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Post-Practice Exercises

"You are not here merely to make a living. 

You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish

yourself if you forget the errand."

                                                                       Woodrow Wilson

Postures, stretches and movements that you can use after your practice to help keep the Qi flowing, improve your health, stretch the muscles, and loosen the joints. 

Note: In each of these exercises breathe normally and easily.

  1. Improve the Lungs:
    Sitting on the front third of a chair raise the arms to the front of the chest with the palms facing out.
    Curl the fingers into a fist with the thumbs inside. Make certain the arms are touching. Follow the movement of the arms with your eyes. 
    Raise the arms directly up in front of you until they are above the head.
    Allow the arms to spread out to the sides and back keeping the head facing upward.
    Pull the arms down and back using the back muscles to lock them in. Continue to face upwards.
    Hold the posture for a moment and then reverse the motion until the arms are back in front of you and you are facing forward.
    The breathing should be as follows – As you reach upwards breathe in and think "absorb the healing Qi into the body." As you raise your arms and bring them forward breathe out and think "release all sick Qi, negative energy and waste." [10 times]
  2. Open the Spleen, Liver and Kidneys:
    Standing with the feet shoulder width apart, raise the hands up in front of the chest with the left palm facing upward and the right hand facing downward.
    Keeping the palms about 3 or 4 inches apart rotate the hips and arms upwards and to the right.
    Have the hands end up above the shoulder (ear height). The palms should now be next to the ear with the right palm facing outward and the left palm facing the ear.
    Hold the posture for a moment while looking over the shoulder.
    Return to the start position.  Repeat the posture, but this time to the left, first rotate the palms so that now the left palm is now facing down and the right palm is facing up.
    The breathing should be as follows – As you rotate to the side in and think "absorb the healing Qi into the body." As you lower your arms back to the front breathe out and think "release all sick Qi, negative energy and waste." [10 times]
  3. Comb your Hair:
    Sit on the front third of the chair.
    Rub your palms together 18 times.
    Using your fingers as a comb, run your fingers through your hair from the front to the back of the head. [10 times]
  4. Sound the Heavenly Drum:
    This massage will give you a blooming face and sparkling eyes. 
    Cup your hands over the ears. Place your index fingers on your middle fingers. 
    Using the middle fingers as a pivot point, flick your index fingers down on the back of you heard - gently hitting the two energy points (Yuzhen and Tianzhu). 
    Focus on Qi flowing into the ears and every brain cell.
    Your ears should be firmly covered by your palms, and you will hear a sonorous "drommmmm....drommmmm" sound (Heaven’s Drums). [Perform 18 to 36 times]
  5. Awaken the Mind: Place your palms over the ears and pull the palms away quickly (popping the ears). [10 times]
  6. Skull Massage: Using the fingertips, gently tap the fingers all around the skull, face and throat.
  7. Massage the Kidneys:
    While on the floor, sit upright on your calf muscles (your buttock sitting on your ankles). 
    Rub the palms together 18 times.
    Bend forward as far as comfortable. 
    Press the palms against the kidneys for several minutes visualizing healing Qi flowing into and through every cell in both kidneys.  (If you have kidney stones, visualize the Qi breaking down and dissolving the stones)  Now, verbalize an affirmation, e.g., "All anger and fear is expelled from both kidneys and the body NOW", and/or, "My kidneys are free of any sickness, disease, sick-Qi, negative energy, waste, toxins, and infections."  (Note:  Anger and fear are the primary causes of kidney related disorders) 
    Rub the palms up and down 18 times over each kidney. 
    Keeping your hands on the kidneys, raise yourself back up to a sitting position (on your calf muscles).  At the same time look upwards towards the sky. Tell yourself that the kidneys are now healthy, strong and functioning normally. 
    Practice this posture at least once a day.
  8. Stretch the Body: While lying on the floor, stretch the arms above the head. Stretch the toes downward and upward holding each stretch for a few seconds. [10 times]
  9. Circle the Moon:
    While lying on the floor raise the feet and legs off of the floor.
    Using the toes slowly draw a circle in one direction (building up to one minute to draw the entire circle).
    Now draw the same circle going in the other direction.
  10. Foot Claps: While lying on the floor bend your knees so that the soles of the feet are touching together. Slowly clap the feet together. [36 to 100 times]
  11. Strengthen the Abdominal Muscles:
    While lying on the floor bring the knees up to the chest in front of you.
    Breathing in stretch the legs out straight about one foot above the floor.
    Hold the posture for a few seconds.
    Bring the knees back up to the chest breathing out. [10 times]
  12. The "Plow":
    Preparation for The Plow - While lying on the floor raise the legs straight above the body and use the hands to hold the body upright. Point the toes towards the sky. Breathe easily for about a minute.
    The Plow - Continuing with the previous posture bring the feet over the top of the head keeping them straight with the toes pointed. Allow the toes to touch the floor in front of your head (again keeping the legs straight). Hold the position for two minutes as you breathe easily.
    Ending The Plow - Continuing from the previous posture raise the legs straight above the body and use the hands to hold the body upright. Point the toes towards the sky. Breathe easily for about a minute.  Slowly lower the legs back to the floor.
  13. Stretch the Leg Muscles:
    While sitting on the floor with the legs straight at a 90-degree angle to each other bend the waist downward over the left leg.
    Place your nose on or below the left knee. Breathe easily for a minute.
    Raise yourself back up to the sitting position.
    Repeat the same posture, but this time over the right leg. 
    Then, in the same position bend forward as far as you can.
    Reach out and grab the bottoms of your feet. Breathe easily for one minute.
    Raise yourself up easily to the sitting position.
  14. Stretch the Back Muscles:
    In the same sitting position, but this time your legs are stretched out in front of you.
    Bend forward as far as you can.
    Reach out and grab the bottoms of your feet (or as far as comfortably possible).
    Breathe easily for one minute.
    Raise yourself up easily to the sitting position.
  15. Open up the Liver:
    In the same sitting position, raise the right knee up into your chest.
    With the left hand reach around the knee twisting towards the right.
    Look as far back as you can while reaching with the right hand as far around the body as possible.
    Hold the posture for a minute while breathing easily.
    Straighten back out and repeat the posture this time to the left.
  16. The Serpent:
    Lying on your stomach with your palms down (like you will be doing push ups), lift the body upwards with the head facing towards the sky.
    Keeping your pelvic area on the floor, stretch the head as far back as you can in an attempt to look straight upwards.
    Open the mouth and stretch the tongue out.
    Hold the posture for one minute. Lower yourself slowly to the floor.  [Repeat three times]
  17. Relax: Roll over so you are lying on your back. Breathe easily for two minutes as you relax your entire body.  Sense the Qi flowing from the top of the head to eh bottoms of the feet and to the fingertips.

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