"The purpose of the journey is the journey itself, not the results"
Postures and
movements that you can use prior to beginning Qigong to help get the most out of
your practice.
Note: In each of these exercises breathe normally and easily.
Carrying the Moon: [Follow hyperlink for more detailed instructions] Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. With the palms in front of you and arms outstretched in a downward direction release your breath as you bend your waist allowing your arms to fall naturally towards the floor in front of you. Now, begin to raise your body upwards. Keep your arms straightened with the palms facing outward as you move them upward. When the arms are straight out in front of you, face the palms outwards allowing the two palms to form a circle with the index fingers and thumbs almost touching. Focus on the circle and continue to raise the palms above the head following the hands with your eyes. As the arms reach as far back as they easily can continue to rotate backwards using the back. Once you have reached as far back as you easily can, pause for a moment and continue to stare through the palms. Straighten up and allow the arms to slowly fall down to the sides. [10 times]
Shoulder Shrugs: Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. With your arms at your sides - raise them outward to a 45 degree angle from your sides. Raise your shoulders upward and allow them to fall back down. [50-100 times]
Bow down and touch the Earth:
- Stand up straight with your legs shoulder-width apart. Allow your hands to hand naturally at your sides.
- Lift palms up in front of you in an arc until they reach the sky (allow your eyes to follow the palms). Stretch towards the sky.
- Begin to bend at the neck, then back, then hips (rolling the back downward) allowing the arms to follow the bend of the back without bending your knees.
- Touch the floor in front of you with the hands (or palms). Raise your heels into the air slightly twice.
- Remaining bent over, rotate the arms with the hips to the left side touching the floor with the hands. Raise your heels twice.
- Rotate the arms with the hips all the way to the right side touching the floor with the hands. Raise your heels twice.
- Rotate the hips and hands around to the front and touch the floor again.
- Circle the hands around to the heels and touch the floor behind the heels. Raise your heels twice.
- Bring the hands around to the front again and begin to straighten the back raising the arms naturally out in front of you with the straightening of the back until your back is straight and arms overhead.
- Allow the hands to fall slowly to your sides. [2 times]
Floppy Armed Waist Twists: Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Allow the arms to rest at your sides. Begin to rotate the hips left allow the arms to follow the rotation. Once you have rotated as far as you can to the left allow the arms to continue to swing all the way around until the hands lightly strike both hips. Now rotate the hips to the right allowing the arms to swing naturally all the way around the body until the hands lightly strike the hips again. [10 rotations in each direction]
Waist Stretches: Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise the arms up in front of you with the palms facing outward. Stretch the arms high above the head. Inter-lace your fingers with the palms facing up. Begin to bend left at the waist allowing the arms to follow the bending motion remaining straight above the head. Bend over as far as comfortably possible. Straighten the body and then repeat the same motion to the right side. [10 bends in each direction] When finished, allow the arms to gradually drop to your sides.
Waist Rotations: Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place both hands on your hips. Bend to the left as far as you comfortably can. Rotate the body forward and around to the right side. Lift the body upright. Repeat the movement in the other direction. [10 times in each direction]
Hip Twists (Hula): Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on your hips. Rotate the hips in a circular motion from the left to the front, right and rear (like rotating a hula-hoop). Repeat in the other direction. [10 times in each direction] Note: It is important to not lead with your knees.
Along with several visualizations where you gather Qi from around you and move Qi into and through your body, or emit Qi into the world, the following lighter movements are practiced.
 | Move the eyes from the far left to the far right several times. |
| Rotate eyes clockwise from the left, to the top left, to the top, to the top right, to the right, etc. all the way around to the bottom left. Reverse the movement back to the starting position. |
| Roll the neck in a clockwise circle. Reverse the direction. [5 times in each direction] |
| Roll your shoulders forward, up and back. Roll your shoulders back, up and forward. [5 times in each direction] |
| Push Qi into the earth by raising the arms and shoulders and slowly push the palms (facing the floor) downward. |
