The Amsterdam company Salbar is treating health symptoms on the shop floor with ‘old fashioned’ methods: with the age-old Chinese art of movement and relaxation exercises.
According to the director of Salbar, Boris Feldman, who recently introduced this Eastern art into business life,
Qiqong is THE means of combating contemporary illnesses such as RSI and stress.
This means that, in China, they don’t have trouble with these problems?
“Chinese who exercise Qiqong (pronounced: che-goong, red.), are more healthy than their western counterparts. I have practised this art myself and after five lessons I felt a lot better. With Qiqong, you get so much energy that after a training you are rearing to go.”
How does the magic potion work precisely?
“The Chinese believe that people are in contact with the earth, but in modern-day society everything goes so quickly that we become derailed and lose our focus. This results in physical ailments, such as stress. Qiqong restores the natural equilibrium. It is composed of a combination of slow movements, breathing techniques and meditation. Depending on the symptoms, you can adapt the sequence.”
Sounds a bit woolly to me…
“In China, there are people who have practised this art all their lives. Qiqong has been shown to have a strong positive effect on the bodily organs. For example, it prevents physical expressions of stress, such as dizzy spells and stomach ulcers. Furthermore, you learn to focus better on what you are doing. For firms that include Qiqong in their health and safety policy, I give the guarantee that within two years they will see a noticeable drop in the number of employees taking sick leave.”
Crucial question: what does it cost?
“We offer an all-in package of services in the field of reducing sick leave, but a company that opts only for Qiqong will need to have one session a week in order to book good results. Naturally, it is not necessary that we are always present at these sessions. To learn the principles of the art, ten lessons of 30 minutes are sufficient. That takes place on location and a teacher costs 70 Euro per participant per hour.”
