Qi Gong for the 21st Century

Workers who do not do Yoga or Qi Gong are at a distinct disadvantage...

Picture kindly provided by I'm Daleth

The healthy body is a flowing, interactive electrodynamic energy field.  Motion is more natural to life than non-motion, things that keep flowing are inherently good.  What intereferes with flow will have detrimental effects.  Valerie V. Hunt

Chinese Medicine has always indicated that a stagnation in Qi will result in ill health, and to remove blockages will return health.  Qi Gong is a powerful complementary way to restore balance to the body.  It is fluid, it is simple, however it does demand a mindful, daily practice.

Vibrant health is a condition of balanced and flowing Qi throught the body's meridians, chakras are synchronised and an energy body that is radiant and expansive. Stanley Wilson

Health is more than physical, it is mental, emotional.  I would say it is also Spiritual, because it forces the Ego to listen and change its way, to be more humble.

Total alignment of mind, body and spirit is the true goal of Yoga.  Qi Gong is a cross between pranayama and asanas, or a Taoist Yoga, refined over hundreds of years, able to taught to anyone, regardless of age.  Anyone will benefit from it.

It benefits are bountiful; health, clarity of mind and in developing mindfulness.  It develop mindfulness, because its pure success depends on it and that naturally spills over into day to day life automatically.  It also prepares one for meditation, by freeing up the Qi channels in the body.  It is also a competitive edge in todays corporate world.

We are after all energy beings, and as Iyengar would put it "Energy is an attractive quality", it gives one charisma as well as offering health benefits.  Dollar for dollar it is the best preventative health care scheme available, and the best support in helping you get a promotion.

Workers who do not do Yoga or Qi Gong are at a distinct disadvantage, given all things equal they will not be able to compete with the connection and impact of a "Corporate Yogi", who has practiced unifying herself even before the day has started.

I hope this gives some motivation for a daily practice.  Note benefits also requires a full presence in your practice and eliminating "toxic" thoughts, feelings and diets.  As you get more sensitive to Qi, you will get more sensitive to other gross things as well such as these which have a direct impact on our energy levels.

Regards

Kirpal

Some Pillars of Qi Gong

Picture "The Opening Lotus" kindly provided by Ed-Meister under Creative Commons

A colleague of mind was interested in Qi Gong after I was talking to her about it, she had not heard of it.  She asked me if I could teach her some.  I said, I would try, however I was no master.  I reflected on which form I wanted to teach her, but then I thought behind all these forms there is really some fundamentals that needs to be learnt first.

Most of us try to jump straight into the forms without the fundamentals in place first.  Thats certainly what I did, its different if you have a good teacher who can incorporate both, and one learns over time.  Thats the problem, we all don't have time to learn something new.

I contemplated on during the week, I thought I would raise her awareness on some basic pillars of Qi Gong, the most important ones I thought were:
1. Relaxation
2. Breathing
3. Mindfulness
4. Timing

Relaxation
The Indian's have a saying  "No Tension", the youth in US has another one "Chillax".  Thats exactly what we need to do in Qi Gong or Yoga.

We all get tensed up whether we like it or not, and it is pretty much automatic.  All tension is imprinted on our bodies and our minds.  Relaxation starts with relaxing the hands and the knees, then once you get fluid it works its way to the rest of the body (Master Li told me that).

I made my colleage lie down in Sirvasna (Corpse Pose), and experience what relaxation feels like in her hands and feet.  Then I asked her to raise her hands up and drop them down in a relaxed manner.

Relaxation is also the "Satvic" Gunna, the other two being Rajvic (Creative) and Tamsic (Destructive), these three Gunas create the universe (itself being sourced from the one true primal energy).  Iyengar says we don't not understand the "Satvic" Gunna,  My colleague experienced this straight away, and I told her, this is what one's natural state should be like; alert, relaxed, light.

Breathing
Next I got her to experience deep abdominal breathing through placing the hands on the front and the back of the belly, and tried to get her to expand her fingers only through her abdomen.  I also got her to experience a slight pause after breathing out, allowing the natural reflex of breathing to kick in for a better next breath.

Mindfulness
Next I got her standing, "hugging a tree", knees slightly bet for a few minutes.  She started experiencing a circular sensation between her hands.  One needs to be mindful in Qi Gong, of the sensations in the hands, feet, body, and of breathing, timing and visualization.

Timing
Next I showed her to time her breath with her movement, showing her a simple "Energy Wash" through the body.  Starting with the arms on the side, raise and open up scoop energy from the universe, through the hands, and push it down through the Crown through the body pushing out negative Qi out through the souls of the feet.

Timing has to be like clockwork, change of breathing changes (inhale (hold) to exhale) with the change in movement.

