The Big C and Me and Qi: The Force is Strong With This One!
Photos by Diana Lannes
On New Years Day I went to a daytime party and got to see a lot of old friends, many of whom have only seen me online since my cancer diagnosis. I was having muscle pain and fatigue in my legs and didn’t think I’d be able to stand much, and certainly didn’t think I’d be on the dance floor. But I was so energized from all the love pouring out from so many friends, that I couldn’t keep still! I found myself mingling and moving around without much pain. It felt great to move my body to a good beat and a yummy vibe. Food can be good medicine but for me, socializing feeds my soul too.
While dancing, I got what I consider one of the highest compliments that’s ever been paid to me. An acquaintance whom I’ve crossed paths with for a few decades, said: “you seem to be doing really well (in spite of the cancer.) Your life force is strong!”
I thought about that for a moment and thought, well nobody has ever said THAT before and I’m taking it as a compliment! Then I remembered that my acupuncturist has said the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) equivalent of that, several times while I’ve been in treatment for cancer. He would comment that even when I was down from chemo, my QI was stronger than that of many people who are healthy.
In Chinese medicine, qi is translated as the life force, or vital energy that circulates through our body. The sanskrit term is prana, as in pranayama. Yogapedia explains:
“The yogic practice of pranayama is one way in which the life force energy can be sustained and enhanced. One interpretation of the term prayanama means the “extension of life force.” Through harnessing and controlling the breath, it is thought that the life force can be developed and channelled effectively. It is said that meditation is not possible without a great deal of life force energy. Therefore pranayama practices are often performed before meditation.”
I’ve been practicing yoga (inconsistently) for 25 years but really committed to Iyengar yoga 4X a week just a few years back, after I got mild whiplash from a car accident, and chiropractic/physical therapy couldn’t fix it. I’ve continued my yoga about 4X a week all through my cancer treatment. But I do a restorative sequence that’s specific to breast cancer. I do the same sequence with slight variation over and over and don’t mind the lack of variety. If you peeked in on me, you’d likely see me lying over a configuration of bolsters and blankets. You might think, “She’s taking a nap! She’s not doing yoga!” But I am. On top of the physical benefits, It allows me to go into a meditative state and balance and calm my mind. After nine months of this, I’ve never been so chill, at least not for decades!
Is this one way I’ve been cultivating strong life force? Very likely, even if unintentionally! I also have been getting weekly acupuncture treatments since I started chemo. Acupuncture is intended to remove blockages of energy, letting the qi flow more freely.
I just ran across an interesting article, “11 Ways to Increase Life Force Prana Energy” and I can pretty much check all 11 boxes, including: Meditate, Breathe, Eat High-Vibe Foods, Laughter, and Be in Your Body. These are all things I consciously worked on in myself so that I could stay positive and be receptive to my treatments, to heal quickly. I have so many people to thank for being supportive of me during this time.
https://www.gaia.com/article/11-daily-ways-increase-life-force-energy
Life force is also considered to be the body's natural healing energy. So I hope I can continue to bring it on.
