The Power of Qi Gong: How Energy Work Enhances Connection and Well-Being

In our fast-paced, digital age, and post covid, many of us feel disconnected; from nature, from others, and even from ourselves. Using Qi Gong and energy awareness practices can foster a grounded, joyful, and compassionate life. But you may be wondering, how does that really work? And what’s the impact of energy work on my daily life?

Understanding Qi Gong and Expanding the Self

Qi Gong is an ancient Chinese practice of cultivating and harmonising the body’s energy, or “Qi.” Through simple, mindful movements and breathwork, Qi Gong helps us become more sensitive to our inner energy, creating a powerful connection with the energy of the world around us. You may have heard Qi Gong called “moving meditation” or “energy work.” In many ways, it’s both.

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on how we connect with others and with the world itself. Often, we feel isolated—as if each of us stops at the edge of our skin. But when we’re truly present with someone we care about, like a partner or a child, there’s a shared space that opens up, where “you” and “I” become a beautiful “we.” This is just the beginning of energy work. Imagine if that feeling could expand even further—to include all the people we meet, the trees in our neighbourhood, and even the very land we live on.

As a Shiatsu and Qi Gong practitioner, I’ve experienced this kind of connection over and over, even when working with clients online. I can tune into someone’s energy, noticing their emotions, physical state, and spirit. It’s something we all have the capacity to do, and it begins with simply paying attention and practicing.

At the Sacred Self Retreat, we’ll explore these subtle energies, learning to feel more attuned to ourselves, to nature, and to each other.

By connecting with your own energy, you’ll also develop a greater awareness of how your energy impacts the world.

As you cultivate this connection, life can feel deeply fulfilling, purposeful, and peaceful. This retreat is about healing that disconnection.

It’s designed to help you develop sensitivity to your own energy and the world around you.

Learn more about this unique retreat HERE.

2. What are the benefits of energy work?

Energy work, whether through Qi Gong, Reiki, or practices like meditation, supports us in balancing, clearing, and amplifying our natural energy. The benefits are physical, emotional, and spiritual. People who practise energy work often report:

Increased relaxation and reduced stress
Greater mental clarity and focus
Emotional resilience and a sense of inner peace
Physical improvements, including increased flexibility and strength
A stronger sense of purpose and self-awareness
Greater compassion and understanding of others

Energy work is about learning to listen deeply to your body, mind, and soul. It can help you feel grounded and connected, allowing you to interact with the world in a way that feels kind, compassionate, and true to who you are.

3. Can energy work and Qi Gong help with physical and mental health?

Absolutely. Studies have shown that energy-based practices like Qi Gong can have positive effects on physical health, including lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and increased mobility. Mentally and emotionally, it’s known to reduce stress, improve focus, and increase feelings of calm and contentment.

At the Sacred Self Retreat, we work to enhance not only physical well-being but also emotional resilience and mental clarity. By engaging in energy practices that calm the nervous system and centre the mind, you can gain a sense of control over your emotions and thoughts, cultivating a mindset of balance and peace.

4. How does energy work help me connect with others?

When we engage in energy work, we’re not only nurturing ourselves but also becoming more attuned to the people around us. As we become more aware of our own energy, we naturally become more sensitive to others. This ability to tune in can be profound. You might feel more understanding and compassionate toward others or notice that you can “feel” how a friend or loved one is doing even before they tell you.

At the Sacred Self Retreat, we’ll explore how this awareness deepens our empathy and connection. You may find that as you cultivate this sensitivity, you can walk through life with a heart-centred approach that brings warmth and healing to every interaction.

5. Is Qi Gong spiritual? Do I need to have any beliefs to practice it?

Qi Gong is inherently neutral and accessible to people from all backgrounds, regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs. While Qi Gong can be a spiritual practice, its benefits are also practical and rooted in physical well-being. If you approach it with an open mind and heart, Qi Gong can be a pathway to a more peaceful, centred, and connected life, whether you view it through a spiritual lens or simply as a way to feel better and more connected.

