🎧 Want the Full Story? Listen to the Complete Interview of Best Stress Relief You’ve Never Heard Of
I recently sat down with Esther Avant on the To Your Health podcast for a deep-dive conversation about Qigong, stress relief, and how emotions get trapped in your body. In this 52-minute episode, we cover:
✅ The complete 5-minute “Emotional Reset” routine (step-by-step)
✅ Why your kidneys control your ears (and what science finally proved)
✅ How I went from nearly paralyzed to ranked 10th martial artist in the US
✅ The connection between specific organs and specific emotions
✅ Emergency techniques for when stress feels overwhelming
✅ Why Brett Laza (Special Olympics torchbearer) went from freezing on stage to speaking in front of 10,000+ people
✅ The real reason you can’t meditate (and how to fix it)
⤵️ Listen to Episode 359: “Qigong: The Best Stress Reliever You’ve Never Heard Of”
Or search “To Your Health Podcast” on your favorite podcast platform.
The Ancient Stress-Relief Secret That Saved My Life (And Why Your Doctor Won’t Tell You About It)
How a devastating back injury at 20 led me to discover a 5,000-year-old practice that eliminated my chronic pain, fixed my broken digestive system, and got me off a lifetime of medications—in just 6 months
Let me ask you something uncomfortable:
What if the stress, anxiety, and chronic pain you’re experiencing right now isn’t just “part of life”—but actually trapped emotions literally creating inflammation in your body?
And what if I told you there’s a simple 10-minute daily practice that could release those trapped emotions before they turn into disease?
You’d probably think I’m crazy. That’s exactly what I thought 30 years ago.
From Two Heart Attacks to Martial Arts Champion
At 18 years old, I had my first heart attack. At 19, I had my second one—and this time, I didn’t even call 911. I figured I’d just let myself die.
I was dealing drugs. My body was falling apart. I had severe digestive problems—if I ate an avocado or salad, I’d be in a fetal position vomiting in the middle of the night. I lived on medications. Had procedures constantly.
Then, at 20, a devastating back injury nearly paralyzed me. The doctor’s verdict? “If you don’t have spinal surgery, you move the wrong way, you might not walk again.”
That’s when someone mentioned Qigong.
I thought they were talking about Cheez-Its.
The Skeptic’s Journey
Here’s what you need to understand: I was the biggest skeptic in the room.
When other women in my Qigong class were having “experiences” and feeling tingles and energy, I literally thought I was a “qi dud.” I felt absolutely nothing.
But I had nothing to lose. So I kept showing up.
After about 6 months, I realized something shocking: I wasn’t living on medications anymore. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact day it changed. But suddenly, I wasn’t popping antibiotics. I wasn’t taking over-the-counter meds constantly.
My digestive problems? Gone.
My chronic sinus issues? Disappeared.
My back pain? Healing.
If specific gentle movements and meditation could do this to me—a drug-addicted, chronically ill 20-year-old—there had to be something to this ancient medicine.
Why Your Emotions Are Making You Sick (And Your Doctor Doesn’t Know How to Fix It)
Here’s what they don’t teach in medical school:
According to classical Chinese medicine, the leading cause of death and disease—besides poor diet and lifestyle—is negative emotions.
Every neck issue I’ve seen in 30 years of clinical practice? Unless you’re a pitcher or doing jiu-jitsu, it comes back to emotions affecting the heart.
Think about it:
- When you’re angry, your heart races
- When you’re grieving, your heart literally hurts
- When something shocks you, what do you do? You gasp—because your heart knows it needs to regain balance
Here’s the problem: We’re the only mammals that don’t shake it off.
Watch a dog after a fight—it shakes from head to toe. Two ducks get in a scuffle? They swim around and violently flap their wings to release the emotion.
But us humans? We hold onto anger, resentment, grief, and shame. We shove it down. And that vibration creates inflammation. That inflammation creates chronic pain and disease.
The Personal Trainer with 70% Blocked Arteries
Let me give you a real example from my clinic:
A woman in her mid-30s came in for back pain. She was a personal trainer—maybe 0% body fat, worked out 1-2 hours daily, ate perfectly clean.
As I diagnosed her, I said, “We’ll fix your back. But you need to deal with that resentment you have towards men.”
She insisted she’d dealt with that years ago.
A year later, something on her face and tongue made me refer her out. I told her: “Get your carotid arteries tested.”
She thought I was crazy.
Two weeks later, she’s sitting in my lobby in tears. Both carotid arteries were 70% blocked.
She was doing everything “right”—eating clean, exercising religiously. But the one thing she was missing? Releasing those old trapped emotions.
Working with her doctor, we changed her diet according to Chinese nutrition and gave her specific Qigong practices. In one year, her arteries were clear. No medications.
Three Practices You Can Use Right Now
1. One Conscious Breath
Everyone says, “I can’t meditate—my mind is always going.” Start with ONE breath. During that conscious inhale and exhale, it’s impossible for thoughts to occur.
2. Shake It Off (Literally)
Next time your boss, spouse, or social media makes you angry—shake your body from head to toe. Multiple times if needed. Get that vibration OUT before it becomes inflammation.
3. The Heart Healing Sound
Focus on what’s bothering you—who’s involved, how it feels. Inhale, imagine a pink or red cloud filling your heart. Exhale making the sound “Hawwww” (or silently if you’re in public), visualizing the incident leaving your body and going into the ground.
You Don’t Need an Hour—You Need 10 Minutes
Unlike yoga or Pilates classes that require an hour or more, Qigong takes 10-15 minutes daily. That’s it.
No special equipment. No gym membership. You can do it standing or seated.
I’ve taught this to Special Olympics teams, professional athletes, celebrities, trauma nurses, doctors, and social workers. It works for veterans with PTSD. It works for corporate executives with frozen shoulders.
It works because it addresses what modern medicine ignores: the emotional root cause of physical disease.
Here’s What I Want You to Do
Don’t believe me. Please don’t.
Just try it.
Check out my YouTube channel where I have a free 30 Days of Qigong series. Each day builds on the next. Or join us at The Qi Club (theqiclub.com) where we meet live on Zoom every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
If I can go from two heart attacks and a devastating back injury to becoming a martial arts champion and helping thousands heal—you can absolutely do this too.
Your body is talking to you right now. Those tension headaches, that frozen shoulder, that digestive issue—they’re not random. They’re messages.
It’s time to listen.
Chris Shelton
Founder, Morning Crane Healing Arts Center
Author, Chris Shelton’s Easy Guide to Emotional Well-Being with Qigong
P.S. — If you’re dealing with chronic neck or back pain, check out my other book: Chris Shelton’s Easy Guide to Fix Neck and Back Pain. It took me 10 years to write because I wanted to give you the real root causes—not just temporary Band-Aid solutions.
P.P.S. — Seriously, go listen to that podcast episode. Esther asks all the questions skeptics have, and I share stories and techniques you won’t find anywhere else. Plus, you’ll hear why science finally proved our consciousness is in our heart, not our brain.
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