Chair Yoga for Joint Healing - Yoga Prehab (TM) with Tristan

 So, I'm pretty much a qigong girl, have been doing that since the mid-1990s, but I came across this recently and liked it a lot. Especially, I like this guy's attitude; don't wait until you have a problem and need rehabilitation, get proactive and do PREHABilitatin to stay flexible and healthy.

The video is about 18 minutes, includes explanation and practice. There is a course, you can find the link in the description of the video on YouTube. See link at end.

The only thing you need is a chair with no arms. A towel and throw pillow could be handy. 

(Ignore the intro photo, it does not reflect the practice at all!) 

Find on YouTube

Chair Yoga for Joint Healing - Yoga Prehab (TM) with Tristan

Resonant Frequency Breathing Promotes Wellness

This is a short (demo) version of a breathing exercise used in our research studies to train the participants to breathe at near resonant frequency (6 bpm) with both visual and audio aids.... You may try this technique when you feel nervous, stressed or anxious, or just want to relax. This program is based on the findings from studies of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback, and the longer version (15 to 20 min) has been used in clinical studies of treatment of hypertension, panic, asthma, major depression, fibromyalgia, and anxiety disorders....

- Dr Kevin Chen

'Green' exercise quickly 'boosts mental health'

This is a reprint from BBC News. The original may be found at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8654350.stm

Of course this makes a lot of sense! Getting outside into fresh air and sunshine (without the sunscreen, if you please!) is wonderfully uplifiting mentally, not to mention all the great things it does for you physically.

Mentally, the quiet alone reduces stress and worry reducing levels of stress hormones, and the sounds of the birds and animals is enjoyful which raises levels of good hormones. Just breathing fresh air is uplifting! Water sounds are always soothing - they often take us back to that primal water sound we were so comforted by in the womb. 

Physically, natural Vitamin D from sunshine supports many health functions in the body, and fresh air can do worlds of good in making sure your body is properly oxygenated.

Can you imagine just how great it would be to meditate or do qigong (Chinese moving yoga) in a beautiful, restful outdoor setting?! It sure would do a lot more than "boost mental health"!

Enjoy the article!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just five minutes of exercise in a "green space" such as a park can boost mental health, researchers claim.

There is growing evidence that combining activities such as walking or cycling with nature boosts well-being.

In the latest analysis, UK researchers looked at evidence from 1,250 people in 10 studies and found fast improvements in mood and self-esteem.

The study in the Environmental Science and Technology journal suggested the strongest impact was on young people.

The research looked at many different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail.

The biggest effect was seen within just five minutes.

With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were clearly apparent but were of a smaller magnitude, the study found.

Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes - physical and mental - were particularly strong in the young and the mentally-ill.

Green and blue

A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water - such as a lake or river.

Study leader Jules Pretty, a researcher at the University of Essex, said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from "green exercise".

"Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health."

He also said exercise programmes outdoors could benefit youth offenders.

"A challenge for policy makers is that policy recommendations on physical activity are easily stated but rarely adopted widely."

Paul Farmer, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said the research is yet further evidence that even a short period of green exercise can provide a low cost and drug-free therapy to help improve mental wellbeing.

"It's important that people experiencing depression can be given the option of a range of treatments, and we would like to see all doctors considering exercise as a treatment where appropriate."

Mind runs a grant scheme for local environmental projects to help people with mental illness get involved in outdoor activities.

Creative Health Tip February 8 2010 Breathing to enhance your mood

Today's tip comes under the heading of incredibly powerful but almost too simple to be true practices. Did you know you could change your mood by changing your breathing?

No doubt you already know that you tend to breathe shallowly when you are stressed, and that deep breathing will help you feel less stressed, more energized and relaxed both physically and mentally.

Here is a quick and easy way to help transform your mood from depressed, fearful or angry to happy and grateful.

The right hemisphere of the brain shows the most activity when you are feeling anger, fear, or depression. When you are feeling happiness and appreciation, this most often appears as left hemisphere brain activity.

Breathing through one nostril activates the opposite side of the brain: breathing through the left nostril activates the right hemisphere of the brain, and breathing through the right nostril activates the left hemisphere.

The next time you are feeling negative emotions like anger, fear, or resentment, and you want to improve your mood to one of happiness, and gratitude (which, of course, will improve your health!), close off your left nostril and inhale through only the right nostril to activate the left brain hemisphere associated with those positive emotions. By activating the left side of the brain, you activate positive emotions and feelings, too! You may enhance the practice by imagining that you are inhaling joy, appreciation, or love with each breath you take in.

You may exhale either through your nose or your mouth, but be careful to inhale only thorough the right nostril for eight to ten breaths. I suggest that you not imagine you are exhaling the anger or depression you are transforming because that will only bring your attention back to it. Don't even think of what you are trying to transform or release, just pay attention to the joy and love you are bringing in.

After eight to ten breaths through the right nostril, release the closed nostril and take a couple balancing breaths, inhaling through both nostrils and exhaling through the mouth.

Consider one cycle of this practice to be eight to ten right-nostril breaths followed by two or three balancing breaths. It may take a few cycles to change your mood, but if you stay with it for at least five minutes, I guarantee you will see improvement, and you'll certainly feel better for it!

Creative Health Tip December 21 2009

Today's tip is about breathing mindfully

Almost everyone gets stressed out during this busy holiday season. However, stress suppresses the immune system, so the last thing you want to be during the holidays is stressed because it leaves you vulnerable to illness.

There is one very simple thing you do all the time, and when done mindfully, can reduce stress. You can do it anywhere, anytime, for a couple minutes or even a half-hour. It's simple, easy, effective……have you guessed what it is?

Yes, it's breathing.

Breathing mindfully is one of the best and fastest ways to reduce stress whether you are caught in traffic or a long line at the checkout counter of the department store or have just arrived home at the end of a hectic day.

Breathing mindfully means paying attention to your breath, to follow the breath as you inhale and exhale. You need not intentionally breathe deeply though you may find that you are breathing more deeply as you practice, and that's good because it can help relieve muscular tension. Breathing shallowly deprives your muscles of much-needed oxygen and they become tense as a result. Just breathing slowly and deeply can relieve a lot of tension in your legs and back and shoulders.