Exploring Connection at the Sacred Self Retreat

The Sacred Self Retreat will be a journey of feeling, sensing, and expanding your energy and awareness. As we step beyond the boundaries of self, we find a world of connection and peace. You don’t need to “be perfect” or “have it all figured out” to begin. This retreat is for those who want to explore their energy in a safe, supportive environment, where you’ll be guided with compassion and care.

Ready to transform your health?

Imagine feeling calm, grounded, and connected—not just with yourself but with everyone and everything around you. That’s the beauty of Qi Gong and energy work; it’s a practice that reminds us we are all part of a greater whole. We each have the power to bring kindness, patience, and love into the world, one breath at a time.

If you’re curious to experience this profound connection and learn more about energy work, we’d love for you to join us. The Sacred Self Retreat offers a space for you to connect with your own energy, feel the support of a like-minded community, and discover just how boundless your spirit truly is.

Take the first step in this journey of self-discovery and connection. We look forward to welcoming you.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

LISTEN TO THE ENERGY UPDATE PODCAST

Feeling Frazzled? – Learn to Focus

Events, Home

Can’t pay attention, even for 10 minutes !!- Can’t finish your train of thought !!- is this you?
Are you trying to remember a million things at once, feeling anxious and out of control with a sinking feeling of dread, like you forgot to do something?

Let me share what might be happening.
Dopamine is a brain chemical that directly impacts our central nervous system.

The brain produces dopamine, and this makes us feel good and encourages us to do more of whatever we’re doing.
If we keep doing that thing – whether it’s scrolling through social media, drinking alcohol, eating cake, climbing mountains or practicing qigong – then the body produces even more dopamine.

However dopamine just wants more dopamine – it is never content. It’s always looking for that next hit. Things like social media, alcohol, excess food and drugs mess with your dopamine circuit and throw it out of balance.

As a result, you may develop a dopamine disorder, which can affect your attention span, create anxiety and a restless dread.
That isn’t to say that dopamine isn’t absolutely essential for the body. My partner has Parkinson’s which is caused by disruption to the dopamine circuitry in the brain. This causes him to shuffle and tremble as he can’t control the nerve impulses that move his body. But to paraphrase Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Aquinas, Nietzsche and the Buddha; the ultimate motivation and suffering of all human behaviour is the seeking of pleasure and the avoidance of pain – this ancient Stoic, Buddhist, Taoist and modern Western philosophy, expertly describes the dopamine cycle.

For the last 6 weeks, together with 300 members of Chi Flow with Jo, I have been intermittent fasting including no refined sugars, refined carbs, alcohol or coffee on an empty stomach. This gentle fast has really shown me how many habitual actions gave me dopamine hits and some days, they just didn’t stop coming as I seek out pleasure and avoid pain. For dopamine, enough is never enough.

We broke our fast as a group this weekend and I broke my fast with a long morning walk finished with a coffee and an oat biscuit, sweet, buttery and a complete sugar buzz. My first in 6 weeks. Even before I was finished I was thinking about the next possible hit I could have now that the fast was over……. I could bake a cake, a glass of red wine, have a late dinner late and maybe a coffee with brandy……. on and on, I’d already got into the pleasure and reward aspect of eating. Not that there’s anything wrong with eating good food or living in pleasurable circumstances but experiencing and understanding that they don’t create your pleasure and pain is essential.

Dopamine is a transitory chemical and finding happiness from this fleeting hit is a sure way to get caught into an addictive mindset of looking for your next fix. Chi Flow with Jo gives me a physical practice of not instantly answering the call for dopamine so I can remain happy, balanced and focused whether there is a biscuit with my coffee or not.

“This experience has certainly been a challenge, but has really benefited my brains well being…. The quality of my thoughts have improved massively” Toby – Member of Chi Flow with Jo. But how can you change the dopamine pathways so that you are able to focus more and feel less anxious?

