Teachings,+Qui-Gong

= QIGONG = (By Kai Stormwalker) (Return to Teachings)

(The Force is just another word for qi. Therefore you will probably find the two words used interchangably at this site.)

Originated in China circa 1122 B.C. at the time the Yi Jing, or Book of Changes was introduced. Historical documents for this period are scarce and it is difficult to gain detailed information about Qigong training.

Qi is the energy or natural force which fills the universe. According to Chinese tradition there are two types of Qi. Heaven Qi, which is made up of the forces which the heavenly bodies exert on the earth, such as sunshine, moonlight, and the moon’s effect on the tides. Earth Qi, which has to do with things like weather, the earth’s magnetic field, heat concealed underground, and the energy fields which are specific to every living thing on the planet.

Qi is generally defined as any type of energy that can demonstrate power and strength. This energy can be electricity, magnetism, heat, or light.

The “gong” in Qigong can be translated as meaning “time and energy.” Therefore, Qigong is any training or study dealing with Qi which takes a long time or lots of effort.

Qigong is the meditation of the standing man, that is a channel between the Heaven Qi that enters the body moving in clockwise spirals and the Earth Qi that enters the body moving in counter-clockwise spirals.

The goal of Qigongis to bring coherence in the systems of the body so that this harmony may preserve health.

The exercises are based on moves and breath.

Two kinds of breath are used: the normal, or postnatal breath and the reverse or prenatal breath which tends to store the Qi in the Tan-Tien (the energetic center of the body. 3 inches under the navel and 3 inches inside) and lets it expand during the expiration.

There were two major types of Qigong training. One was used by the Confucian and Taoist scholars, primarily to maintain their health. The other was Qigong for medical purposes, using needles as in acupuncture, or exercises to adjust the Qi or to cure illness.

All the training focused on following the natural way and improving and maintaining health.

For healthy persons Qigong can help you maintain your health. For those who are not so healthy practicing Qigong can help you improve your health drastically.

Basic forms of Qigong are very simple and beneficial. More advanced forms can be more complicated and it can be more difficult to perform them correctly. If performed incorrectly it is possible to do yourself harm.

Kai Stormwalker and Silmerion Skywalker

All this information and credit for it belongs to the christian order of Jedi knights at this link : http://www.freewebs.com/jedihealers/qigong.htm

THE FORCE (Qi)

Feeling the Force

Hold your hands in front of you at chest level so the palms face each other, nine or ten inches apart. Slowly move them towards each other until there is only about an inch between them. Hold this position for five or ten seconds then slowly pull them apart again. Continue to do this and you should begin to feel heat and then a tingling sensation and a slight pressure building up between your palms. When you begin to feel this try pulling them farther and farther apart each time. It should feel like a ball of energy is getting larger and larger between your palms. When you are finished shake your hands downward at your sides as though flicking water off your hands.

Making the Force Flow

Once you have gotten good at the above exercise you can begin to work at making the Force flow.

Begin in the same position with your hands in front of you at chest level so the palms face each other. Now concentrate on pushing the Force out of one palm and drawing it in through the other. Concentrate on guiding the Force up your arm across your shoulders and down the other arm so that the flow makes a loop. After you have gotten the Force to flow smoothly in one direction, see if you can reverse the flow so it is going the opposite direction.

All this information and credit for it belongs to the christian order of Jedi knights at this link : http://www.freewebs.com/jedihealers/qigong.htm

QIGONG WARM-UPS

To begin you should stand with your feet flat on the floor a little more than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, buttocks tucked in, arms hanging naturally at your sides, chin tucked slightly. You should feel like a puppet with a string attached at the crown of your head.

__**Breathing from the Tan Tien**__

Begin by placing your left thumb at your navel and dropping your left hand down over your abdomen. Now cross your right hand over it. Breathe through your nose with your mouth closed and with your tongue comfortably pressed against the roof of your mouth.

Inhale deeply so that you feel your abdomen rise against your palms rather than breathing so your chest rises. This is the way babies breathe. It is called breathing from the Tan Tien because that is the name of a point located 2 inches below your navel and in the center of your body. It is where your center of gravity is located that helps you maintain your balance.

When you exhale you should push the breath out of your abdomen slowly and steadily until your breath is completely expelled. Repeat.

This is the way you should breathe throughout any tai chi or qigong exercise unless otherwise specified.

1. Slowly inhale as you raise your arms up in front of you and overhead. Don’t stretch, just raise them naturally. Now slowly exhale as you lower your arms out to the sides and down to your original position. Repeat this 3 times.

Now reverse the exercise so you inhale as you raise your arms out to the sides and overhead, then exhale as you lower them down in front of you. Repeat this 3 times.

2. Hold you hands in front of your body, elbows bent, forearms, wrists, and fingers forming a fairly straight line, but palms fingers and thumbs cupped slightly as though holding a ball against your stomach. Your fingertips should be six to eight inches apart.