To practice: as you inhale (through the nose only, please) follow the path the air takes, and feel the coolness in your throat as the air travels to your lungs. You may pause to enjoy the sensation if you like, but pausing isn't required. As you exhale, you will pay attention to the breath as it leaves your lungs and warms the throat, and here you may exhale through the mouth if you like.

To add an extra mind-body dimension of stress relief and relaxation, as you exhale, set the intention to relax simply by repeating "I am relaxed" as you practice, and may even be a little playful by emphasizing different words as you say it, first emphasizing "I" then "am" then "relaxed." If you are a visual person, you may also visualize the release of all your tensions, just watch them leave your body as thought they were riding the crest of a wave of breath, and say good-bye to each as they leave: "Good-bye, work stress, good-bye traffic jam," and so on.

The more fun you have with this practice, the more stress it will relieve and the faster you will feel better!

Creative Health Tip 21 September 2009

Since tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox, it seems appropriate to talk about balance.

What balance is not, is a state of frozen equilibrium. Balance is all about living in harmony with life’s up and down cycles.

Think back to playing on a see-saw or teeter-totter when you were a child. If you sat there in perfect balance, going neither up nor down, that was no fun. The fun was swooshing up when you pushed off with your feet, and then landing with a bump when you came back down.

Life is a dynamic process, and the fun is often found in the many activities that fuel your busy schedule like work, sports, family outings, and running those seemingly endless errands we all have on our To-Do lists.

However, in order to create or maintain excellent health, you don’t want to be landing with a bump at the end of the day or the end of the week. That’s what robs you of good health.

When you have a few busy days in a row, schedule some down time to relax and rejuvenate, finish reading that book you started, or call an old friend to catch up on the latest news, or go for a leisurely walk in the woods or a park to get some fresh air.

If you have to dine on fast foods while dashing between appointments most of the week, treat yourself to a home-made dinner of fresh foods on the weekend. Don’t look at cooking as a chore, see your meal as a gift to yourself of healthy nutrients!

Take some time out to meditate, even if it’s only a few minutes a day in which you focus on your breathing. The effects of meditation are cumulative; the more often you do it, the longer-lasting are the benefits of improved focus and attention, healthy blood pressure levels, and greatly reduced levels of stress hormones that deplete your immune system and leave you vulnerable.

So, have fun on that teeter-totter because that’s what life is all about; it should be fun, but make sure you are in control of how hard you land!

Have a great week!

Creative Health Tip 12 June 2009

[At the 2 minute 16 second mark, the word I was trying to think of was trampoline!]

Here is your Heaven On Earth Creative Health Tip for this week:

Stand up and stretch!

At least once every hour or hour-and-a-half - this is critical, especially if you are working at a job where you do a lot of sitting without moving around – standup, stretch out a bit, walk around for five minutes, loosen up your muscles, breathe in more oxygen.

The reason this is important is two-fold.

First, if you are working at a desk, you often tend to sit a little hunched over which means you are not taking as much oxygen into your lungs because you are leaning forward and you lung capacity is compromised.

If you stand up, you elongate your body, you unfold yourself, and you can get more good oxygen into your lungs. The oxygen spreads throughout your body, of course, and helps to relax your muscles.

If you're not getting enough oxygen as you sit there at your desk, your muscles are going to start to become tense, and then when you do stand, you'll experience the uncomfortable "pins-and-needles" thing where you try to kick out your leg muscles and stretch a bit to relieve the discomfort.

You can save yourself that discomfort by just standing up and getting in some deep breathing every hour or hour and a half.

The second part of this is your lymph system.

Your lymph system works along with the movement of your muscles. Sitting still and quiet while working at your desk, your lymph system is very sluggish. It's not doing very much; it's not removing all those used and dead cells in your body nor any of the toxins that you've taken in. It's not getting them out because it's just not moving fast enough.

When you stand up and start moving around a bit with your muscles, that kicks your lymph system into a higher gear.

In fact, the best thing you can do for your lymph system is rebounding. Get one of those little trampolines and bounce on that for five minutes, or even three or four minutes….it doesn't need to be a long time. That will really rev up your lymph system and get a lot of that stuff out of your body.

A lot of that stuff (old cells and toxins) is what causes illness because it's just sort of sitting there and blah.

So….stand up! Stretch, Breathe Deeply, Move Around a little bit, and Feel Good!


Have a fabulous weekend!

Michelle

Creative Health Tip 22 May 2009

Here is your Heaven On Earth Creative Health Tip for this week: Smile!

Smiling does amazing things for your body!

I was at a business meeting Wednesday evening and the lady who spoke talked about reducing stress. She pointed out that when you smile, something in your body automatically changes. The levels of your stress-reducing hormones rise – your "feel-good" hormones – that we have that create good health. The levels of your stress hormones lowers or decreases.

Just through the act of smiling, you cannot feel sad, mad, depressed, down; you just can't!

So, get a little smiley-face sticker and put it on your keychain, your briefcase, your computer monitor, or wherever you're going to see it, and every time you do see it, Smile!

Chinese medicine has taken the practice of smiling one step further. There is a practice called the Healing Smile, or the Inner Smile. (It goes by several other names also.)

The purpose of this practice is to create healthy organs by smiling at them!

Start by taking a couple of nice deep, cleansing breaths, relax yourself into a nice, comfortable seated position . . .

And smile at your lungs. See your lungs as healthy. See them as working perfectly, exchanging air and carbon dioxide with the outer world.

Next, move on to your heart. See your heart pumping strongly. See it moving blood through your body perfectly. Be appreciative of these organs that work so hard to keep you alive.

After you spend a couple of minutes on your heart, move to your stomach and spleen. Envision a nice, healthy stomach that helps digest your food so that you can absorb the nutrients, and the spleen which helps to remove used and toxic materials from your body.

Next, move on to your kidneys. Envision healthy kidneys. . .use your imagination! Create health for these organs that support you in your life.

