiGong as well as twists in order to give the body a deep cleanse. This class truly takes yoga as a purification practice to it's full meaning.