People fall. The fall might be caused by a slip or trip or even an inner ear imbalance. Normally when we think someone falling we think of either the elderly or very young children still finding their balance. But according to the World Health Organization (WHO) falls are much more of a problem for all ages than most people realize. The organization said:

• · Nearly half a million people globally die from falls each year.
• · Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury death.
• · 80% of deadly falls happen in low to middle income homes
• · The largest group to be affected by falls are people 65 years or older
• · There are 37.3 million falls each year that require medical attention

The various movement arts, such as tai chi and qigong, are being increasingly used in treatment regimens in Western hospitals however. One of the most effective exercises in these arts is Bend the Bow Spinal Qigong. This exercise is used to strengthen and regenerate the spine by incorporating neigong components and controlling the bodies natural healing energies.

Bend the Bow teaches advanced neigong (nei gung/neijiaquan) components the build on elementary Bend the Bow sets. It helps control, strengthen and regenerate our chi energies and can even heal conditions such as scoliosis. A great deal of time is spent working on each vertebra individually. The exercise is taught in stages:

• Warm up and stretching is vital to loosen the spine and relax the nervous system
• When this is complete basic physical movements are combined with reverse breathing that helps us learn energy control.
• Finally, in the third stage, we learn to link the physical and energetic movements of our internal organs, connecting them to the spine and joints. We also learn how to open and close the vertebrae, all at once, in one single movement.

This exercise is very advanced and because it deals directly with the spine it should not be attempted without professional instruction. Progress should be slow and steady, not moving from one part of the exercise to the next until the first part has been thoroughly learned.