The final organ is the liver. Envision a healthy liver. See it working perfectly, see it healthy, see it filtering all the things out of your blood that you no longer need circulating through your body.

When you are done spending a minute or two just smiling at each of your major organs, seeing each as healthy, seeing it working properly, seeing it working perfectly, take two or three nice, deep, cleansing breaths, and relax, and know that you are Creating Health for yourself!



Have a Heavenly and very safe Memorial Day weekend!

Michelle

Stress Relief Tip 10 April 2009

Today's video is a little longer than usual because I teach you a powerfully effective qigong breathing technique that you can use anytime, anywhere to instantly reduce stress!

(If you would like to know more about qigong or the Eight Healing Sounds, please send me a note at bewellwithmichelle@gmail.com. Private lessons are available. I will also be leading the opening breathing exercise and demonstrating the Eight Healing Sounds of Yin Style Ba Gua for World Tai Chi & Qi Gong Day on April 25 from 10 to 11 AM in Compass Park, 2500 NW Crossing Dr. in Bend. Everyone is welcome, so come and join me and other fine qigong and taiji instructors, and take advantage of this opportunity to sample a few different styles of qigong and taiji!)



Here is your Heaven On Earth Stress Relief Tip for this week!

Breathing! You all know proper breathing is great to relieve stress, but breathing is obviously such an automatic thing that doing it in a mindful, conscious manner is not something that we often think to do.

Today I'm going to combine breathing with some simple motions that will make it mindful, that will make it conscious, that will make it "in the moment," and that will keep you in the moment.

Even thought it seems like a very simple and easy thing to do, this is a very powerful stress-relief technique. It is actually the first move in a qigong style called the Eight Healing Sounds of Yin Style Ba Gua.

What we’re going to do in this practice is breath all the way down into our abdomen. Abut four fingers width below your navel is a spot called the dan tien. This is one of the major energy centers in your body.

When we inhale, I want you to imagine you are inhaling all the way down into that dan tien. When you exhale, I want you to think of and imagine you are relieving stress; you are breathing the stress out while making the sound "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Just imagine how you would feel or what you would say if you were relaxing into the biggest, fluffiest, most comfortable recliner you have ever sat in, in your entire life. You just think, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Really let that sound come through. That's what sets the vibration going, that's what gets your energy moving, that's what brings you back into harmony and balance. So, inhale again, all the way down into your abdomen, and exhale while breathing "Ahhhhhhhhh."

Now I’m going to explain a very simple hand motion to go along with that. (See the video for a demonstration!) Follow along while we do the first position from the Eight Healing Sounds of Yin Style BaGua.

Remember, the dan tien is four fingers width below your navel. Inhale into the dan tien while you reach your arms out from your sides like wings, and raise your arms up over your head, palms facing upward. At the top of your reach, turn your palms to point forward and hold your hands bent at the wrist as if you were wiping down a wall while you exhale and vocalize the "Ahhhhhhhhhhh" sound.

Repeat: inhale as you reach your arms out from your sides like wings. Again, raise your arms up over your head, palms facing upward. At the top of your reach, turn your palms forward and hold your hands bent at the wrist as if you were wiping down a wall while you exhale and vocalize the "Ahhhhhhhhhhh" sound.

Remember to imagine the stress leaving your body as you exhale.

Repeat as needed to relieve stress!


Don't forget, if you would like to know more about qigong or the Eight Healing Sounds, please send me a note at bewellwithmichelle@gmail.com. Private lessons are available. I will also be leading the opening breathing exercise and demonstrating the Eight Healing Sounds of Yin Style Ba Gua for World Tai Chi & Qi Gong Day on April 25 from 10 to 11 AM in Compass Park, 2500 NW Crossing Dr. in Bend. Everyone is welcome, so come and join me and other fine qigong and taiji instructors, and take advantage of this opportunity to sample a few different styles of qigong and taiji!



Have a heavenly weekend!

Michelle

Stress Relief Tip 03 April 2009

Here is your Heaven On Earth Stress Relief Tip for this week!

Everybody's talking about taxes right now. If you are one of those lucky people whose taxes are already done, good for you!

If not, here are a few tips to keep you from getting stressed out when doing taxes:

1 – Don't wait until the last minute. If you do, Murphy's Law will go into full effect and you'll have a mad scramble to meet the deadline.

2 – Remember to breathe! When doing a stressful task, you often breathe shallowly which contributes to the tension and discomfort you feel because you just aren't getting enough oxygen into your bloodstream.

3 – Take breaks while you work. Even if you're using a computer program like my husband and I did, it can take several hours to get through all the screens and forms. After an hour you start to lose your ability to focus, and your muscles start to tense up which makes the whole process not only mentally challenging but physically uncomfortable, too. For every hour you work, you should take a five-minute break. Get some exercise by walking around for a couple minutes, and take a mental break by hopping out to YouTube and watching a couple of funny videos because laughter reduces those stress hormones and increases your feel-good hormones.

Relax, get your taxes done, and have a heavenly weekend!

Michelle

Qigong and The Three Treasures: Jing, Qi, and Shen

The following is an excerpt from pages 74 – 78 of Qi Gong Therapy: The Chinese Art of Healing With Energy by Shih, Tzu Kuo ISBN 0882681389

Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) exist in every living thing. They are the substantial basis for vital activity and are the foundation for the formation and maintenance of life in the human body. Together with Yin/Yang, the five elements, the Zang Fu and meridians, they form part of the core of TCM and serve as a guide to clinical Qi Gong. But Qi Gong, in particular, stresses the direct exercise of Jing, Qi, and Shen in order to eliminate disease, strengthen the body, promote intelligence, and prolong life.

[The five elements are the energies of earth, metal, water, wood, and fire; transforming, contracting, sinking, expanding, and rising respectively. The Zang Fu are the organ pairs that have correspondence to the five elements: stomach/spleen, lung/large intestine, kidney/urinary bladder, liver/gall bladder, heart/small intestine, and additionally the "organ" pair of the pericardium/triple-heater which is not an organ as recognized in Western medicine. The meridians are the energy pathways throughout the body, usually accessed through acupuncture. TCM stands for Traditional Chinese Medicine, the broadest term for the practice that includes Qi Gong, Herbal Medicine, and Acupuncture.]

