Great QiGong Question & Answer

Taoist Temple Seated QiGong

Q:  

I want to thank you for sharing your exercises under Taoist Temple Seated QiGong. I have been practicing QiGong for several years, and found your series wonderful and so complete.

I have some questions:

Can I introduce some other movements and do they have to be so slow?

I have done a different form of QiGong and the teacher in that school says that one should not do so many different QiGongs at the same time. Somehow I feel that that has some logic in it.

In my other form they have a movement which is static, you stay seven minutes still with the Hands on the area of the third eye, then seven minutes on the area of the dantian, then on top of the head and at last on the sides.

My question here is, why is this posture not found in any other qigong? And why does he say one cannot do this if one does not belong to this school?

Somehow this form works wonderfully and I would like to continue doing These and then continue with yours? (I would not hold each Position for 7 minutes, only three.)

Could you give me advise to unburden my Feeling of guilt if I do this?

Thank you so much in advance. I wish you all the best,

SW, Mexico

A:

I'm happy you enjoy the Taoist Temple Seated QiGong.  I'll try to answer your questions.

In most cases the pace of QiGong should match your breath, so the movements can be as slow or fast as you are breathing.  There are, however, some QiGong forms that disregard the breath and you move according to the feel of Qi which can sometimes be fast or slow.

Many QiGong forms have a specific purpose or Energy Flow they are creating. Because of this, if you introduce different movements or change the order, you can change the meaning of the form. This is only awareness though, it doesn't mean it's forbidden to do, but many teachers advise against changing the form in any way because of the energy flow and purpose it has – they know it works as it is and expect that to be respected.

My personal feeling is that it’s a good idea to practice a form as it is taught, and really work with it consistently and with sincerity for a period of time, minimum 100 days.  After that, if there are certain movements you want to add in the form that feel really good to do, then there is an intelligence in your body that knows they are beneficial to you in some way so do them if it makes you happy.

However, I will caution that sometimes people try to do too much, thinking that they will heal faster or obtain faster results by doing more, and this is not necessarily true.  Taoist philosophy is "Everything in moderation", even QiGong.

From your description of the other QiGong form I think it would be fine to do first, then follow with the seated temple form, as long as you feel clear, vibrant, and energized afterwards.  If you feel hurried, stressed out, or tired at the end then it's too much. 

I hope it works very well for you.

Best Wishes,

Cynthia McMullen, Anchorage Alaska
QiGong Instructor, Medical QiGong Therapist

Energetics of Smiling Heart QiGong

Turn To Accept the Moon Qi

Preparation: The focus of this Qigong form is to bring your heart into a state of happiness and gratitude. This promotes an experience of heart congruency which is an essential part of mind-body-spirit growth and harmonization.


1. Rippling Pond
Feel your heart center energy expand outwards. Lightly ripple your fingertips through the energy to create pond-like ripples, spreading your heart qi around.

2. Gathering Sunlight
Open your arms and imagine drawing the warmth of the sun directly into your heart, warming you and also making your heart feel warm to others.


3. Bending the Rainbow
Feel a ball of energy between your raised hands. As you stretch it, imagine that each finger has a rainbow color of energy. Try to maintain the feeling of qi connection between your hands. This exercise builds and refines sensitivity to feeling qi.


4. Bathe in Earth Energy
Gather yellow energy from the Earth. Draw it up through yourself, then surround yourself with it while circling back down. This exercise strengthens the primal connection between you and the Earth mother who provides everything you need to be nurtured and cared for.

5. Share Smiling Heart
As the front hand holds your heart qi, your back hand moves and pushes it, sending your heart qi out of your fingers like rays of the sun, to share with everyone.


6. Rowing on the Lake
Embody the feeling of being on vacation, the sun and sky are perfect, you are lazily rowing a boat on the lake, you haven’t a care in the world. Feeling this sense of ultimate relaxation at the same time you loosen your shoulder girdle lets your body release the most common area of tension (upper shoulders and neck) to let Yang qi from above flow into your body with ease.


7. Toss the Ball
You feel so happy and so good, if there is anything in your being (dan tian) that is negative or toxic, toss it to the wind – you don’t need it. It often helps to actually say in your mind what you are releasing, such as “I toss away pain. I toss away frustration. I toss away disease, etc.”


8. Push Palm
The push forward emphasizes stretching the heart meridian, and focuses on the Heart-7 (Shen Men, Spirit Gate) acupoint in the wrist area. The push/pull of the opposite arms stretches open the heart center.

9. Turn to Accept the Moon Qi
Imagine drawing the light of the moon into your raised hands, then drawing it down and placing it in your dan tian. This move is strongly Yin in nature, which helps to balance the overall Yang focus of the QiGong form.


10. Wave Hands Like Clouds
The legs are strong, solid, yin. The hands are light, airy, yang. This is a classic movement for harmonizing the Yin/Yang of the whole body.


11. Reaching Into Yin & Yang
12. Push the Ocean Wave
13. Fly Like a Dove
The first 2 of these movements together stimulate the Wood Element (Liver qi) through the free and easy flow, the physical stimulation of the liver meridian in the big toe and legs, and the focus of bringing the ocean wave hands up to the eyes. Wood feeds Fire, so the last movement – Fly Like a Dove – emphasizes very softly expanding and contracting the energy of the heart center.


14. Turtle Pokes Out Its Head
The extended hand is stretching the Small Intestine meridian, and you should feel it from your shoulder blade area to your hand. The legs are being strengthened in the pumping movement. Strong legs are very important to strong qi flow throughout the entire body.


15. Fly Like Wild Geese
Like wild geese, honor the Way of Nature, where everything happens exactly when it is supposed to. This is freedom.


16. Painting the World
Circling 3 times to the left honors the Yin energy of the 3 dan tians. Circling 3 times to the right honors the Yang energy of the 3 dan tians. The extended open hands stretch and tonify the Perciardium meridian.


17. Bouncing the Ball
The Green Dragon of the wood element is on the left side. The White Tiger of the metal element is on the right side. Both sides should be strong and stable to show balance between these 2 powerful energies.


18. Press Palms to Settle the Breath
Promotes connection and harmonization within the central meridian (Taiji Pole) which includes the lower dan tian, the heart center, and the 3rd eye. Settles the breath back to the dan tian, the foundation. Provides a sense of calming closure.


Always end your QiGong with several moments of silence and experience how you feel. Shaking all over or tapping your meridians at the end is appropriate to release any stagnant qi and obtain optimal flow.

See the video of Smiling Heart QiGong movements here: http://youtu.be/nJeb6FRwvns

If you are interested in QiGong, you may also like our DVD of Taoist Temple Seated QiGong, available at: http://www.akinstitute.com/store or watch it on YouTube  http://youtu.be/5xOrivB5tBQ