Answer = Space ……. Take some space. Being able to have space between the thought, the desire and the rush to respond is essential to break negative, addictive, dopamine habits. Essential to the fasting was the Chi Flow with Jo exercises. These synchronise the breath with movement which allows space and relaxation for the mind. Being able to question your own thoughts and not instantly believe everything you think is crucial to wellbeing. Space, physical, mental or emotional, means that you are not acting from habitual patterns, fear of suffering or grasping for satisfaction.

When you practice not believing and following every thought or impulse, you will experience a happiness and satisfaction that is always there. Under the moment by moment gratifications and habitual patterns is your soul, your life essence, as free and unencumbered as the day you were born. Spending more time in the space between your thoughts means you will once again connect with real peace, clear focus and experience true joy.

The mind and its thoughts are just making arrangements to enhance your life, whether that is through money, relationship, job, family. These things are short lived dopamine hits. Fantastic to experience but they are the just accessories of life. As we saw through lockdown, a wardrobe full of clothes that couldn’t be worn, a fancy car with no where to drive to, a job in an economy that ground to a halt, a house that became a prison. Getting entangled, attached or over focused on life’s accessories does not bring us lasting good physical, emotional or mental health.

It’s great to use and develop the mind, learning, studying, creating, problem solving. The mind and our thoughts are an essential, fantastic tool for life. Just like the heart, the liver, the intestines, it has a job to do. But being consumed by overthinking is not the only way to be.

Take time for the space in-between thoughts. Sometimes there’s a misconception that if you spend time meditating you are not engaging with life. But meditating isn’t about sitting cross legged, on a cushion, eyes closed trying not to think. It’s more a state of being where you don’t instantly follow and believe all that you think.

Spending time connecting with this way of being then influences all aspects of your life – you may find your life becoming a meditative, compassionate experience, where you don’t believe every thought or follow every dopamine impulse.

For instance, I love social media – I post every day on facebook, instagram and have over 30K followers on tik tok (@joannefaulknershiatsu) I love thinking what I can post, what I can share and what will help people.
But if I’m not careful, my dopamine gets out of whack. I’m looking for the likes and shares. I find that I get agitated, needing to do more and more, post more and more. My anxiety levels increase and I feel like I’m not doing enough, not sharing enough, not being clear enough – the bottom line is I end up feeling that I AM NOT ENOUGH.

In this way, Im overthinking, searching out the dopamine likes and shares. My breath becomes shorter, my heart rate elevates, I don’t think clearly and my sleep becomes disrupted as I try and out-think failure and plan for success – my thought patterns become driven by fear and dopamine. I need to return to my practice – Focusing my attention on qigong is what keeps me mentally and physically healthy.

Yes I practice every weekday morning, and you can join me and 300 others but even the 2 minute routine below will be enough to bring you home to your body. Harmonising body and breath brings you home to yourself. It gives you space and a feeling of calm, knowing that you are enough and you will always be enough.

Emotional Healing & Community Support

The weight we carry isn’t just on our hips, it’s in our hearts.
Feeling like you “want to be minded” is your body’s cry for nurture, not discipline.

When you join Chi Flow with Jo, you don’t walk alone.
We move, fast, cook and heal together. That shared energy keeps you accountable and loved through change.

You don’t need to fight your bodyjust listen to her again.
Start with small rhythms: stop eating after 8 pm, massage Liver 13, sip lemon water in the morning, and join our January program to be supported every step of the way.

💗 Ready to Join?

Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE

Or drop in for a class and feel it for yourself (sign up below). Join the Chi Flow with Jo community for live sessions, practice, and support.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

Avoid Family Tension and Hang on to your Mojo during COVID-19

Energy of Food Blog, Home

Everyone needs to eat but these days when we are all inside, we may not be eating from hunger but to pass the time. Grazing and overeating is a real problem when we can’t get out and about. Perhaps your daily commute, striding trips to the shops or taking a walk with friends has disappeared. Here are some tips so we don’t exit cocooning with more problems than we went in with.
Love your food but don’t overindulge.

