A simple chi exercise.

[Captain Harlock]

Sit quietly, your back straight, hands resting relaxed on your knees, palms up.

close your eyes

breath gently, but deeply with your abdomen, not your chest.

visualize water, gently pouring down the front of your body

gather it by your navel

softly nudge it towards your feet

suggest it flow up your back

then over your head and back down again.

do not force it, suggest to it.

breath

relax

feel


be energized and renewed.
return the extra energy to the universe, shake it off.

 

[Steel Tiger]

Very nice. This is essentially the way to begin Golden Bell qigong, just instead of water you visualise a golden ring rotating around you in the same fashion.

 

[pete]

very close to something i do as well, except:

1. why visualize, why not 'feel'. develop the sensitivity within your body to feel and follow the breath, your own 'water', and your energy.

2. this can be done sitting or standing.
if you are sitting, you should feel as though you're standing. as mentioned, back straight, but also crown of head lifting up.
if you are standing, you should feel as though you're sitting. knees slightly bent, over the feet, tailbone down, pelvic girdle tucked slightly.

this will open the channels to facilitate the feeling, so you do not have to rely on visualization. this is also the core method, which can be expanded to include whole body, to the extremities.

pete

 

[Chizikunbo]

This type of breathing is a common exercise among almost all schools of energy development. In the Korean rings its called Danjun Ki Bup (basically "Deep Breathing Methods"). Historically it has been said that the body stores Chi/Ki in the TanTien or Danjun, an area approximately 2 inches below the navel. Like a fish is to water, we are to Ki. We need it to survive, and yet we are mostly unaware that it exists. It is the energy that permeates the entire universe. Which each breath we are taking in Ki/Chi, along with our air. As such Ki/Chi is very closely related to the cardiopulmonary system.
There has been a long time adage in the Ki/Chi community that says "Where the mind goes, energy flows"..so basically through imagining the flow of Ki through the body, we make it so. In this manner we can eventually use ki for the benefit of our health on a conscious level.
Deep breathing pushes down the diaphragm and thus allows us to move more oxygen (and thus Ki) in and out of the lungs, we generally breath quite short and shallow...however deep breathing exercises can allow us to increased energy levels, and vitality.
Just a note, breathing should be in done in the nose, out the mouth...hold out each breath for approximately 2 seconds in and 2 seconds out.Why?

[FONT=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]The nose has various defense mechanisms to prevent impurities and excessively cold air entering the body. At the entrance to the nose, a screen of hairs traps dust, tiny insects and other particles that may injure the lungs if you breathe through the mouth. After the entrance of the nose, there is a long winding passage lined with mucus membranes, where excessively cool air is warmed and very fine dust particles that escaped the hair screen are caught. Next, in the inner nose are glands which fight off any bacilli which have slipped through the other defenses. The inner nose also contains the olfactory organ-our sense of smell. This detects any poisonous gases around that may injure our health.[/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]The yogis believe that the olfactory organ has another function: the absorption of prana from the air. If you breathe through the mouth all the time, as many people do, you are cheating yourself of all this free energy (prana). The yogis say this is a major factor in lowered resistance to disease and impairs the functioning of your vital glands and nervous system. Add to this the fact that pathogens can enter the lungs via mouth breathing, and you can see that it's impossible to be healthy, not to mention vital, if you breathe through the mouth.[/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]It is easy to break the habit of breathing through the mouth. Just keep your mouth closed and you will automatically breathe through your nose!

[/FONT]


[FONT=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]--josh
[/FONT]

 

[pete]

very nice josh, two points though:

so basically through imagining the flow of Ki through the body, we make it so.

rather than image, why not guide with mind intent? imagining makes it seem to be less real, therefore subconsciously you don't believe it and it may be less effective. guiding, however, is your real intent.

Just a note, breathing should be in done in the nose, out the mouth...hold out each breath for approximately 2 seconds in and 2 seconds out.Why?

this may be true in your methods, but is not universal. there are martial reasons to do as you say, however, there are meditative (and martial) reasons to breath in through the nose, out through the nose, keeping your toungue on your palate behind your top front teeth... and also practices that do not hold the breath, nor force the air out, or base any of it on time. this is circular breathing, slow comfortable breaths without stops or starts....

pete

 

[Chizikunbo]

very nice josh, two points though:

rather than image, why not guide with mind intent? imagining makes it seem to be less real, therefore subconsciously you don't believe it and it may be less effective. guiding, however, is your real intent.

this may be true in your methods, but is not universal. there are martial reasons to do as you say, however, there are meditative (and martial) reasons to breath in through the nose, out through the nose, keeping your toungue on your palate behind your top front teeth... and also practices that do not hold the breath, nor force the air out, or base any of it on time. this is circular breathing, slow comfortable breaths without stops or starts....

pete

Good points, thanks for sharing ;-)
--josh

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

An interesting exercise. It does rise questions for me.
1. The "water" comes from the top of the head where Governing channel ends or where the Bai hui point is?

2. When guiding as you say the "water" is it going down inside of leg or down outside when going up is traveling up the outside leg or inside?

3. When going up the back is it going thru the spine or on the outer layer of it?