Standing desk exercises keep you healthyStanding desk exercises keep you healthy

Qigong Exercises for Youthful Movement

 September 8, 2021

By  Juli Kramer

Qigong exercises have a wide range of health benefits. Most importantly, they make it easy to move often throughout your day.

Reading time: 4 minutes

You have probably read the research that shows that sitting all day significantly increases the risk of chronic, debilitating diseases.

When my husband worked at home over during Covid-19 Stay at Home orders, I saw first hand how someone can sit and work all day without moving. He would sit for hours, without drinking water or even getting up to walk around to relieve the strain on his muscles.

You might find yourself in the same situation. It's so easy to get caught up in what you're doing, feeling like you just need to keep going.


Adding qigong exercises to your daily routine

The truth is, you deserve better! Your body is precious and amazing and needs qigong exercises during frequent break to stay healthy.

In fact, according to Chinese medicine, health comes from movement, while disease comes from stagnation, which is why qigong exercises are important for YOU whether you sit or stand while working.

You might wonder, "Which qigong exercises should I do?" It's easy to feel at a loss for what to do when you normally sit for hours at a time.

No more guesswork! Keep reading to see four easy qigong exercises that get Blood and Qi flowing in your body.

The best part is these qigong exercises will:

  • strengthen you immune system
  • nourish your lungs, and
  • calm your mind as well!


It's easy to do move more throughout your day

You don't have to exercise for an hour or more at a time each day for good health. Little qigong exercises movements throughout the day will keep you fit and boost your immune system.

You should move at least every hour, if not every half hour.

In addition to important health benefits, these quick qigong exercises release muscle strain in your head, neck, shoulders, and back. Some of the exercises will also help you prevent or reverse gray hair naturally!

The physical movements of qigong exercises are a great way to use many of the muscles and joints of the upper body.

More importantly for your overall health, the movements are a cue, or a guide, to help you visualize moving your qi, energy, up the back of your spine, over the top of the head, and down the front of the spine to the lower dantian (the area behind and below the belly button).

By imagining the movement of qi during qigong exercises, you focus your mind and calm your nervous system. You also facilitate the movement of qi with your mind.


Your Radiant Shenti Membership makes it easy to do qigong exercises every day!

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Imagine for a moment how good it would feel instead of struggling to find the motivation to exercise, you were inspired to exercise...every day! 


Release strain in your shoulders and back

  1. Raise your arms to shoulder level in front of your chest with the elbows bent.
  2. Keep your arms bent at shoulder height and press your elbows back behind you then return to center. Repeat three times.
  3. Keep your arms at shoulder height but now open the arms wide and press your hands back behind and then return to center. Repeat Steps 1-3 three times.

Stretch muscles in shoulders and back

  1. Take your hands and interlace your fingers in front of you.
  2. Raise your hands above your head for this type of qigong exercises.
  3. Keeping your elbows as straight as you can, press back with your hands and then bring your hands back to center above your head. RepeatSteps 1-3 seven times.

Release tension in shoulders, elbows, and arms

  1. Interlace your fingers and place them in front of you.
  2. Keeping fingers interlaced and raise your hands above your head.
  3. Bend at the elbows, dropping your hands behind your head.
  4. Raise your hands overhead again, straightening your elbows as much as you can. Repeat Steps 1-4 nine times


Stretch the spine and calm the nervous system


  1. Interlace your fingers in front of you.
  2. Keeping fingers interlaced and raise your hands above your head.
  3. Starting from center, bend to the right and come back to center, keeping your hands interlaced and over your head. Repeat five times.
  4. Come back to center. Bend to the left and return to center, keeping your hands interlaced over your head. Repeat five times.

Qigong exercises videos

Click here to link to Radiant Shenti's playlist of over 60 quick qigong exercises you can do throughout your day.

Additionally, if you are suffering at all from anxiety at this time, please check out our article How to Beat Anxiety.

Juli Kramer


Dr. Juli Kramer is a certified qigong instructor. She also holds a diploma in Chinese Medicine Nutritional Therapy and multiple certificates in Chinese medicine. As a qigong and meditation teacher, Dr. Kramer understands the important role movement and meditation have on developing a healthy body and mind. Juli also has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Counseling Psychology.

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