What are Jing, Qi, and Shen?

Jing (essence): Jing is an essential component of the human body and serves as a basis for vital activity. Types of Jing are distinguished according to their source and function: there is congenital Jing, acquired Jing, Jing of the Zang Fu organs, and the Jing of reproduction. The types of Jing do not exist as four separate substances, but interact with, with, support, and transform into one another. Congenital Jing is inherited from the Jing and blood of one's parents and forms one of the prime substances of vital activity in the human body. Congenital Jing is involved in the support and transformation of other types of Jing.

Acquired Jing comes from the nutrients in food. Jing is extracted from food by digestion and absorption under the auspices of the spleen and stomach. Through the function of the lung, it is transported to all the Zang Fu organs where it becomes Zang Fu Jing.

Both Jing and Qi are stored in the two kidneys. The kidney also dominates the bone and produces marrow. The Kidney is the root of Qi. Qi Gong exercise stresses exercising Jing, nourishing Jing, and reserving Jing, particularly stressing exercise of the vital energy stored between the two kidneys.

In the practice of Qi Gong, attention is paid to increasing one's intake of nutrients in order to reinforce acquired Jing, and to keeping sexual activity at a moderate level in order to preserve congenital Jing.

Qi (vital energy): The meaning of the term "Qi" is very broad. Ancient Chinese philosophers, doctors, and scholars considered every vital activity in the world to be a function of Qi. Qi was considered to be the essential substance out of which the world is composed. The transformations of Yin and Yang Qi produce the various things existing in the world. "The body receives Qi and thus can live." "Life is due to the coming together of Qi and death is due to the dispersion of Qi." The body is within Qi and Qi is within the body. Thus all life depends on Qi. With Qi, beings live; without it, they die. It is a dynamic power promoting the activity of the human body. Qi coexists with Jing. Where there is Qi, there is Jing. Where there is Jing, there must be Qi. For this reason, ancient scholars often referred to Jing and Qi together as "Jing Qi." In TCM, the circulation and transformation of Qi within the body is thought to operate according to its own law, undergoing processes of ascending, descending, going out, and transforming.

The Qi in the body, the Zheng Qi [called true or healthy Qi], has three sources:
1. The Qi inherited from one's parents. This is known as Congenital Qi.
2. The Qi derived from the air. This is mainly connected to the oxygen we breathe from the air.
3. The Qi acquired from food.

Both air-Qi and food-Qi are Acquired Qi. All three forms of Qi are indispensable for life.

Both Acquired Qi and Congenital Qi are stored in the kidneys. Through the respiratory action of the lung, the circulatory activity of the heart, the digestive and absorptive processes associated with the spleen and stomach, Acquired Qi and Congenital Qi are transported throughout the body.

Shen: "Shen" means different things in different contexts. Most frequently it means spirit, mind, sense, or expression. Here it mainly means spirit or mind. Shen is also a general name for the vital activity of the body. It is the result of the highly concentrated activity of the brain and manifests outwardly as an expression of the Zang Fu, meridians, Qi, blood, Jing, and body fluids. It is derived from Jing and Qi, and like them it has a substantial basis. It may be said that Shen is the outward manifestation of the cooperating action of Jing and Qi. Where Qi is strong, there will be Shen, where Qi is absent, Shen will weaken. Shen moves along with Qi and Jing is its interior. The substance of Shen manifests in bodily appearance, while at the same time, Shen is a function of bodily appearance.

In Qi Gong practice, we pay a great deal of attention to preserving and training Shen. The exercise methods of nourishing the Heart/Mind (Xin) and calming, regulating, and preserving Shen are therefore developed. By the three forms of regulation [regulating the body, regulating the breath, and regulating the Heart/Mind (Xin)], the brain activity is inhibited and the body feels comfortable. This is the state known as "Inner Quiet." In the Qi Gong state of Inner Quiet, the brain cells are rested and their function is regulated because of the reduction of disturbance to the brain. The body metabolism is generally reduced and oxygen consumption decreases while the storage of energy increases. Through these means, the functioning of all the systems of the body are directly influenced and strengthened, and imbalance tends toward a relative dynamic equilibrium.

Among the functions of the Qi Gong state of Inner Quiet are the build-up, transfer, and strengthening of Zheng Qi. How can Qi Gong prevent and treat disease, promote intelligence, prolong life, and develop human potentialities? By regulating and nourishing the heart and the mind through bringing the brain to a quiet state and thus promoting a condition of active regulation.

As we have been stressing throughout, Jing, Qi, and Shen play important roles in vital activity. Thus, the ancient practitioners of Chinese medicine and scholars specializing in methods of preserving health paid particular attention to the preservation and exercise of these three fundamental substances. Jing, Qi, and Shen do not exist in isolation. They coexist in the same body and cannot be separated. The Ancient doctors pointed out that Shen moves along with Qi and that Jing exists in the interior of the Shen. The longevity of the body depends upon the care and preservation of Jing, Qi, and Shen.

Through the regulation of body, breath, and heart/mind, the various forms of information coming from the inner and external environments – information that stimulates and disturbs the brain – can be responded to effectively, thus protecting and strengthening the self-stabilizing, dynamic equilibrium of the body's control system. [I.e., protecting and strengthening the body's ability to maintain health!]

Three Ancient Qigong practitioners on breathing

The following excerpt is from the book Qi Gong Therapy: The Chinese Art of Healing With Energy by Tzu Kuo Shih, Station Hill Press, Barrytown NY, 1994.

P. 14-15:

Sun Simiao [AD 581-682] was a renowned physician and Daoist of the Tang Dynasty [AD 618-907]. There are many descriptions of Qi Gong practices in his works, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold (Qian Jin Fang) and Supplement to the Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold (Qian Jin Yi Fang). In the chapter, "Methods of Breath-Regulation" he details four methods: abdominal breathing, internal seeing, breath controlling, and exhalation. The four methods are the essence of ancient Chinese Qi Gong.

