Simple Chi Kung_ Exercises for Awakening the Life-Force Energy - Mantak Chia [20]
Chi Kung masters have touted the power of laughter and smiling for thousands of years. They say it elicits a powerful healing energy within the body and transforms sick or old energy back into positive, healing energy. Appendix 1 of this book includes a set of Chi Kung laughter practices.
STIFF JOINTS, ARTHRITIS, AND BONES
Over time, repetitive motion, stress, and improper posture deplete our joints and bones of essential life force. According to the wisdom of Chi Kung, stagnant energy is an underlying cause of this deterioration. Chi Kung masters say that movement clears stagnation, just as the regular movement of a hinge will prevent it from rusting.
Chi Kung helps us to regain health in our joints and bones through specially designed movements. One of the oldest books on Chi Kung—called The Classic on Bone Marrow Washing—contained numerous exercises for strengthening the bones and opening the joints. Chi Kung sees the bones and bone marrow as a great source of energy for the whole body, vital to the maintenance of healthy blood, good immune function, and overall vitality. In chapter 6 of this book, we will go through exercises that “oil the joints” to enhance the production of synovial fluid (the body’s natural lubricant), making them more supple and youthful.
Studies have shown that Chi Kung exercises assist in prevention and treatment of arthritis and osteoporosis while also relieving common problems attributed to overuse of the joints.
HEART AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
One of the most pronounced effects of Chi Kung in the human system is a dramatic improvement in blood circulation throughout the body, particularly in the microcirculation of the brain, extremities, and deep tissues of the vital organs. As another axiom of traditional Chinese medicine states, “Blood goes where energy leads.” By circulating energy to the deepest levels of the body and the meridian system, Chi Kung enhances the circulation of blood to every tissue in the body, making sure that all the cells receive enough oxygen, the life-force energy of every cell.
Chi Kung literally strengthens the heart muscle and increases stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute), so that more energy and oxygen are delivered to the cells and more waste products can be carried away.
Through deep breathing and movement, Chi Kung takes a tremendous workload off the heart. It effectively turns the diaphragm into a “second heart” that supports circulation, thereby preventing exhaustion of the heart muscle and prolonging life. When this sort of breathing is practiced throughout the day, it serves as a highly effective preventive against heart disease.
BLOOD PRESSURE
High blood pressure has become one of the biggest banes of human health today, and the conventional approach to this problem is to prescribe drugs. However, high blood pressure can be readily prevented simply by practicing Chi Kung, which balances blood pressure throughout the circulatory system. A study conducted on one hundred cases of chronic hypertension at the Shanghai Research Institute for Hypertension showed that after only five minutes of Chi Kung practice, blood pressure in every patient began to drop, and after twenty minutes, blood pressure was reduced to the same level it had reached three hours after taking standard blood pressure medications.
Chi Kung also lowers the resting heart rate. As stress and tension clear out of the mind and body through Chi Kung exercises, this relaxes the heart and blood vessels, creating less resistance to blood flow. Chi Kung practitioners