‘Anybody can do this’: Bethel Park Community Center adds qigong to calendar
Vince Galloni leads his qigong class in setting intentions for the day's practice. Galloni teaches the practice twice weekly at the Bethel Park Community Center, and classes will resume after Labor Day.
Qigong is for any age - the sooner you begin, the sooner you reap the benefits, said Vince Galloni. He led students Melodie Becker, left, and Kris Welsh through warmups on a recent weekday.
The class began with a big stretch.
As attendees followed qigong instructor Vince Galloni, originally of Charleroi, in a warmup – bouncing gently, tapping their heads and massaging their necks – a calm washed over the exercise room inside the Bethel Park Community Center.
“This connects you to your heart’s energy,” Galloni said, bringing his hands to his heart. “We’ve done our physical preparation. Let’s do some mental preparation.”
Melodie Becker and Kris Welsh, both of Bethel Park, silently spoke intentions for their mid-morning practice. Intention can be anything, Galloni told the qigong students: Reducing pain, battling depression, connecting to a dearly departed.
“Whatever is personal to you that you’re practicing today, say clearly in your mind. Then let it go,” Galloni said.
Qigong (pronounced like chi gong) is letting go and letting flow. During the session, Galloni leads participants through the five elements.
“Each movement has a corresponding emotion. Happiness counteracts anger,” Galloni said. “It’s been shown that anger … impacts your liver. So if you’re thinking happy thoughts while you’re doing these movements, and you’ve been angry, that kind of alleviates that.
Galloni learned firsthand the benefits of qigong more than a decade ago, while searching for a way to stay active after sustaining an injury while boxing.
“I started taking tai chi,” Galloni said, adding tai chi warmups are often qigong movements. “I’m thinking, this qigong makes me feel so good. I’m going to look into it.”
After researching the hundreds of qigong variations, Galloni settled on Spirit Forest Qigong, developed by Master Chunyi Lin.
“Qigong is breath with movement. The breathing helps your parasympathetic nervous system, which kind of calms you down and helps with stress,” Galloni said. “The movement helps facilitate – and this the Chinese traditional medicine – ‘qi.’ They consider that your life force. So the goal is to move your qi in a way that physically helps you.”
Qigong promotes stress reduction and flexibility, and while sometimes referred to as “energy healing,” Galloni said it is an excellent addition to, not a replacement for, Western medicine.
“If you break your leg, you’re not going to heal that with qigong,” he said. “But it’s good for your health.”
Galloni kept up with qigong while traveling globally during his career, and credits the practice with keeping him grounded.
“I feel that it’s helped me so much that I want to spread the word,” he said.
After receiving his qigong certification and retiring from his banking career, Galloni approached Bethel Park recreation director Chuck Stover about adding the practice to the community activity calendar.
Four-week sessions were offered last spring and again this June and July, and will resume after Labor Day. Galloni will lead qigong on Mondays at 11 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
Interested parties are encouraged to register at the Bethel Park Community Center.
“I always feel 10,000 times better. Calmer. That’s probably the main thing,” said Becker. “When things happen subtly you don’t always give it the credit. I just feel so much better … when I leave.”
Welsh, too, has enjoyed Galloni’s qigong classes.
“I think it helps you focus and relax,” she said.
For more information on Bethel Park’s qigong classes, visit https://bethelpark.net/community-center/.