Certain types of exercise are especially good at helping to cultivate yin energy and reduce stress levels. Slow moving meditative exercise, such as tai chi, qi gong or more gentle forms of yoga are the best for this.

What these all have in common is that they involve using body awareness. By using your  awareness to feel and then release tension in different areas of the body,  it becomes impossible for the mind to start thinking about work, or other day to day problems. Slow meditative movements performed with awareness, especially when combined with the breath, are great at replenishing the body’s reservoirs of cool and calm energy.

Of course, when engaging in any sport the mind becomes focused on the skills necessary for that activity, but there is an essential difference. Most standard cardio exercise or competitive sport will tend to engage the body’s sympathetic nervous system and adrenaline response (or fight/flight) which can cause tension and tightness. When practising yoga, tai chi or qi gong, the body will tend to activate the parasympathetic autonomic response (rest/digest), which is more conducive to relaxation and reducing stress in the body.

For optimum health, try and supplement your normal cardio-based exercise with some more awareness-based practices. Standard cardio exercise is good, and important for good health, but if you want to feel more in balance with less stress, you could try adding an awareness-based practice to your weekly routine for a month or two and see if you notice a change.

Tags: awareness, qi gong, tai chi, yoga