In his Song for Eliminating Diseases in the Four Seasons (Si Ji Qu Bing Ge), Dr. Sun wrote:

Exhaling with mouth not open can improve the sight and soothe the liver in spring. Exhaling with the mouth open wide, in spring, can clear away the heart-fire. Exhaling with the mouth open but teeth clenched in autumn, can astringe the lung and relieve cough and asthma. Exhaling can reinforce the kidney. Producing the sound "shee—" can eliminate restlessness and fever of deficiency type of San-jiao [triple burner]. Rapid exhalation can reinforce the spleen and promote digestion.

Wang Shou was another famous Qi Gong practitioner from the Tang Dynasty. In his work, The Medical Secrets of an Official (Wai Tai Mi Yao) he says:

The method to treat diseases of the heart and abdomen and all other diseases is through breathing.

P. 22-23:

Gong Yan Xian was a doctor of the Imperial hospital during the Min Dynasty. [Min Dynasty: AD 909-946] He wrote Living a Long Life and Preserving Fundamental Energy (Shou Shi Bao Yuan) which discoursed upon breathing and standing Qi Gong. He wrote:

It is said a person's life is based on energy. When the breath occurs between the heart and the spleen, then the blood flows smoothly, the vitality is strengthened, and all diseases disappear. At midnight, noon, dawn, and dusk, stay in your room quietly, the bed fitted with a heavy cotton-padded mattress, and sit on the bed with legs crossed, closing your eyes and filling your ears with cotton, not thinking anything—take your breath between your heart and spleen, not too fast and not too slow. Just take it easy. When you practice this for two months, you will get Qi Gong results.

Eight Healing Sounds Qigong

Listen right now. What do you hear, and how does it make you feel?

The sounds of traffic outside?

The radio or television or video game playing?

Your favorite CD?

A jackhammer ripping up the street?

You don't even need to hear the sound to this one….we all wince just reading the words: the sound of nails on a blackboard.

You know that sounds can be good or bad, cause relaxation or anxiety, can make you feel terrific or bring on the Grandfather of all migraine headaches.

Today there are many sound and brainwave entrainment products that claim to relieve all sorts of conditions and complaints from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to insomnia, and many more promise personal and spiritual enhancement. (Programs to increase your luck or powers of attracting money are especially popular right now.) All claim they are safe and effective.

My opinion is that some are not all that safe or effective for certain people. Just like a diet for bodily nutrition, your personal brainwaves and body/brain chemistry need to be taken into account to determine what programs are safe and best for you. To tell the truth, without experimenting with them first-hand, it would be difficult (if not impossible) to determine which audio and brainwave entrainment products would be safe and effective, and which you should avoid.

About a year ago, a friend and I downloaded the same entrainment product and listened to it daily for several weeks. She was fine with it thought it did not deliver the mental focus, full potential, or attract the luck and wealth it promised. It evoked depression in me, and I had to stop listing to it. But then, a few weeks ago, I spent some time listening to a different product and had a wonderful, empowering experience.

The lesson learned is that these pre-packaged products can be great for some people, but you won't know if any particular product is good for you until you try it.

However, there is one "sound program" that is 100% safe and effective because the sounds aren't electronic, they don't come out of the environment, you don't download them to play on your computer, iPod or burn to a CD. You create them yourself. They are the Eight Healing Sounds of Yin Style Bagua.

Like many facets of Chinese medicine, the Eight Healing Sounds complete practice enhances your total health and wellbeing at the same time each of the individual sounds works directly upon a particular organ or energy channel in your body. As a self-healing qigong (energy practice), it combines sound and the vibration it creates, movement, breathing, and visualization to heal disease and injury.

I don't believe I am any more sensitive to sounds or other environmental vibrations than you are, but I have taught myself to carefully "listen to my body," to observe and to follow-through with understanding the causes and effects that are going on with the integrated mind-body systems that we all enjoy. (I call it the Ecosystem of You!) That follow-through is the first step toward self-healing.

Observing is like watching a baseball game. Follow-through with understanding is like getting out there on the field and playing. Forgive the pun, but it's a "whole different baseball game" when you are playing instead of just observing. Different muscles are involved, different emotions are involved, and different areas of life are involved from financial rewards to relationships.

Put into medical terms, observing is like going to the doctor, reporting what you are feeling, and letting him or her treat your symptoms with drugs or surgery. Follow-through is bypassing the treatment of symptoms and committing yourself to making those lifestyle changes that you know you need to be truly healthy. . . addressing the cause of the symptoms which may include lack of exercise, eating processed foods, and not getting outdoors to spend time in that sunshine!

If you are interested in using the healing power of sound and vibration as a component of your personal, holistic health system, one of those lifestyle changes should include the practice of the Eight Healing Sounds Qigong.

(As I have mentioned before in writing about qigong, the practices often have many variations. Sound is no exception: there is a popular practice called the Six Healing Sounds, too.)

The Eight Healing Sounds Qigong is 100% safe and effective because you are making the sound yourself with your breath, your healing visualization, and your intention. The energetic vibration you create is uniquely yours.

Even when vocalizing the same syllable, AH for example, my AH is going to be different from your AH due to (at least!) the differences in lung capacity and vocal chords. It may also be different due to energy level when practicing, amount of enthusiasm at the moment, and emotional state, all of which profoundly affects breathing and concentration.

Even with all those variables, the vibration you create with the sound you make through the practice of proper breathing techniques, the flow of energy created through the accompanying movements, and your intention will be a sound that is beneficial and healing for you just as any sound that I make under those circumstances is good for me.

It is the same principle that can be observed in the function of the immune system, the digestive system, the respiratory system….any body system you can name. Your systems and mine work slightly differently depending on our immediate needs and our general health, but when we are perfectly healthy, my systems work exactly right for me just as your systems work exactly right for you.

You may safely practice the Eight Healing Sounds and trust that your body is going to automatically do what is beneficial for your health when you relax into the practice and do it naturally.

Here are the sounds and their correspondences and benefits as outlined when practiced in the standing position; the movement in this case is the raising and lowering of the arms in various positions, and slight bending at the waist in two of the practices. (The Eight Healing Sounds may be practiced standing still, walking, seated, and lying down, and the benefits of each are similar but not exactly the same.)

