Can Tai Chi and Qigong Postures Shape Our Mood?

This Harvard University article gives a scientific basis for the importance of position as demonstrated by tai chi and qigong for people’s health.

According to Dr. Peter Wayne, the brain does not rule the body, the body rules the brain. Gait is a better predictor of health than heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure or blood sugar. Qigong changes the body position and thus influences our health. Qigong can change your mood based on the shape you make.

Front. Hum. Neurosci., 01 May 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00174

Can Tai Chi and Qigong Postures Shape Our Mood? Toward an Embodied Cognition Framework for Mind-Body ResearchKamila Osypiuk, Evan Thompson and Peter M. Wayne

Dynamic and static body postures are a defining characteristic of mind-body practices such as Tai Chi and Qigong (TCQ). A growing body of evidence supports the hypothesis that TCQ may be beneficial for psychological health, including management and prevention of depression and anxiety.

Although a variety of causal factors have been identified as potential mediators of such health benefits, physical posture, despite its visible prominence, has been largely overlooked.

We hypothesize that body posture while standing and/or moving may be a key therapeutic element mediating the influence of TCQ on psychological health.

In the present paper, we summarize existing experimental and observational evidence that suggests a bi-directional relationship between body posture and mental states.

Drawing from embodied cognitive science, we provide a theoretical framework for further investigation into this interrelationship. We discuss the challenges involved in such an investigation and propose suggestions for future studies.

Despite theoretical and practical challenges, we propose that the role of posture in mind-body exercises such as TCQ should be considered in future research.The full paper is at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00174/full