Then asked her to bring it all together.  The whole experience was just as helpful for me as it was for her, because I could watch a person trying for the first time, I could detect the breathing, I could detect the relaxation, I could actually see the focus of the mind.  I could also see how valuable Qi Gong really is.  She experienced sensations she never felt before.  Pains, cramps, which disappeared, and clarity of the mind came about as well as awareness of sensations not previously paid attention too.  In todays fast paced lives, everyone too busy to pay attention to their bodies and health.

"Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived." Dalai Lama

It also gave me an experience how hard it is to teach.

Now given all of this instruction the rest is up to the student to apply.  The instruction are useless without daily effort and practice.  The teachers role is simply to show the instructions, the students role is to apply the instruction, and learn what is beyond the instructions, one cannot really teach anyone anything, the student teaches oneself through an intention and persistance to learn, all external instruction stems from this original intent, no one can give you the intent except one self.

Peace,

Kirpal

I can see the strain on your face!

Picture by lululemon athletica

I make it a point to go to the Gym every day to do Yoga or my own routine.  Today I was doing my own routine, its quite amazing to watch other people work out.

Here is a couple of observations:

- There was one person on the elipiticals next to me, I could see so much strain on his face, pushing himself really hard, almost like he had a point to prove to himself, maybe others I am not sure.  I thought to myself, that can't be good for you.  I was doing the same exercise, expect I was working in 2 minute high intensity cycles, and 1 minute of low intensity, focusing pretty much on keeping a uniform breathing pattern throughout the exercise.  

- It seems most exercise is done from the point of view from the Ego, either we want to look good or we want to prove that we are good (to God knows who!).

- In addition exercise is usually done quite mindlessly.  I see more mental presence on the weights, probably because one does need to make sure one does not hurt oneself.  Also notice people are more mindful when they are in the zone, like good runners.

- I don't see any balancing exercises, the closest I see is the swiss ball.  I actually think the Swiss Ball is a very powerful tool, for many reasons, predominately because it allows you to hold particular stretches longer (without building the required strength in your upper body as in Yoga). Also because of the unstable base, you are actually forced to be more mindful.  I am going to look into this a bit more.

- I don't see any breath training, except really good runners on the treadmill, I guess they have to be in tune with the breath to run so well.

- I don't see enough stretching, I do stretching for at least 10 minutes before and after workout.  The stretching after Cardio is something I really look forward too, its almost like some valves are released so the qi and blood can flow through!  The feeling of blood rushing through your arms is really something else.  Good runners do stretch a fair bit, thats one makes them good, they are in tune with their bodies.

- I do not see any relaxation after a work out.  Usually I am the only one lying there in Corpse Pose after a workout.  That is the best part of it all!  I love the sound of the little cracks in your body, as it relaxes and adjusts itself.

- I do see lots of emphasis on the core muscles repetition like stomach curls etc, I am not sure about this, as core muscles are yin type muscle which requires more holding of a position rather than repeated quick repetitions.

- There is no-one closing there eyes in a workout trying to hone in to their bodies signal, and actually enjoy the workout, all I can see is usually the pain in their faces, not relief.

All of these are pretty much built into a a yoga or Qi Gong session that is:
- Being Mindful
- Uniform or Deep Breathing
- Relaxation
- Enjoyment

It is quite obvious that Ego permeates everything we do including exercise.

Regards

Kirpal

45-LORY1 - Lunchtime Optimal Routine Yin 1

Picture savasana kindly provided by iwillnotsuccumb

I can't do Cardio or Yang style yoga routine everyday, so I have designed a routine for myself.  It is a 45 minute lunchtime routine that comprises of Qi Gong and a Yin Yoga sequence by Sarah Powers (plus one small change I have included for a twist). I need to use props (towel, rugs, 2 blocks, strap) , as I need to support my neck, and my back, my arms.

10 minutes - 8 Brocades Qi Gong Routine.  See blog.

35 minutes - Sarah Powers Insight Yoga Routine from embedded article.  Please also look at Yin Yoga Blog for some tips on how to do routines.

3 minutes - Butterfly Pose
6 minutes - Saddle
9 minutes - Seal
12 minutes - Sphinx
15 minutes - Childs Pose
18 minutes - Half Dragon Fly - Left
21 minutes - Half Dragon Fly - Right
24 minutes - Dragonfly
27 minutes - Full Forward Bend
30 minutes - Include additional Lying Twist
35 minutes - Savasana

Go to page 73

Yin Yoga

Photo "Hands in Savasana" kindly provided by Kona Yoga

Yin Yoga helps me bridge the gap between Yoga and Qi Gong.

