If your blood pressure is high, your doctor may prescribe medication.
Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
But medication isn’t the only thing that can affect blood pressure.
Movement can.
Breathing can.
Stress can.
Sleep can.
And something we’ve been practicing at RiversZen for years may belong in that conversation too.
Qigong Is Pretty Interesting
A recent clinical trial looked at Baduanjin, an ancient Chinese practice involving eight gentle movements coordinated with breathing.
People with high blood pressure practiced it regularly, and their blood pressure improved.
I love studies like this because I’ve spent years watching what happens when people slow down, move deliberately and breathe.
We call a lot of what we do Qigong.
Sometimes it barely looks like exercise.
Nobody is grunting.
Nobody is trying to beat yesterday’s personal record.
You’re moving. Breathing. Paying attention.
And when we’re finished, people frequently tell me some version of the same thing:
“I feel different.”
Calmer.
Looser.
More settled.
Science keeps getting more interested in why.
You Don’t Have to Choose Sides
This is where I think health conversations sometimes get silly.
Medication or movement.
Doctors or taking care of yourself.
Why?
If you need blood pressure medication, take the medication you’ve discussed with your healthcare team.
And then ask what else you can do.
Walk.
Move.
Sleep.
Pay attention to what you’re eating.
Find ways to reduce some of the stress you’re carrying around.
Maybe try Qigong.
None of that requires declaring war on your doctor.
It just means you’re participating.
Try Ten Minutes
That’s the experiment I’d suggest.
Not because I can promise it will lower your blood pressure.
I can’t.
For the next couple of weeks, give yourself ten quiet minutes a day.
Move slowly.
Breathe.
Don’t worry about doing it perfectly.
Then notice what happens.
How do you feel?
How do you sleep?
Are you calmer afterward?
And if you’re monitoring your blood pressure, keep monitoring it and discuss meaningful changes with your doctor.
Your doctor has tools that may help you.
So do you.
I think we’re healthiest when we remember both.