Exploring the health advantages and disadvantages of static and dynamic postures of Qigong and its use as a Traditional and Complementary Medicine

Introduction Qigong encompasses a number of practice approaches, each with its own objectives, methods and benefits for the practitioner. With respect solely to its health-related aspects, Qigong has been categorised by the WHO within Traditional and Complementary Medicines. The purpose of this article is to outline our opinion on the advantages and limitations of the postures and static or dynamic dimensions of Qigong with respect to internal relaxation when using this activity under the heading of "traditional and complementary medicine". Methods The ideas set out in this article are based on the authors’ practical experience in this area and have been complemented with the contents of the articles selected and cited under the references. Results Healthy people could obtain more health benefits from dynamic practices than from static practices and from standing positions than from sitting or lying positions. In the case of people with physical and/or cognitive limitations or who suffer from some illness, it is necessary to investigate what posture, what practice time and what combination of static and dynamic activity is the most suitable for their needs. Conclusions An analysis of Qigong solely from the viewpoint of "traditional and complementary medicine" raises the question of how to take advantage of this activity as a "resource" and not as an "end in itself" and accordingly to compare, select, adapt and modify the postures and techniques to make them accessible to people of any age or with any physical or mental limitation or pathology who can take maximum advantage of its benefits.