The UF Counseling and Wellness Center is now using traditional Chinese medicine to reduce students’ anxiety and stress.
The center hosts a group called Moving the Anxious Mind, which implements qigong exercises, that meets Tuesdays at the center from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“Stress is a perceived threat,” said Barbara Welsch, a licensed psychologist and group instructor. “Stress is the brain overriding the body’s desire to choke the hell out of someone or something that deserves it.”
Interested students should to call the center to sign up for the group or contact Welsch.
Instructors will teach students how to target areas of pain where stress has settled in, using a small ball and slow fluid-like movements.
“If you don’t try and just go through the movements, it won’t work.” she said. “You have to try. Most importantly, smile from your heart, and then you will do qigong.”
It is a lifelong practice that will help manage stress and prevent its effects, with just 15 minutes a day, Welsch said.
Stark Jones, a first-year Ph.D. molecular biology student and power yoga instructor, said all bodies have electrical impulses that affect the health of muscles, organs and cognitive abilities.
Sometimes the flow of energy can become blocked, fatigued or inactive, causing insomnia, mood changes, pain and immune system problems, he said.
These slow fluid-like movements allow the body to guide qi, or energy, to tense muscles and parts of the body, Jones said.
Qigong will help bring your mind back to what you were doing — the here and now, he said.
“Qigong has shown to be very beneficial,” Jones said. “By reducing the amount of stress and anxiety in their lives, qigong helps students with sleep, concentration, focus, cognitive behavior and the immune system.”
