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Meditation in Motion
Taiji and Qigong for Immune System Health
There is considerable evidence that taiji and Qigong can
help strengthen your immune system. Doctors do not
claim to fully understand what happens, but they do agree
that taiji and Qigong help. One way that they may work is
by activating our relaxation response. Another way that
they may work is by activating our lymphatic system.
Relaxation Response
Meditation has been shown to strengthen our immune
system. The mechanism is not entirely clear, but it seems
likely it is related to stress reduction. Dr. Herbert Benson
studied the effect of meditation starting in the late 1960s
and into the 1970s. He concluded that meditation relaxes
our body and mind. He coined the term “relaxation
response” to describe how our body responds to
meditation and calms us after a stressful event.
Our nervous system consists of two parts. The
sympathetic nervous system manages the stimulating
activities related to the fight-or-flight response when we
are under stress. The sympathetic nervous system keeps
us alive when we are in danger.
The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for
the relaxing activities that calm us down. It is often called
the relaxation response or the rest-and-digest response
because it is responsible for the activities that happen
when we are at rest.
Stress is known to damage our bodies in many ways. It
appears that one of those ways is a weakened immune
system. Taiji is a well-known method of developing a
mind-body connection that can invoke the relaxation
response and activate the parasympathetic nervous
system, which in turn reduces damage caused by stress.
Many taiji teachers incorporate meditation as part of the
class for a couple of reasons. Meditation is good for your
health by itself. In addition to that, learning taiji is
stressful for beginners. It is difficult to teach our body to
move in the slow, precise ways used in taiji. No student
ever pays attention to me when I tell them to relax and
not worry about it. They still stress about it. If I put stress
into their lives, I want to help them manage it properly.
Taiji can also be used to directly invoke the relaxation
response. The basic principles of taiji say to breathe
deeply, move slowly and continuously, focus on the
movement, and imagine moving against a gentle resis-
(太极拳和气功有利免疫系统的健康)
by Eric Borreson
tance. These are effective in calming the mind and body.
This is too much for a beginning student to be able to
do at first. However, it can happen once a student
develops a basic level of knowledge of the taiji forms.
Regular practice of the forms in a simple set can be used
to practice the basic principles of taiji. This is very
helpful in supporting the student in developing the
relaxation response.
To the students, it may seem like they are “in the
flow”, or “really focused”, or some similar feeling. In
taiji terms, it means they are starting to develop some
inner strength and intention. In medical terms, they are
developing a mind-body connection and invoking the
relaxation response, which activates the parasympathetic
nervous system. However, this does not happen
immediately as people are learning taiji. It takes time and
practice to develop the feeling.
Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system has many functions. One
function is related to our immune system. The lymphatic
system works by circulating lymph through the body.
Lymph is a fluid that flows through a network of
lymphatic vessels to and from the interstitial areas around
cells. Cellular wastes are expelled from the cells and
return through the lymphatic system.
The lymph nodes filter out any unwanted materials
from the lymph and removes them from the system. We
normally think of white blood cells (lymphocytes) being
associated with our circulatory system, but they are part
of our lymphatic system, too. Lymphocytes collect in the
lymph nodes and work as part of our immune system to
attack invaders.
A big difference between our circulatory system and
lymphatic system is that there is no heart to pump lymph.
There are several ways that lymph moves through the
lymphatic system. The primary way that lymph circulates
is activated when the lymph nodes and ducts are
massaged and compressed. The nodes can be manually
massaged by medical professionals, but are naturally
massaged when you exercise. One of the best types of
exercise for this is taiji because the slow movements of
the forms causes a gentle, slow massage of body tissues.
Lymph is stored in lymph nodes scattered throughout
24 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) Volume 1, Issue No. 10