Shed Old Habits with Qigong: Cultivating Growth and Balance in the Year of the Snake.

Jan 303 min read

Wednesday 29th January 2025 marked the Chinese New Year, with celebrations beginning the evening before and lasting for 15 days. People across the world celebrate this holiday with a festival of lanterns, and coming together for traditional dance and foods.

We are moving from the year of the dragon 2024, into the year of the snake 2025. This is going to be an interesting year for many of us, and I want to share the philosophy and some tips on how we can ease the process by harnessing the qualities of the snake in coming months to serve our healing.

Sometimes the snake is referred to as the 'little dragon', as it sits back in the grass and quietly observes. We can consider qualities of inner reflection, wisdom and intuition when we think of this creature. It tends to be solitary and moving fluidly out of sight, close to the earth. In order to harness our full healing potential this year, we can embody these qualities with intention.

This is a time of turning our awareness inwards, which can be challenging with so much external chaos in the world. It can also be difficult to sit with our internal self, and whatever emotions and thoughts comes up. The more we have resisted and kept busy in life, the more challenging it will be. Remember that most of us have never been taught to bring awareness to our inner world, and this skill can be developed in everyone. It's time for change and the more we allow ourselves to let go, the easier the process will be.

Qigong gives us the perfect tool to do just this and find our own inner balance, no matter the external chaos surrounding us. As we tap into our own innate wisdom and intuition, we can stand smooth and steady, moving forwards with grace. Through gentle breath and movement, we have the means to connect with our body and find our centre. Qigong practice helps us grow strong in this centre and although life will always throw us off, we can return to balance much more quickly.

Qigong practice is like having a little ticket of peace in your back pocket! We need to regularly cultivate this practice, so it can sustain us through the ups and downs.

This year also represents a shedding of the old patterns and behaviours that have been habitual for us. Just like the snake sheds its skin, we are called to shed the old parts of us that are no longer useful or aligned (thoughts, beliefs, habits, identity etc). This process can be easy or hard, it really depends on our own journey and also the extent to which we are able to surrender. Please show yourself patience and grace around this process.

The beauty is that after letting go of this old skin, we can open to new possibilities in the year ahead. In this way we can see 2025 as a year for transformation and new opportunities to move forwards in our life, perhaps in unexpected ways. The change might be very slow and steady in places, but don’t lose heart. Remember the snake energy of steady wisdom and take a breath.

I often like to say that Qigong can be a radical act in a busy world, where we choose to stand in our truth and find a way that gently flows beyond the chaos and guides us back to what matters. The core of what I do at Soul Space, Qigong and beyond, is to help people find meaning in life and open to new possibilities and transformation. For this reason I am excited for the year ahead...

Journal prompts: Light a candle and pop on some relaxing music. What will be your intention for 2025? What matters to you and how will you let the flow of the snake energy transform you from the inside out? Let's get ready for what is to come...The Universe is eager to co-create with us.