Ahhhhhhh is a steady and smooth sound, the one you might make as you relax into your favorite easy chair at the end of a long day. This sound benefits the Lung, and respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, and colds.

Hhhhhhhh is a silent sound, like a sigh. That sounds funny, doesn't it, a "silent sound!" But, that is what it is, just a quiet Hhhhhhh upon exhale. The Hhhh sound benefits the heart, circulation, heart palpitations, chest discomfort (however, if you think you are having a heart attack, call Emergency Services immediately!), shortness of breath, heartburn, and irritability.

Heng is a short fast sound, almost like the sound you might make if you are trying to stifle a sneeze. The e is short as in the word hen, and the ng rhymes with hang. This sound benefits the kidneys, and is beneficial for lower back pain, prostate illness, some reproductive system conditions in men and women, and ringing in the ears. (The ears and kidneys are of the same energetic element: water.)

Hu is a long, deep droning sound pronounced Whooooooo. This sound benefits the stomach and treats conditions of excessive or suppressed appetite, also abdominal gas.

Mer is another long, low sound that resembles a cow performing a long Moooooooo with an rrrrrrr on the end: mmmmeeeeerrrrrrrrrr. This sound benefits the spleen (companion organ to the stomach), and improves poor digestion.

Xu is a quiet and extended Shhhhhhhh sound. This sound benefits the liver, lower back, some intestinal problems, E. D., and problems with urination,

Yi is the sound of long E as in Easy; Eeeeeeeee. This sound controls the flow and storage of qi throughout the body and can, therefore, build qi to proper and harmonious levels that will protect against illness and disease. It can be beneficial in case of headache, soreness in the back (including vertebrae problems), and some intestinal conditions.

Hong is a long, low sound that rhymes with "long;" hhooooonnnnng where the "n" is a bit nasal. The bouncing movement that accompanies this sound stimulates the lymph system, so it is beneficial for eliminating used materials and wastes from the body. It can also be beneficial for asthma and shortness of breath.

I did not describe the motions that accompany the sounds because a few are not as simple as the rest and would require a sequence of photos (a short video would be even better!) to explain them properly. Doing the motions properly is important because the qi of the hands aids in directing the qi of the body in this practice. It is best to find someone with whom you can take a class, or at least a few private lessons so that you can learn the correct hand and body motions.

However, practicing the sounds even without the movements can be beneficial, so don't let the lack of postures keep you from using this health-restoring practice!

To practice the Eight Healing Sounds Qigong, settle into a comfortable position and let your mind become quiet.

For each of the sounds, breathe into your belly; as you exhale, make the sound slowly and clearly (except heng, which is a short, fast sound). You should feel the vibration throughout your body. Don't hold your breath while you make the sound and then exhale; do exhale and make the sound at the same time. Visualize the organ or body area you wish to improve as completely healthy and functional.

You should repeat each sound several times so that the practice lasts for fifteen to twenty minutes. I practice eight repetitions of each sound because I combine it with another qigong practice; you might want to do twelve, sixteen, or even twenty-four repetitions of each of the sounds to improve your health. The more you do, up to repetitions of fifty of each sound, the more you will benefit!

Progressive Relaxation Technique II

The Progressive Relaxation Technique was created by Chicago physician Edmund Jacobson. He was the first person to accurately measure the electrical impulses in human muscles, nerves, and mental activities. In his study and treatment of stress, he proved that excessive or unresolved (i.e. residual) tension has a direct and causal relationship with both mental and physical illnesses; tension shortens the muscular fibers which causes a decrease in the central nervous system activity. He also determined that intentional and directed muscular tension and relaxation can relieve anxiety and stress, as well as being effective against ulcers, insomnia, and high blood pressure.

This led to the publication of his book Progressive Relaxation in 1929, followed by You Must Relax in 1934. His original works contained approximately 200 exercises to effect relaxation. Today, the Progressive Relaxation Technique practiced by most people has been reduced to fewer than 20 exercises, but does cover all the major muscle groups.

What it is:

Progressive relaxation is an excellent, natural practice that gives you the control to relax all your tense muscles, and practice deep breathing at the same time.

If you find yourself becoming tense and uncomfortable at home or work during the day, either mentally, emotionally, or physically, you can do the steps of the technique that address the area of your tension without performing the entire routine. For example, if mental tension has caused a headache, you would want to concentrate on relaxing the areas of the shoulders, neck, and head. Emotional tension such as anger or frustration is often centered in the hands, arms, and torso; abdominal, chest, and hand/arm exercises would be appropriate. Physical discomfort caused by sitting or standing in a fixed position for long periods of time may be reduced or eliminated by performing muscular tensing and relaxing on the affected leg and back areas.

If you suffer from insomnia, regularly doing this technique in bed before going to sleep will help you to get to sleep quicker, and stay asleep throughout the night. It may take a few weeks for this technique to become a fully effective sleep aid, but each time you do it, it will bring you closer and closer to a natural good night’s sleep. The progressive relaxation technique has proven over time to be a very effective sleep aid without the risk of side effects or dependency you have on medications. In fact, safety questions have arisen concerning some sleep-inducing drugs since people have exhibited short-term memory loss while taking the drugs, rare but bizarre side effects like binge eating, and severe withdrawal symptoms, even seizures, if the drug use is abruptly halted.¹ Nature is safer!

Where to start:

You may be seated or lying for this exercise.

If you are seated in a chair, place both your feet flat on the floor, and let your arms rest by your sides. Your hands may rest at your sides or in your lap. If you are in an armchair, do not rest your arms or elbows on the chair arms. Doing so will push your shoulders upward and tense the muscles in your arms, shoulders and neck.

If you are lying, be comfortable. You may want a pillow beneath your head and another under your knees if you like. If you are using this exercise as a sleep aid, you will want to be in bed and ready for sleep.

While performing this technique, it also is beneficial to visualize your muscular tension flow out of your body or sink into the ground as you relax each muscle group. (This is called Autogenic Training.) Your physical body responds to the thoughts provided through your visual imagery or visualization, and you will be further relaxed by thinking thoughts of warmth and relaxation. (Note: don’t ever visualize or think of stimulating activity while trying to relax! You will be working against yourself.)

