• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Continue taking these full deep breaths for at least 7 breaths. You will start to feel the benefits almost immediately. If you can do this exercise for 7 minutes, it’s even better.

WARMING UP THE BODY

The term warm-up means to begin the chi and blood flow and invigorate their circulation throughout the body. Warm-up exercises are particularly important for areas of the body that are rarely stretched, such as the spine and the sacrum. Even a person who does weight training and aerobics is still not properly prepared for the conduction of large amounts of energy. Without an adequate warm-up before exercise, the muscles may be stiff and tight and lack sufficient blood supply to meet the sudden demands placed on them by strenuous activity. This is one major cause of athletic injury.

Simple Chi Kung can be used as a warm up for many other Taoist activities, such as Tai Chi or meditation, but it can also be seen as a warm-up to your everyday life. It will help you meet the day with more energy or clear stress at the end of the day. Done on its own, Simple Chi Kung can effectively create healthy chi flow in the body, which benefits all aspects of life.

BEGINNING YOUR CHI KUNG PRACTICE

Listen to the messages from your body as you do the various exercises. Pain is the body’s warning signal that you may be overdoing it. The goal is not to overstretch or to develop large muscles, but to loosen the joints and relax the muscles so that the chi and blood can flow without obstruction. Don’t force yourself beyond your limits: less is better, especially at the beginning. If you feel any joint pain or discomfort while doing any of the exercises, back off until you feel comfortable. If you still feel strain or pain, discontinue the exercise altogether.

Be especially respectful of any injuries, chronic problems, or physical limitations you may have. If you are kind and gentle to your body, it will start to trust you and relax by itself. You will find yourself starting to loosen on a deeper level without having to force the issue. In this way, you will develop naturally, gradually, and safely. In Chi Kung practice, you learn to reorganize the structure of your body as you sit, stand, and move. In particular, you discover how to use the power of the lower tan tien, the perineum, and the spine to stand in a strong, stable, integrated way. You will see that many of the movements focus on training the waist for this reason.

OVERVIEW OF THE SIMPLE CHI KUNG PRACTICE

OPENING THE JOINTS

Bouncing

Foot and Hand Kicking

Knee Rotations

Hip Rotations

Rotating the Sacrum

Waist Loosening

Standing Crane and Turtle

Spinal Cord Breathing

Empty Force in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Tan Tiens

Upward Stretching and Twisting to Four Sides

Windmill Exercise: Opening the Spinal Joints

Stretching the Neck

Exercising the Eyes

Stretching the Shoulders

Forearms and Palms Slapping the Organs

Hand and Wrist Stretches

Opening the Door of Life

Elephant Swings His Trunk

Squatting to Open the Sacrum

Clenching and Tapping the Teeth

CHI MASSAGE

Knocking on the Kidneys

Slapping Down the Yang Meridians and Up the Yin Meridians of the Legs

Knocking on the Chest

Slapping Down the Yin Meridians and Up the Yang Meridians of the Arms

Knocking on the Abdomen

Middle Line of the Abdomen

Left Side of the Abdomen

Right Side of the Abdomen

BONE BREATHING

Bone Breathing Process

Sacrum Bone Breathing

Bone Compression

Bouncing

Bouncing the body can be compared to a brief ride on the subway. For those of you who commute, this can be practiced on the way to work as well.

Just relax your body while concentrating on opening your joints, and bounce on the floor without any tension (fig. 6.1).

Let the vibration in your heels work its way up through the entire skeletal system: from legs to spine to neck to skull. Your shoulders and arms should vibrate as they hang loosely by your sides. To enhance this vibration, you can hum