My first exposure to Yoga was the Tibetan 5 Exercise Rites a very "Yang" style of yoga, that focused on a repetition of 5 postures 21 times.  Though it did help my core muscles, strength, I did not feel the transformational effects of personality that I wanted.

Once I settled into a yoga class at work I had a great teacher that offered a good mix of Active (Yang like) and Passive (Yin like) asanas.  I kept on bumping into people that had inferred the transformational effect of Yin Yoga.  Reading more about it, I can see its appeal, and its reasoning.

The fascia holds everything together and is connected to all parts of body, its the "body's internet" (New Rules of Posture Mary Bond), without it you would be a big lump of jelly, muscle and bones.  Rudolf Stone father of "Polarity Theraphy" often said that its all in the fascia, it in fact reflects the subtle energy fields and pathways of the subtle bodies.  Studies in Chinese Traditional Medicine now thinks that the meridian points flow through the fascia.  The fascia is highly sensitive to stress, and tension in one area easily affects the other.  Yin Yoga works on joints ligaments etc, and stretches out the fascia and the muscular-skeleton structure.

Anyone who has experienced the restorative effects of the Corpse pose, or the delightful stretch of the Pigeon or Squat poses, would be able to see the potential of a Yin style practice.  However a Yin type practice requires a lot more acceptance, letting go, and relaxing letting nature run through your body, rather than your own will and ego.  

Here are 4 principals of doing Yin Yoga based on Sarah Power's Insight Yoga book. The book has much more detailed comprehensive information which I have interpreted and modified based on my own experience, a sample content link to the book have been put in the Cool Resources section of this book, this offers some more great background reading.

1. Ease into poses non-aggressively and sensitively,  be highly aware of sensations given by the pose.  Use props if required, to make it more comfortable.  Readjust or stop if there is pain.


2. Reduce movement, as to encourage the Qi into the bones, joints, ligaments instead of the muscles, let gravity do its work.  Movements moves Qi into the muscles, now I know why my spiritual mentor told me not to move while meditating!  Also this is directly in line with Qi Gong movements, where movements are to be done in a relaxed manner, without fully exerting the muscles and locking the joints.  
Iyengar often said, "we have to hold the apple in our hand and let the horse come to it rather than run after the horse", so we have to hold the pose without our ego, and let the pose do its work.  All asanas have got a certain "Scared Geometry" which guides the Qi into a certain pathway given no resistance.


3. Hold the pose in the beginning from 1 to 3 minutes, building up to 5 minutes.


4. Do long breath rhythmic breathing.  Breath in Qi, Breath out Tension

Given this guidelines, one can modify suitable poses into a Yin type pose, the following site has some Yin Asanas examples (Seal, Sphinx instead of Cobra), note it can be dangerous to hold a yang asana in a yin style manner (see Paul Grilley - Theory of Yin Yoga Video Excerpt) , you would know this because pain would kick in, and muscles would be over strained, please apply common-sense and listen to your body, stop or seek instructions from a qualified teacher or your medical adviser to incorporate this to prevent any strain or injuries..

Regards,

Kirpal

This work by Kirpal Chauhan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

8 Brocades - Ba Duan Jin, Eight pieces of Silk Brocade

This is the form I want to start incorporating into my daily routine.

"These exercises consist of gentle stretches that lengthen the muscles, tendons and stimulate the meridians and internal organs." Ken Cohen

The steps are illustrated in the videos below, after much hunting around I managed to find a good one (some repetition, but hey you only watch it while learning it).  I love the video, they do the movements so darn gracefully!  Watch the video, and carefully follow the transitions between steps, they should flow seamlessly.

As an aside, also keep in mind when you write, or when you talk, different points should transition seamlessly.  The principles of Qi Gong can be applied outside the form in literally anything.

As a commons sense disclaimer, seek medical advice before attempting these exercises if you have any health issues.  Repeat each steps between 4-9 times depending on how much time you have.

1. Two Hands Reach Skyward to Balance the Triple Burner. Inhale when raising arms, exhale when bringing arms down

2. Open the Bow as Though Shotting the Buzzard. Inhale before you start movements, hold breath during pause, exhale when put arms down

3. Raise Each Arm to Regulate the Spleen. Inhale when you start movements, hold in pause, exhale when you put arms down

4. Looking Behind to Cure Fatigue and Distress. Inhale when you turn sideways, exhale when turn to the front

5. Bending Over, Wagging the Tail to Calm Heart-Fire. Breath normally 

6. Toe Touching to Strengthen the Kidneys and Waist. Inhale through nose when raising arms, and exhale when bending forward. Hold breath when pausing

7. Punching with Angry Gaze to Increase Qi and Strength. Exhale when thrusting fist, and inhaling when withdrawing fists.

8. Jolt Body to Keep All Illness Away. Breathe normally