|
Healthy Living...
|
||||||||||||
Buddha Palm Chi Kung Set
Resting Posture
Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, toes and heels in line pointing straight forward. Bend the knees slightly so that you can't see your shoe laces, but you can still see your toes. Knees should be centered vertically over the feet, not collapsing in toward each other. Have a slight crease at the hip joint, so the bowl of the pelvis is level. The torso is erect, but relaxed into the bowl of the pelvis. Arm pits open to fit a small ball under the arm pit. Elbows turned out to the sides. Fingers extended, but relaxed. The arms should resemble a horse shoe shape. This is the same posture as the Grounding posture.
Notes
1. Three sets of five repetitions of each posture will take 25 to 30 minutes. Three sets of three reps will take about 15 minutes. Two sets of three reps will take about 10 minutes.
2. Pause at the Resting Posture between each set of repetitions. Run the energy routes with the breath alone. Keep the fingers open and still.
3. Yin route:
 | Inhale - the energy flows from the balls of the feet up the inner sides of the legs to tantien. |
| Exhale - the energy flows from tantien up the chest to the shoulders, down the inner sides of the arms to the palms and finger pads. |
4. Yang route:
| Inhale - the energy flows from the fingernails along the backs of the hands, outer sides of elbows, shoulder blades, spine and down to mingmen (a point on the spine opposit from solar plexus, T-11). |
| Exhale - the energy flows from mingmen to the buttocks, down the outer sides of the legs, back to the balls of the feet. |
Reaching
1. Inhale yin route - the arms rise from the resting posture to shoulder height extending forward, relaxed. (Hug the tree posture)
2. Exhale yin route - bend knees, tuck pelvis, round the back, hollow the chest, reach strenuously with the hands, pulling the shoulder blades away from the spine. Do not hinge at the waist and lean forward. Your weight should remain centered in the feet.
3. Inhale yang route - straighten knees and torso, arms relax at shoulder height - same position as #1.
4. Exhale yang route - arms float back down to Grounding Posture.
Phoenix Wing
Begin as in Reaching #1 and #2.
1. Inhale yang route - open arms to sides like the wings of a bird.
2. Exhale yang route - fingers lead the way down and toward each other at waist height, wrists and elbows follow, rounded back, hollow chest.
3. Inhale yin route - fingernails meet, then backs of hands, then elbows touch. At nose height, hands unfold like holding a book. Then pinkies "unzip" and heels of hands and thumbs connect.
4. Exhale yin route - with thumbs and heels of hands still connected, stretch fingers back as elbows straighten the arms forward. Bend knees, tuck pelvis, round the back, hollow the chest.
Repeat or finish as in Reaching #3 and #4.
Swallowing the Bitter Pill
1. Inhale yin route - stay in Resting Posture and expand rib cage like wings.
2. Exhale yin route - arms float up to hold a ball (gold on the outside and silver on the inside) at chest height. Keep fingers and hands still, shoulders relaxed, elbows below the wrist-shoulder line.
3. Inhale yang route - ball expands, pushing arms to sides, still at chest height.
4. Exhale yang route - ball contracts to the size of a grapefruit at base of the throat, elbows drop as hands ride the ball in.
5. Inhale yin route - hands draw the ball down to tantien (just below the navel) and place it inside the cauldron of the abdomen.
6. Exhale yin route - wrists relax, hands float slowly back to Resting Posture as a fountain of purified energy rises from tantien up chest, out shoulders and down arms to hands.
Repeat and the energy routes will alternate.