I participated in my first Qigong class today. This wonderful opportunity to spend time focusing on my own health and outlook on life, is due to my residents. They inspire me to create activities that are mentally stimulating, fun, and contribute to their wellbeing. We decided to try this ancient Chinese practice of meditating with deep breathing and rhythmic movements to see if we liked it. Today was their third class, and while I could see our residents were enjoying it, I wanted to experience it for myself. 

Our instructor lead us through a calm, yet invigorating series of deep, slow breaths while moving our hands outward to release old Qi, then inward, pulling in new Qi. Qi, our life energy, can become stale and unbalanced, leaving us feeling tired, depressed or even ill. There was definitely a nice vibe in the room during our Qi work. We could all feel it. 

During the class, we sometimes closed our eyes. As our teacher guided us through the movements of gently pushing out and pulling in Qi, breathing deeply and slowly, I had a visualization.  After closing my eyes for a few moments, I saw fluffy bubbles of light. Sparkling and floating bubbles of Qi that reflected off of one another the way sea foam bounces and sparkles in the sun. The stress I was feeling in mind and body lifted. Leaving a core sense of well-being.  Looking around the room, each resident was responding in positive ways — making eye contact with one another, smiling, engaged, relaxed. 

Will my residents, living with Alzheimer’s, remember today’s class? I suppose it depends on how we define memory. Our bodies, in a different way than our brains, also know memories.  Like your shoulders can remember the way a loved one hugged you, to reassure you during a difficult moment. And so, I can imagine our residents will remember in their own way, and carry the memory of peaceful wellbeing with them. Even if they cannot describe their experience verbally, or relate it to a loved one. The life energy that was created will carry on for them. Can’t wait for next week’s class.