14. A Simple Qigong Practice
For the final part of our series “An Introduction to Qigong”, we thought it would be useful to include a simple qigong practice to help you integrate the many topics we have covered into your daily life.
This is a very simple practice which includes the three regulators of qi (breath, body and mind), bouncing, Zhan Zhuang, spinal wave and a full body meridian self-massage.
Here it is, written out, to serve as a reminder for when you are not following the video.
Tune into abdominal breathing – place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, relax your belly and use your diaphragm to breathe. Bring your awareness to your belly and focus on creating an unhurried, long, even, deep, relaxed and continuous breath. Place your hands gently on the belly and follow the movements. Continue doing this for a few minutes allowing your mind to settle in your belly.
Tune into your posture – use the techniques shown in the video to align your posture. 30 percent of weight in your toes, 70 percent in your heels, knees relaxed with a gentle bend, sacrum and pelvis relaxed and open, spine nice and long as though you are suspended on a hook from the crown of your head, shoulders relaxed and giving your weight to the earth. Imagine you are breathing in from the core of the earth, through the soles of your feet, all the way up the back of your legs and back to the crown of your head. As you exhale allow any tensions in your body to soften.
Bounce – gently start to bounce from the knees. Allow all the muscles of the body to relax as you do this and continue breathing in up the back of body and further releasing any tensions as you exhale down the front of your body. Imagine your spine is like a long supple and healthy spring. As you continue to bounce, you can start to use the voice, giving a content relaxed sigh as you exhale. While maintaining good postural alignment, gradually increase the intensity of your bouncing and the volume of your voice… releasing your stress, tension, worry and anger. Now that you have released the stagnant energy in your body, slow down and gradually come to stillness. Tune in to how your body feels now and simply be present with your body, breathing full, relaxed and deep breaths.
Zhan Zhuang – Using what you’ve learned in the video lesson, align your posture again. Raise your arms up and settle into your “embracing the tree” posture. Gently breathe in up the back of your body, and exhale releasing any tensions down the front of your body. Feel any tensions flowing down the front of your body like a water wall. Use this time to tune into the structural yang side of your body (creating structure without force) and the nourishing relaxed yin side of your body. Use the “inner smile” practice to gently smile to any aches, pains, unwanted thoughts or feelings that you notice. Simply be with them, accepting them fully, listening to them and learning from them. Continue expanding in the posture downwards, upwards and outwards, embracing more and more space both externally and internally.
Once you have reached your desired length of practice (For Zhan Zhuang we recommend becoming consistent with a short practice of perhaps five minutes and then gradually increasing the amount of time to 10, 20, 30 or even 60 minutes depending on your goals and lifestyle) maintain the circular shape of your arms and lower them so your hands are positioned directly in front of your 丹田dan tian (elixir field – belly). Continue practicing the “inner smile” for a further few minutes.
Now stand in a relaxed position and feel the subtle effects of the practice on your body and mind.
Spinal Waves – to help loosen any tension in the spine of body (until the standing posture is perfected it is quite likely you will experience some tension, aches or discomfort) gently start doing spinal waves moving from side to side. Try to tune into each vertebra and feel how they move. Continue to breathe with a full, deep and relaxed abdominal breath. Once you have finished exploring this, start creating gentle waves up the body moving from front to back, again tuning into each vertebra. As you finish, take a few moments to notice the subtle shifts in your energy and body.
Self Massage – To finish the practice, complete the self-massage shown in the video lesson. Working gently and intentionally from the head to the toes, using your awareness and breath to further enhance the effects of the massage. Take several moments to breathe deeply into your 丹田dan tian to centre the energy you have cultivated throughout the practice.
Many thanks for joining us on this journey. We hope that some of the tools and discussions we have covered support you to grow in health and happiness.
With love and gratitude,
No Mi & Dawa
