Starting this Friday from 4–5 p.m. in the Oberlin Public Library’s community room, College third-year Jenny Wei will be teaching Ba Duan Jin Qigong classes. Ba Duan Jin Qigong is a traditional Chinese Qigong exercise that is composed of eight simple movements, intended to promote physical and mental health benefits. 

Ba Duan Qigong, Wei believes, can play an important role in balancing qi, the concept of a vital life force in Chinese culture. 

“Qi is just as vital as blood and nerves in our body,” Wei said. “There are times when qi can be deficient, just like you could be deficient in blood, or there are times when qi might be stagnant; the equivalent of that would probably be a blood clot.”

Wei’s Ba Duan Jin Qigong six-week course is aimed at all ages and ability levels. In each class, students can expect to be led through one or two of the eight exercises. Each movement is gentle, not aimed at building strength, but rather building a sense of wellbeing. Wei has observed the positive effects exercises like Ba Duan Qigong have on the elderly and how different the culture around exercising as an older person is in the U.S.

“You have people in China who are 80 years old … and they’re still [getting] their groceries every day and then climbing up a five-story apartment staircase, no elevator,” Wei said. “When you’re in China, and you’re just walking in a park, you’ll notice there [are] groups of old people, grandmas and grandfathers, doing their tai chi … It’s a very normal practice for older people to do these exercises, but [it seems to be] nonexistent here in the United States.”

Wei said that the benefits of Ba Duan Jin Qigong go beyond physical fitness. She encouraged anyone looking to stave off illness or improve their circulation as the weather gets colder to attend a class.

“Ba Duan Jin is extremely good for improving circulation … if you are constantly exposed to cold temperatures,” she said. “Or if you feel like you want to prevent the onset of a cold because you have an exam.”

College fourth-year Mayuka Otsuki is looking forward to the opportunity to learn this traditional Chinese art form. She considers herself a complete beginner and trusts Wei to teach her about authentic Ba Duan Jin Qigong.

“In the U.S. or Japan, the Chinese school of medicine … is advertised as a legitimate course or a legitimate teaching when they know actually nothing about it,” Otsuki said. “But this time, at Oberlin, the setting is assuring me that I am learning from someone who actually knows about the thing. She has experience in China, and she learned that through her Shansi project during the summer. So, I can trust that.” 

Oberlin Public Library Director David Fausnaugh believes Wei’s class will be a valuable way to build bonds between College and community members.

“It is always exciting to help members of the College campus and broader Oberlin community interact and share experiences,” Fausnaugh wrote in an email to the Review. “We already have a large number of OC students and faculty that utilize the library, but programs like this help reinforce that OPL and its services, programs, and meeting room spaces are available for everyone.”