Think of your food as a special lover, keep it sexy.

Remember sexual energy isn’t about sexual intercourse. it’s about keeping your passion and joy for life, making sure the Chi is metabolized and flowing. So keep food light and tactile. Eat food that won’t slow down your body’s digestive systems such as red meat, cheese or heavy cream. Rather go for grilled mackerel with poached eggs or a tactile tomato and onion salad with a tangy lemon dressing. Mix your carbs into a salad so that elements of your diet are raw. Try the Bulghar and Pomegranate Salad on page 200 of Good Food Better Sex.

These types of food support the liver and detoxify blood so that it flows easily, nourishes organs and maintains libido energy. To increase intimacy, eat using your fingers including plenty of eye contact with your partner over a table. Even though the meal could be a chaotic throng of kids and grandparents, your partner will know you are thinking just about them and the delights to come later. If you are cocooning alone savor your mealtimes and your food. Turn the TV or radio off. Enjoy the silence and relationship you have with the food that will become your energy. Eat your salads with your fingers, take your time, there’s plenty of it.

In Chinese Medicine, the Liver is also responsible for flexibility and frustration. So to make sure you stay calm with kids, avoid confrontation with teenagers and maintain your libido avoid other liver straining foods such as alcohol. Create mocktails instead. Using fresh juice, add sprigs of mint or use a potato peeler to create cucumber slivers so the drink becomes a treat, not a chore.

On a practical note try watermelon and beetroot, as these foods contain vitamins and minerals that aid erectile dysfunction and reduce vaginal dryness. (more info: Good Food Better Sex)

When everyone is inside, finding space for intimate moments can be tricky but it’s important to remember that sexual intercourse begins way before the bedroom. Great intimacy requires connection so set a timer for 10 minutes and listen to your partner as they tell you their thoughts and fears. Maybe they are unsure about the CoronaVirus or the future. Maybe there’s a particular thing you are doing that’s annoying them.

Listen to them without comment or interruption as they tell you how they are feeling. You may encourage them with phrases such as “tell me more” but don’t judge, try to fix or explain yourself. Then turn the tables and you talk. This requires really deep listening and acceptance for the other person’s opinions and beliefs.

You can use this technique with any family member or a person you are sharing space with, it relieves tension and aids communication. If you want to take this to the next level, set the timer again but this time ask them where they would like to be touched and how they would like to be touched. This can be done via skype or over the phone. It can be sexual or sensual.

You can describe how you would like to be stroked, it is with a feather or fingernails, which part of the body and for how long. Or you can simply ask to be held and rocked. Honest communication is key to healthy, happy life full of love.

You can also do this exercise solo. Your pleasure is never someone else’s responsibility and remember: Outercourse comes before intercourse

I hope this insight into how you can use Chinese Medicine to complement your health by simply using food as medicine. To keep the body active, join me Facebook Live every morning during lockdown at 8.30 for Chi Gong and Makka-Ho meridian stretches

Emotional Healing & Community Support

The weight we carry isn’t just on our hips, it’s in our hearts.
Feeling like you “want to be minded” is your body’s cry for nurture, not discipline.

When you join Chi Flow with Jo, you don’t walk alone.
We move, fast, cook and heal together. That shared energy keeps you accountable and loved through change.

You don’t need to fight your bodyjust listen to her again.
Start with small rhythms: stop eating after 8 pm, massage Liver 13, sip lemon water in the morning, and join our January program to be supported every step of the way.

💗 Ready to Join?

Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE

Or drop in for a class and feel it for yourself (sign up below). Join the Chi Flow with Jo community for live sessions, practice, and support.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

New Break up, New Blog

Energy of Food Blog, Recipes

The clue is in the title – yep, another boyfriend bites the dust, and even though I had been the one to end it I still found myself thinking about him all the time. Obsessing how we could have made it work and how we could have done things differently. He was my waking thought that would carry on throughout the day like an addiction.

