Qigong in East Coast Park, Singapore!

This is based on a six year old Facebook Post. 

Government not only creates such infrastructure
but also tells you how to utilize it properly!

This morning (6 Jun 2018) I bid goodbye to the Siglap Canal deck on the East Coast Park, which was the platform for my early morning Qigong (pronounced chee-gung) session, for the past four weeks. 

East Coast Park is a beach and a park on the southeastern coast of Singapore. It stretches along the south of Marine Parade, Bedok and Tampines. Themed Recreation for All, the park has something for everyone: diverse recreational, sporting, and dining activities alongside views of the sea.

At 6.1km, the Siglap Park Connector runs through several housing estates and schools in the eastern part of Singapore. It is also a link to parks in the vicinity such as Bedok Reservoir Park, Bedok Town Park, Telok Kurau Park as well as the popular East Coast Park. A significant stretch of the park connector is located alongside the Siglap Canal where users can also enjoy the experience of jogging/cycling next to a waterway.

Qigong Practice

Qigong, is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation useful for the purposes of health and spirituality. It involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind, and spirit, with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being.

Having practiced Yoga for several years, I have taken to Qigong recently, finding it more appropriate for my ageing body. There are lots of common elements between the two ancient exercise systems of India and China, both emphasizing the physical, breathing, and meditative aspects of the body for health, wellbeing, improved fitness, and longevity.

Qigong as well as the other Chinese style, Tai Chi, cultivate the Qi (also spelt Chi) - the life energy that flows through the body's energy pathways. Chi is the same as Prana, the vital life force present in all living forms, that flows through the meridians and chakras of the body, according to Yoga. 

Qigong is slow and methodical, flows smoothly from one movement to another, and can be practiced, with lesser effort than Yoga, by the elderly. Yoga is comparatively fast-paced, the postures are held for a period of time, and demands a bit of agility and athleticism.

The slow and gentle movements of Qigong are very similar to Mohiniyaattam, the South Indian classical dance form developed in Kerala. The dance gets its name from Mohini – the female enchantress avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who helps the devas prevail over the asuras using her feminine charm.

I use these two videos as a resource to refine my Qigong practice by reviewing the moves and sequences:

8 Brocades Qigong Practice

5 Element Qigong Practice 

Performing Qigong on the sea deck is so exhilarating with the constant gentle breeze and the continuous murmur of the waves in the background! 

The viewing sea deck in the early morning

Thank you, the Government and people of Singapore, for the well designed public spaces and well maintained urban parks!