Myasthenia Gravis (MG) and the Healing Power of Qigong: A Personal Journey

June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month.

When I think about my own journey with Myasthenia Gravis, I think about the balance between clinical care and everything else it takes to live well day to day. I am deeply grateful for the medical support I’ve received; it has been very essential. I also found myself looking for something that could support me between appointments together with lifestyle changes including sleep, nutrition, herbal supplements, something I could do myself, at home, in my own time and pace.

That’s where Qigong came in.

I didn’t discover it all at once. It came gradually as I was searching for ways to better support my energy, my nervous system and my overall sense of wellbeing. What I found surprised me. Qigong wasn’t something I had to “push through.” It wasn’t about forcing my body. It was about listening to it.

Slow movement. Gentle breath. Awareness.

At first, that simplicity felt almost too subtle. Gradually over time, I began to notice changes: not dramatic or sudden, but steady. A bit more calm in my mind. A bit more space in my body. A way of moving through fatigue and stress that felt more like working with my body not against it.

Qigong is part of the Five Pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine and it weaves together movement, breath and mindfulness. Its gentle nature made it something I could return to daily, even on difficult days.

And that changed everything for me.

Because once your practice becomes daily, it becomes part of how you live.

From my own experience, a consistent Qigong practice has supported me in many ways, including helping me feel more grounded, more aware of my body and more able to meet stress with calm rather than tension. It has supported my energy management, my focus and my sense of connection to myself.

Over time, I didn’t only practice Qigong, I began to study and teach it.

That shift came from a simple place: I wanted others to experience what I had found. Not as a cure or a replacement for medical care, as a supportive practice that helps people reconnect with themselves in a world that often pulls us away from that.

Today, I teach Traditional and Medical Qigong, and I am committed to preserving the forms I was trained in. There is something deeply grounding about working within a lineage and respecting the integrity of what has been passed down.

Qigong is not a cure for Myasthenia Gravis or any chronic medical conditions. For me, it has become a steady companion in my daily wellbeing. Something that supports me to live with the condition, rather than be defined by it.

This June, I’m raising awareness not only about MG and the power of self-care, also the quieter, supportive Qigong practices that can sit alongside medical care. The things we could do each day that help us feel more connected, at ease, steady and more able to meet life as it is.

When you feel empowered in your own self-cultivation and nurturing, healing becomes more holistic. Healing is about connecting, accepting, supporting, forgiving and loving your body in every way you can even if it is difficult and challenging.

Be kind and gentle with yourself. There is strength in slowing down.

If you’d like to explore Qigong with me, I teach classes in Mt Compass and Willunga.