Pay attention to how you feel while relaxing, and use the memory of feeling warm, comfortable, and relaxed as part of your visualization for your next relaxation session. Each time you do this, the memory becomes stronger and more influential in aiding you in your comfort and wellness.

As always, if you have any medical condition, consult your doctor before performing this technique. If you experience discomfort or pain while performing the technique, Stop Immediately! People who are prone to foot or leg cramps may want to either skip the foot and leg sections of the technique, or only slightly tense the foot and leg muscles.

How to do it:

To begin, take between five and ten cleansing breaths; inhale deeply and slowly through the nose while counting three seconds (never inhale through the mouth). Exhale fully while counting three seconds, and imagine your tension leaving your body. You may exhale through the nose or the mouth. While taking your cleansing breaths, tell yourself how great and relaxed you are going to feel when you have finished Progressive Relaxation. If practicing before sleep, tell yourself how well you are going to sleep and how rested and wonderful you are going to feel in the morning.

My original article outlined the following instructions in a different order, starting at the foot and ending at the head. Today, I give those instructions in an order that is (I believe) closer to the original order of tensing and relaxing the muscular groups as outlined by Dr. Jacobson.

1. Hands. Inhale to the count of five while clenching your fingers into fists and bending the wrist inward. Exhale to the count of five while stretching out and relaxing your fingers, and bending your wrist outward. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

2. Arms. Inhale to the count of five while bending your arms at the elbows and clenching the upper and lower arm muscles. Exhale to the count of five while stretching out your arms. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

3. Shoulders. Inhale to the count of five while tensing your shoulder muscles. You may want to hunch your shoulders forward to tense the muscles, then relax; then hunch the shoulders backward, then relax. Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your shoulders. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

4. Neck. Inhale to the count of five while tensing your neck muscles. To deliberately tense the neck muscles, you may want to pull your head down as if you were a turtle pulling its head into its shell, or slowly and gently tilt your head from side to side or front to back, or turn your head from side to side. Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your neck. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

5. Face. Inhale to the count of five while tensing your facial muscles. Instructions include, each to the count of five:

• pursing the lips and then opening the mouth as wide as possible;
• closing the eyes and then opening the eyes as wide as possible;
• pushing your tongue into the roof of your mouth and then into the bottom of your mouth.

Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your facial muscles. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

6. Chest. Inhale to the count of five while tensing your chest muscles. You may need to cross your arms in front of you to do this. Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your chest muscles. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

7. Back. Inhale to the count of five while tensing your back muscles. You may need to arch your back slightly to do this. Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your back muscles. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

8. Derriere. Inhale to the count of five while constricting the muscles in your buttocks. Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your buttocks. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

9. Thighs. Inhale to the count of five while tensing the muscles in your thighs. It may help to raise your leg an inch or so to tense the thigh muscles; raise the leg just enough to engage the thigh muscles, don’t do leg lifts. Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your thighs; lower your legs if you raised them. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

10. Abdomen. Inhale to the count of five while expanding or pushing out the muscles in your abdomen. Exhale to the count of five while contracting or pulling in your abdominal muscles. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

11. Feet and calves. Inhale to the count of five while pointing your toes up and your heel away from you to flex feet and calves. Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your feet and calves. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

12. Toes. Inhale to the count of five while curling your toes and pointing your toes down and away from you. Exhale to the count of five while relaxing your foot. Feel warm and comfortable. Visualize tension either flowing away, or sinking into the ground.

¹ “Bizarre events linked to sleeping pills in US” Reuters news article, March 15, 2006 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060315/hl_nm/insomnia_dc

Ten Secrets For Better Breathing

Many times you will read about the importance of breathing correctly, how it is necessary to properly oxygenate your blood and expel carbon-dioxide from your body, but not too many people clue you in as to how to do that. Dennis Lewis, creator of Authentic Breathing Resources LLC, has made breathing his life's work. His books and workshops teach proper breathing techniques that help you live a longer, healthier, happier life.

Here are ten secrets for better breathing, from Dennis's website. These may also be found in his book Free Your Breath, Free Your Life: How Conscious Breathing Can Relieve Stress, Increase Vitality, and Help You Live More Fully

I have added a few comments of my own which I've enclosed in brackets [].

1. If possible in your daily life, inhale and exhale only through your nose, even when you are doing aerobic exercise. [Breathing through your nose helps keep germs from getting into your lungs, and warms the air coming into your body which is less of a shock to your system in cold weather. Also, breathing through the mouth causes an uncomfortable dryness in the mouth and throat.]

2. Sense the movement of your breath frequently in the midst of your everyday activities. Remember not to hold your breath. [It's all about awareness….if you remember to sense your breath, you'll remember to breathe correctly, and be "in the moment." If you hold your breath, you are also holding onto carbon-dioxide, and depriving your cells of needed oxygen…you don't want to do that!]

3. Be sure your belly stays relaxed. Let it expand as you inhale and retract as you exhale. Touch it and massage it frequently. Your belly is the foundation of your breath. [Many people believe breathing starts at the lungs and air is "sucked in." Breathing really starts at the diaphragm. As the contracting muscular action of the diaphragm expands the lungs, the muscles of the chest help to pull in the air. Good posture supports good breathing.]

4. Breath is life and movement. Let your breath engage and fill every part of your body, especially your belly, back, spine, and chest. [This is a great practice that encourages you to "listen" to your body, too. Within the boundaries of belly, back, spine, and chest lie all your vital organs! Paying attention to the oxygen that revitalizes the cells of your organs as well as your muscles also brings your attention to areas of discomfort and stress. This will allow you to relax and release the tension before it becomes a serious problem.]

5. To transform your breathing, start with your exhalation, with "letting go." [This serves two purposes: 1) it encourages you to fully exhale, releasing any built-up carbon-dioxide in your system. 2) it is symbolic of getting a "fresh start" with your breathing practice.]

