The simplest Qi Gong, or "Energy/Breathing practice" there is:
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and the inner edges of the feet parallel.
- Very gently grasp the ground with the toes- imagine that the feet are like suction cups, not eagle talons.
- Soften and bend the knees (don't allow the knee to protrude in front of the toes, keep it back a little).
- Gently, ever so gently, tuck the tailbone forward to lengthen the lower spine- and ever so gently lengthen the upper spine, extending the back of the neck. This has the effect of turning the normal S of the spine into a flattish C shape.
- Breathe softly through the nose, continuously (allowing for the tiny pause that naturally occurs between inhale and exhale) and without forcing either the inhale or the exhale. Think of the breath as continuing beyond the actual lungs and into the body, and beyond the actual inhale/exhale - think about breathing in while still breathing out and vice versa.
- Ensure that the tip of the tongue is in contact with the roof of your mouth, but keep the mouth and jaw relaxed.
- On an inhale, slowly raise the arms to a 'tree-hugging' or 'book-reading' position. The elbows should be slightly below the shoulders, the wrists soft, and the palms facing your face. Allow the fingers to 'fall' slightly apart from each other, while thinking of the whole shoulder/arm/hand complex as 'long and relaxed'.
- Maintain a little space under the arm, as though you're keeping an egg warm in there...
- Direct the breath into the lower belly - if you get the chance, watch how a newborn breathes: the chest doesn't move, all the breath goes down into the belly. This is what you want.
- With your awareness focused in the lower belly, focus the eyes on a point on the ground about 20 feet away. If you're inside, focus on an analogous point on the wall, or on a picture - it's quite important to have the eyes focused while practicing Qi Gong. You don't need a 'Thousand Yard Stare' but you do need focus.
- On each inhale, imagine the energy from the breath moving down the inside of the front of the body to the lower belly
- On each exhale, imagine the energy from the breath moving up the inside of the spine, back through the head and from the roof of the mouth back to the tongue to complete a 'circuit' of energy- this is known as the Microcosmic Orbit in some circles. Other (less pretentious) people just call it a loop that circulates the body's energy. With every breath, the circuit becomes a little stronger.
This is where you'll be for two thirds of this practice - aim for maybe 3 minutes here to begin with.. There was a time I used to stand here for 100 breaths, but this takes far too much time out of my day... about 25 minutes.. Start with a small amount of time and get the details right, then you can go for longer.
After a while, your legs, shoulders, arms or back may start to hurt- don't become involved in the 'human drama' of whatever hurts, instead allow the area to soften more and lengthen more... to breathe more...
- After your 'two thirds of the time' you've allotted, and on an exhale, allow the arms to sink to a 'basket-carrying' position- so the palms are facing the lower belly, where you've been directing the breath for this whole time.
- Keep the shoulder/arm/hand complex nice and open and long- there should still be enough space for an egg in your armpit.
- Don't allow yourself to come back up yet - if uncomfortable, wriggle a little bit (slowly, more a wobble than a wriggle) to allow the joints, connective tissue and muscles some circulation and to spread their lubricating fluids around.
- Keep reviewing the body so that there's no excess tension creeping in.
- Maintain awareness in the lower body and keep the 'energy circulation' going.
After 'one third of your allotted time', slowly do two things:
- Place your hands one over the other at the small of the back, with the back of the hands facing forward. (The comfortable way- not the other way).
- Bring one foot to the other, without falling over or rising all the way up.
The last part of your Qi Gong practice is to 'seal in' the energy you've collected/raised/cultivated.
Closing the Gates-
- From where you were, bring one knee up to hip height with the knee bent at 90 degrees. You'll do this naturally if you're relaxed.
- Move the foot through a vertical circle so it's behind you and gently slide it back beside the other foot.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Move one foot away from the other, back to shoulder width and bend the knees again.
- On an inhale, gently release the hands from behind your back and to your original position (tree-hugging).
- On the exhale, slowly allow the hands to sink to the second position (basket-carrying)
- Finish with one last inhale and slowly return to a natural standing posture.
Give any areas of the body that are sore or tense a little 'love'- rub/tap/lightly massage them, and go about your daily business with a little more Qi. It's best not to eat or drink for an hour or so after Qi Gong, so this extra energy has time to circulate and do you some good before your expend it on digesting anything.
As always, don't damage yourself - and -
Smile.
Tim..