My mind habitually replayed the relationship, over and over; searching for any comfort from the painful feeling of loss and separation ……and then came the chocolate. Chocolate isn’t usually my thing, I can take it or leave it but wow when I was feeling very tired and alone the day after being maid of honor at a wedding with out my plus one I worked my way through a whole box of celebrations followed by a tub of chocolate ice cream the next night and so it would have gone on had I not copped on and took control of my mind. I needed to stop this cycle, break the addiction of my thoughts and my cravings.

In Chinese Medicine, overthinking really weakens the spleen and never really helps or changes the situation. The flavor for spleen is sweet, so when we get into uncomfortable situations or when our mind chews and chews on a topic we often crave the comfort that comes from sweet flavours. An easy, instant, sugar hit is chocolate. It gives the mind temporary relief but in the long run creates sugar lows and further obsessive thinking. Energetically the spleen is responsible for satisfaction and its flip side, addiction: easy to see how sweet flavours create addictive patterns both physically and mentally in Chinese Medicine

What can help is reaching for a better feeling or thought. So park the problem, tell your mind you are not going to think about it until 6 o’clock and then you are going to only think about it – in fact you are going to write about it – write all about it and then throw the paper in the bin at 7 o’clock, but until then do something to make yourself feel better, bake some bread, sing along to your favourite songs at the top of your voice, call a friend, read a good book, go for a run, look at the clouds and just give your overthinking mind a breather, help your body and mind relax, this in itself improves any situation.

So what did I do? All of the above plus made a few batches of the Raw Cacao Balls. Because the raw cacao bean has been fermented rather than roasted, this form of chocolate is actually good for the body. In its raw state, the antioxidants in cacao can be 20 times more powerful than blueberries. When dairy and sugar are added to cacao unfortunately the antioxidant properties of this food are blocked. Also raw cacao is super at releasing the happy hormone, serotonin within the brain, bringing on that satisfied feeling without the aid of a sugar high. These tasty treats are simple to make and keep well in the fridge. They are perfect if you feel like comfort eating. If the lover that you love is not behaving how you would like, if you constantly replay conversations to see if things could have gone better, its time to stop chewing things over, its time to stop ruminating, deliberating and contemplating; Its time to start creating with Cacao.

Cacao Treats

2 tablespoons ground pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon chia seeds
5 tablespoons ground almonds
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder – raw
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or alternative)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Alternatives

Tahini/ peanut butter/ honey
Dates/ cranberries
Raisins soaked in apple or orange juice
Coconut oil

In a food processor blend all the ingredients in the order above. When the seeds are ground and everything looks powdery use a teaspoon to scoop out the mixture, squeeze and roll into small balls using your fingers and the palm of your hand. This can be messy so wear latex gloves if you like as they stop the mixture sticking too much. Put them in a Tupperware in the fridge for an hour or so to harden and chill. I have no idea how long they last as myself, visitors, neighbours, children eat them all pretty quickly. They make great gifts too – who doesn’t love healthy chocolate.

Join Us and Try a Free Class

We offer a free class at the end of the month so you can try Chi Flow before you join.
Membership is only €39 per month, with over 20 classes included each month.
After three months, your subscription halves to €20, making it the most affordable Parkinson’s-friendly Qi Gong programme available online.

You are warmly welcome to practise with us and discover your own flow.

💗 Ready to Join?

Click here to become a member of Chi Flow with Jo → CLICK HERE

Or drop in for a class and feel it for yourself (sign up below). Join the Chi Flow with Jo community for live sessions, practice, and support.

You don’t need to have it all worked out.
You just need something gentle to lean into, one day at a time.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

The Power of Qi Gong: How Energy Work Enhances Connection and Well-Being

Understanding Qi Gong and Expanding the Self