After several years of working from home in front of a computer all day, and having the stress of being a single mom of two children, my health began to decline. I tried to eat healthy, but my energy was getting zapped and I didn’t have the motivation to exercise. I was frequently getting headaches, at least once a month, but usually more like once a week, and the headaches could last for days on end.

I kept pushing through, trying to make the most of it. Sometimes it felt like every move I made emptied my energy reserves even more, and it was so difficult to do even small tasks. All I wanted to do was stay in bed, but of course, that wasn’t possible with children, pets, and a home to take care of. I had my good days of course, where I felt okay and could catch up on things around the house, but it didn’t take much to wear me out and send me back into fatigue.

In July of 2021 I discovered Qi Gong one day while surfing Facebook. I had never heard of it, but something about the ad I saw stood out to me. The ad said these exercises would bring more energy and reduce stress. The instructor, Lee Holden, was offering five free days of classes, so I signed up, not sure what to expect.

Day one of the five-day challenge was so amazing. There was a move where we twisted our spines to “wring out the stress,” and it felt so invigorating, like I was truly wringing out all the stress I was holding onto.  I immediately felt better, and I couldn’t wait for day two. The second day was even better than the first! I was hooked.

After the five-day challenge, I started looking for different resources to teach me. My learning was sporadic and I had difficulty being consistent because some of the lessons were grueling and long, depending on the teacher. I almost gave up because I wasn’t getting the same connection I had felt with the 5 day challenge from Lee Holden. In some ways, it felt like my health was declining even more despite the practices.

After trying various styles of Qi Gong from different instructors, I went back to Lee Holden and began studying under him again. His style was more suited for me because he did exercises that were simple and easier for a beginner. One of the courses I signed up for was a thirty-day challenge to help me stay consistent. The lessons for each day were only 7 minutes long, but by this time I had grown so tired and fatigued I even had a hard time with those initially. I took so many supplements and superfoods, but nothing was helping my fatigue. By the end of the thirty-day challenge, I was starting to feel strong enough to double up on the classes on some days to get 15 minutes in. I tried to be consistent even after the challenge because something told me I needed to continue.

For months after my first Qi Gong experience in July, I had my eye on a teacher training course with Holden Qi Gong that would immerse me in the training for sixteen intense weeks. I finally decided it was something I really wanted to do and bought the course in December. I was looking into various doctors to go get checked out for my chronic fatigue, but before I set an appointment something inside me told me to wait and do this first.

I started practicing every chance I got, building my strength to get up to two hours or more of practice every day. I couldn’t get enough. And my body was quickly re-balancing and gaining energy. Several months into the training, I suddenly realized I had no idea how long it had been since my last headache. To this day I very rarely get headaches, and if I do, they are light and not strong enough to need medication which is vastly different from before.

After being consistent with my practice, I can truly say Qi Gong has changed my life for the better, and it didn’t take all that long to see a difference. The foggy brain has disappeared, the chronic fatigue has disappeared. I have an overall general sense of well-being instead of feeling like I was weak and falling apart at the seams. The difference it has made in my life makes me eager to share it with others because I see there is such a need for healing exercises like this.