The Healthy Solution

By LIM WEY WEN

The healing power of qigong may not be seen with the naked eye, but many have benefited from it.

WHEN his wife started attending qigong classes one and a half years ago, Datuk Seri Leong Hoy Kum had his doubts about qigong.

But when he saw the positive changes in his wife after two months, he decided to give it a try.

“Initially, I was rather dubious about the benefits of qigong as I tend to be very technical minded,” said the 51-year-old Mah Sing Group Berhad group managing director.

Datuk Seri Leong Hoy Kum... practising Qigong has helped me gain clarity in my thought... and I could make decisions with a clearer mind.

“But I noticed a lot of changes in my wife... She had went from a size XL to a size M, and the severe migraine she once had is no longer there,” said Leong.

Now, Leong goes for qigong classes whenever he is free. “I did not have any major problems with my health before, but practising qigong has helped me gain clarity in my thought... and I could make decisions with a clearer mind.”

For Qigong Master Suolangyixi, seeing students like Leong’s wife benefit from his teaching is the best reward. “Today, many people lead sedentary lifestyles as they do not have the time or inclination to exercise. In Malaysia, the most common problems people face are lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and cancer,” said Suolang who focused his Tibetan Qigong teaching (also called Suolangyixi Qigong) to address these problems in his classes.

Media consultant Datuk Hoong Soon Kean, 62, is one of Suolang’s many students who has managed to keep his diabetes under control with regular practise of qigong.

Hoong, who had been taking diabetic medications and injecting himself with insulin for over 20 years to keep his blood sugar levels under control, had been taken off the hormone one year ago. “About a week after learning qigong from Master Suo, my blood sugar level dropped drastically, I started showing hypoglycemic symptoms. Now, I can control my diabetes with medications alone, said Hoong.

Many others, including lawyer Yusuf Khan, Datin Liu Ya Lan, executive chairman of Capital Land Sdn Bhd Tan Sri Datuk Tan Lai Kim, and his wife Puan Sri Lam Meng Chan, have also experienced vast improvement in their health.

Simple and effective

While energy-based exercises and healing methods like qigong and Reiki often come across as mysterious, that is not the way it should be.

“Qigong should not be mysterious, nor should it be superstitious. Good qigong practice and healing methods can be explained with logic and science,” Suolang added.

Suolang, who has been practicing qigong, Shaolin Wushu, Chinese Medicine, Feng Shui and Waidangong (a type of qigong) for more than 30 years, emphasised the importance of simplicity and human-friendly qualities of qigong exercises.

Thus, he uses simple instructions to teach the exercise and does not impose difficult restrictions.

“One of the best things with Master Suolang’s qigong is its simplicity,” said Leong. “Anybody can pick up this simple exercise. It is simple, yet it is effective.”

For Yusuf, the simplicity of Suolang’s teachings can be exemplified when he could not differentiate a qigong veteran from a newcomer in Suolang’s class. “Everyone seems to be doing the same thing. It does not matter whether you practised qigong before. Here, you start from the basics,” he said.

First of all, Suolang will teach his students relaxation exercises, of which they do with the accompaniment of soothing, Chinese music. Then he will proceed to teach students how to cultivate and mobilise their “qi”.

Sometimes, Suolang will aid his students to find the “qi” within them to kickstart their sessions.

“It is best to practise qigong under the supervision of a trained Master as the Master will be available to help you if you experience problems in your practise to prevent getting injured. This is important, especially for people with health problems,” said Suolang.

However, Suolang notes that students would have to practise qigong regularly to see positive results.

Master Suolangyixi uses simple instructions to teach Qigong and does not impose difficult restrictions on his students.

Pragmatic choices

As there are many different types of qigong, how would you know whether a type of qigong suits you?

The best way is to give it a try and see whether it works for you. Suolang provides the following guidelines – the qigong practise must be based on science and logic and not based on superstition or blind faith.

“For instance, if you are going to go for a qigong class that prohibits you from drinking water or going to the toilet after the class, then it is going to do your body more harm because holding your urine and dehydration is not good for your body,” says Suolang.

More importantly, the qigong practise should also be based on the aim to improve a student’s health and wisdom, he added.

While he has witnessed the health benefits qigong can bring his students, Suolang advised people who want to learn qigong to be wise and pragmatic about their choices.

“I believe in the complementary nature of conventional treatment and traditional healing methods. If you have a pre-existing problem, do not stop your treatment or medications just because you are attending qigong classes,” says Suolang.

“You can slowly taper off your medications if your health improves, but stopping your treatment abruptly is unwise,” he added. “Sometimes, if you need surgery, you have to go for it,” he said.