A few years ago, Nick Loffree completed his yoga teacher training, and found his body to be in more pain than when he started. “I was doing these intense yoga postures, and sitting for hours a day in meditation. But I wasn’t listening to my body.”
He had overstretched ligaments and muscles, and soon his physical therapist was telling him to stop yoga entirely in order to heal. Disillusioned, he received an unexpected gift from a random co-worker: A YouTube link to seven minute Qigong video.
“I don’t know why he sent it to me, he must have just thought I’d like it, but in that seven minutes I felt more relaxed than I’d ever felt from yoga, it was so gentle on the body, didn’t have to sit still for hours, didn’t have to put so much strain on the ligaments.”
“In Qigong, the way to relax isn’t necessarily to stretch. In yoga, you go, and you stretch for an hour, and hopefully that offers a release of tension. Qigong is very different - it’s never static. It’s continual slow movements, linking with your breathing pattern.”
Nick was hooked, and soon found himself in Santa Cruz to study with the man in the video. Today, he teaches Qigong full time at the Holden School of Qigong, the 1440 Multiversity, and through online and private classes.
“Yoga used to be my workout and my spiritual practice - now they’re very separate. I like that. It opens you up to so much more.”
3 Ways to De-Stress & Find Calming Through Qigong
1. Incorporate Some Unplugged Time Into Your Day
“Everyone needs some sort of practice where they unplug, for some people yoga is the perfect unplug, some people want to sit in meditation. But it’s essential that everyone take 10 minutes a day for no distractions, no phones,” suggests Nick.
In order to go into a state of relaxation, pick a place you’re comfortable. It could be sitting on the couch, laying on the floor with your legs up the wall, or taking a gentle walk. Wherever you are, slow and lengthen your breath. Take note of the sensations in your body.
“Maybe you’re still thinking of things - that’s ok. You don’t have to sit perfectly straight on a pillow, you can just be chilling in a chair,” Nick adds.
2. Lower the Bar
Lower your expectations - and realize that you may have to just let some expectations go. We're living in a vastly different world than we were just a few weeks ago. Focus on the good energy that’s already there, and give yourself grace.
3. Be Like Water
“In Chinese philosophy, in the martial arts and the medicine, we’re constantly trying to emulate water. Water flows around obstacles. If you hit water, it absorbs your force. Water does not try to resist,” Nick explains.
In Chinese martial arts, you’re trained to be sensitive to your opponent’s intentions, absorbing what they give you and redirecting it. Instead of allowing yourself to succumb to stressors - absorb their energy. Listen to what it’s telling you. Acknowledge it, and flow around. You’ll still get to the other side.
To read more about Nick, or to find out where and when he’s teaching, visit https://www.nickloffree.com/.
Caroline Joan Peixoto is a writer born in New Jersey. Since then, she’s lived in Portugal, Rwanda, California, and Colorado, where she currently lives with her photographer boyfriend and wild African dingo. She’s continually inspired by travel and history, and energized by simple living. Connect with her @carolinejoan or caroline@mydaolabs.com