Inhale slowly and straighten your knees so you rise slightly. Expand your arms as though the ball you are holding is being inflated.

Exhale slowly and lower yourself back down to original position.

3. Lift your arms naturally over your head, palms face forward and tilted slightly up. Imagine that you are drawing energy into your palms from the air around you. Feel it flowing down your arms and into your shoulders. Slowly turn your palms down, fingertips pointed toward each other. Project the energy from your palms into the top of your head. Slowly begin to lower your palms down the front of your body and imagine the energy spreading through your body and moving downward along with them. Once your hands reach waist height, your hands stop moving but you should continue to imagine the energy moving down through your legs and into the ground. Repeat 3 times.

All this information and credit for it belongs to the christian order of Jedi knights at this link : http://www.freewebs.com/jedihealers/qigong.htm

QIGONG THEORIES

Qi is a type of energy that circulates through the body. When this circulation becomes stagnant or stops, the body will become ill or die.

Qi circulates along 12 channels which for the most part are with the arteries and nerves. These channels are protected by the body’s musculature. The 12 channels correspond with different internal organs. When the Qi is stagnant in one channel the corresponding organ will be disordered. Acupuncture can be used to stimulate the Qi with a needle. This increases or decreases the circulation of Qi and helps restore the organs proper function.

These acupuncture points, or cavities, are located at spots where the protective muscle is less thick and the channel closer to the surface. These cavities are also used in martial arts because if they are struck properly the result can be pain, numbness, unconsciousness, damage to internal organs, or even death. Acupuncture identifies 700 such cavities although only 108 are used by martial artists.

The circulation of Qi is governed by the time of day and the season of the year. Because of this, it is important that the student be knowledgeable about it to be able to use it effectively.

The flow of Qi is controlled by the mind, even when we are not consciously aware of it. However, with practice, the mind can control the flow of Qi intentionally so it can be used for healing. Concentration is the key to Qigong training.

All this information and credit for it belongs to the christian order of Jedi knights at this link : http://www.freewebs.com/jedihealers/qigong.htm

Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong

__**Exercise 1 - Reaching for the Sky**__

Stand with your hands relaxed at your sides.

As you inhale, slowly sweep your hands up in front of you. Your palms should be facing up with the fingers of each hand pointing at each other. Raise your hands like you are lifting a ball up in front of you. At chest level gently interlace your fingers and turn your palms down, thumbs rotating inward.

As you exhale, with your eyes and head following your hands, raise and rotate your hands (from palms down to palms out front to palms up) until they are stretched above your head. Press your hands toward the sky, stretching your arms as far as they can go while keeping your fingers interlocked. Raise up onto your toes if you can without falling over. Remain mentally grounded however, seeing yourself as a rooted tree. Keep pushing as you fully exhale. Then inhale as deeply as comfortable.

As you exhale, unlock your fingers and return your head and eyes to a forward position. Let your arms float down and out as if pressing down on two very large balloons. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions. When finished consciously maintain the height and full-chested posture that you have achieved.

It is good to do each exercise at least three times, once or twice a day.

__**Exercise 2 - The Archer**__

From the horse stance move your left foot out so your feet are wider than shoulder-width apart with your weight evenly distributed.

As you inhale, sweep your arms up into a crossed position so your wrists cross about six inches in front of your heart with the right wrist inside, palms facing the body.

As you exhale, look at the wrists where they cross. Concentrate on that spot. Curl the fingers of your right hand into a loose fist as if to draw the string of a bow. Rotate your left hand so the palm faces away from the left side of the body. Imagine that you are holding a bow in your left hand and the string with your right.

As you inhale, turn your eyes and head to follow the left fingers as you push the left hand out until it is fully extended with the hand at a 90 degree angle to the arm. The right fist “pulls” the string steadily back until the right fist is in front of the right shoulder with the arm parallel to the ground.

Allow the hips to rotate partially toward the left side (thus allowing further lung stretch), and the knees to straighten somewhat. Don’t twist your chest. With your arms at full stretch concentrate on opening your chest.

As you exhale return your hands to the crossed position.

Repeat the exercise with opposite hands.

__**Exercise 3 - Between Heaven and Earth**__

From horse stance sweep your hands up in front of you, palms up, as you inhale. Raise them to chest level. As you exhale, separate your palms, rotating the right palm upward toward the sky and the left palm down ward toward the earth at the side of your body. Go up on your toes if your balance is adequate. Eyes and head follow the movement of the right palm upward.

Move the palms in opposite directions until the right palm is fully extended above the head with the fingers pointing toward the left and the palm facing the sky. The left hand should be fully extended downward with the fingers pointing toward the front and the palm facing the earth. Make sure your hands are fully flat and horizontal.

As you inhale, return arms to lower rib cage area, palms facing downward. As you exhale, push hands downward, ending naturally as far as your hands can go.

Repeat the steps for the opposite side. Do as many repetitions as desired being sure to do both sides each time.

__**Exercise 4 - Look Back and Let Go**__

From the horse stance move your left foot out so your feet are wider than shoulder-width apart with your weight evenly distributed.

As you inhale, sweep your hands about five inches out from the sides of the waist with thumbs making a well-stretched V and your palms facing down.

As you exhale, bend your knees slightly.

As you inhale, rotate your upper body to the left as far as possible. Turn your head to look aver your left shoulder. Make sure your shoulders have remained loose. Hold this position for one second.

As you exhale rotate back to center position.

Repeat in the opposite direction to complete one repetition. Repeat for desired number of repetitions.

__**Exercise 5 - Twist and Release**__

From the horse stance move your left foot out so your feet are wider than shoulder-width apart with your weight evenly distributed. Place your hands on your thighs with thumbs pointing to the rear, with the V between thumb and fingers widely stretched. If you have the strength, bend your knees enough so that your hands can rest near your knees.

In preparation for the next step, make sure your hips and wrists are loose. It is essential to be relaxed in order to obtain benefit from this exercise.

As you inhale, rotate your torso to the left, leading with the left shoulder and looking to the left. Then look to the right and down over the right shoulder, searching to see your right foot. As you shift your attention to the right and back your torso tilts back slightly as if blown by a wind from the front. Arch your upper back a little for extra stretch. It is acceptable to lift your right heel off the ground. Keep both knees bent. Don’t lift any of your fingers off your thighs during the stretch. Hold for one second.

It is very important that the movements be done smoothly, as one long flowing movement. Feel free and flexible throughout, and avoid stiffness in the hips and waist.

As you exhale, bend the right knee and return to the starting position, knees bent. Repeat on the opposite side to complete one repetition. Repeat for desired number of repetitions.

__**Exercise 6 - Bending for Health**__

Move your left foot out so your feet are wider than shoulder-width apart with your weight evenly distributed.

As you inhale, sweep your hands to your sides and out front, bringing them close to the abdomen in front of where your kidneys are, palms facing the abdomen.

As you exhale, place you palms on the kidneys, thumbs to the front, fingers pointing to the back. Keep your legs fairly straight and your knees loose.

As you inhale, lengthen your spine and lean backward as far as is comfortable. Try to stretch and bend back all along the spine. Keep in mind that the goal is to straighten and strengthen the spine.

As you exhale, bend forward as far as possible, allowing your head to hang down in front of your body. It is important to keep both the waist and back muscles as soft and relaxed as possible.

As you inhale return to standing position. With your palms on your kidneys again, lengthen your spine and look up and over, leaning backward as far as is comfortable.

As you exhale, straighten up, sweeping your arms slightly above and in front of your head. Then bend forward as far as is comfortable, making your arms sweep downward without any arm muscle movement. If possible hold your toes. If you can’t reach that far, hold your lower legs or knees.

__**Exercise 7 - Energy Punch**__

From the horse stance move your left foot out so your feet are wider than shoulder-width apart with your weight evenly distributed.

As you inhale, sweep your hands, in fists, out to your sides and then forward, in line with your shoulders.

As you exhale, relax your fists and bring them, palms upward, to the sides of your waist.

As you inhale imagine an opponent in front of you, and look into his eyes with a strong piercing focus.

As you exhale, punch slowly and forcefully forward, rotating your fist so that when fully extended the knuckles are on top. Keep your shoulder loose and rotate it slightly forward at full extension.

As you inhale, return your fist, palm up to waist.

Repeat with the other fist to complete one repetition. Continue for the desired number of repetitions.

__**Exercise 8 - Energy Jump**__

Move your left foot so your feet are fist-width apart, with your hands at your sides and your back very straight.

As you inhale, raise up on your toes, as if pulled by a string, keeping your entire body relaxed like a puppet.

As you exhale, imagine that the string is suddenly cut, which makes you drop sharply on your heels. Feel the repercussion run up through your back and body. Do your desired number of repetitions.

Breath naturally as you get up on your toes and bounce eight times up and down without touching your heels to the ground. (Do not repeat this part of the exercise.)

Finish by placing both hands on your lower abdomen and breathing naturally for a minute or two. Women should place their right hand on their abdomen covered by their left. Men should place their left hand on the abdomen, with the right on top of it.

__**Concluding Your Session**__

At the end of your Qigong session stand relaxed with your arms at your sides and inhale deeply and slowly, as though you are inhaling a wonderful fragrance. Then exhale long and slowly.

After breathing this way a few times, rub your hands together until they are warm, then lightly massage your face and head with your palms.

All this information and credit for it belongs to the christian order of Jedi knights at this link : http://www.freewebs.com/jedihealers/qigong.htm

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