6. A long, slow exhalation helps harmonize your diaphragm and turns on your "relaxation response." [Slow, deliberate movement of any kind will help to stimulate the "relaxation response" but breathing is especially important in that regard since it also affects your heart rate and blood pressure. Stress makes the muscles tense, the heart beat faster, and the blood pressure rise (sometimes due to the shallow breathing many people experience during stressful moments). Slow, deliberate breathing will calm a fast-beating heart, reduce blood pressure, and provide oxygen to muscles enabling relaxation.]

7. Sense the natural pause after exhalation; let yourself rest there for a moment. [People are in such a rush to do everything…don't be in a rush to breathe, too! It will shorten your life. My comment on number 6 applies here, also…..slow down and relax. It's good for you!]

8. Let your inhalation arise by itself, when it’s ready. [Your body is pretty good at knowing what it needs and the right way to get it. Follow your body's natural tendencies toward health and wellness.]

9. Sense the various breathing spaces of your body several times a day. Smile into these spaces and observe how your awareness helps them open and close effortlessly. [There is a qigong practice called Organ Rejuvenation or Smiling Qigong. It is simply the practice of taking time each day to put your attention on each of your major organs – liver, heart, stomach/spleen, lungs, and kidneys – and smile at each of them while doing a few minutes of diaphragmatic breathing. You can't be angry, upset, or stressed out if you are smiling! This practice puts your intentions to work creating a healthy body and relaxed emotional state. It's very beneficial!]

10. Remember, you are a breathing being, alive right now and here. Let yourself feel the mystery and the miracle of your breath and your life as often as you can. [I can't add anything to that except: Yes!]

Copyright 2004-2007 By Dennis Lewis. From "The Ten Secrets of Authentic Breathing," in

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Air pollution, heart disease, and anger

I saw this story the other day, and I can't say the result of the study is surprising. It's sad in that industry doesn’t seem to care enough to want to do anything about it, which is also not surprising.

I have long felt that even the smallest, "don't worry it isn't enough to hurt you" amount of toxicity and pollution has severe and long-lasting effects on people.

The story below discusses heart disease, but I think there is also a link between pollution and anger. People seem to be more and more angry, easier to anger, and their feelings of anger last longer.

I believe that the cause of anger can have more to do with the stress of environmental pollutants that the stress of an overwhelming lifestyle.

In Chinese medicine, the liver is the organ connected to the emotion of anger. I very sincerely believe that when the pollution entering through the lungs ends up in the bloodstream, and the liver has to filter all these chemical pollutants and toxins, the liver becomes over-stressed. (It also becomes very stressed by having to filter all the food additives and medications that people take, but that is for a different time and article.)

Even though accumulating these toxins together in one organ – the liver – causes stress to that organ, it may not show up on medical tests as "disease." However, I can assure you, there is a great deal of dis-ease in a liver that is constantly called upon to filter from the blood the overwhelming pollutants that enter the bloodstream through the air and lungs.

I wonder if we would see fewer incidents of road rage, school shootings, and other senseless acts of anger and violence if we cleaned up our act and cleaned up our air.

Another thing I would like to mention is a word of warning to parents who walk their children in strollers. Please avoid walking along streets busy with traffic. The face of your child in his or her stroller is just about even with the exhaust pipes on most cars and trucks…in effect, your baby's face is right beside the exhaust pipes of every vehicle that drives by.

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Bad air raises heart risks in young adults: study

By Tan Ee Lyn Wed Aug 15, 2007 6:02 AM ET

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Bad air can trigger in young, healthy adults a string of adverse biological changes that are linked to cardiovascular disease, a Taiwan study has shown.

Writing in the second August issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the researchers described how they observed changes in 76 students living on campus at the Fu-Jen Catholic University in Taipei.

"Urban air pollution is a cocktail of pollutants, when you breathe it gets into your body, through the nose, the respiratory tract, then the lungs," said professor Chang-Chuan Chan at National Taiwan University's College of Public Health.

"The different air pollutants observed here can go into your lungs and invoke inflammation effect in days. They can also go directly, without causing inflammation and affect cardiovascular function, like heart rate variability," Chan said in a telephone interview with Reuters.

Chan's team took blood samples from the students, aged between 18 and 25, and monitored their hearts via electrocardiogram (ECG) three times between April 2004 and June 2005.

They then checked to see if there were changes to four indicators that are normally linked to heart disease.

The four are inflammation, oxidative stress or damage to tissues and cells, coagulation in blood vessels and autonomic dysfunction or disruption of unconscious bodily functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure and temperature regulation.

"After exposure of between one and three days, we can see these kinds of biological responses in young adults," Chan said.

"They hardly can feel the effects, but there are these changes. If your blood is drawn and your heart rate variability is monitored, then definitely there are some changes."

The results of this study are consistent with previous studies, but this is the first time scientists have established a correlation between all four indices and air pollution.

Chan stressed Taipei's air was no different from that in many other cities. The type and amount of air pollutants observed, like suspended particulates of 2.5 and 10 micrometers, nitrate, sulfate and ozone are consistent with those seen elsewhere.

"Even though we use Taipei in this study, these pollutants are commonly experienced by people living in cities ... in China, the amount of their particulates are even higher," he said.

Although such damaging changes were reversible if periods of air pollution were brief, consequences could be dire if exposure to bad air was prolonged.

"If the dirty air stays longer, say for months, or years, then there could be chronic exposure effect," Chan said.

"We're worried for people who already have heart disease and air pollution becomes too serious, then this will be a tipping point, leading to adverse effects, including death."

See original story at:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070815/hl_nm/pollution_health_taiwan_dc

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSHKG15456720070815?sp=true

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Baduanjin qigong: Timing can make a difference

I have discovered a wonderful set of drawings of the Traditional Chinese Medicine meridians that the owner, Pedro Bernardy of RyuBuKan Dojo in Concord, California, has graciously given his permission for me to use in talking about baduanjin qigong.

I"ll be showing you the meridians, or energy channels, that each of the baduanjin positions addresses. There is much overlap, with one position affecting one or more bodily organs and energy meridians, so this will be an overview.

I have talked before about the Ecosystem of YOU, how everything affects every other thing in your body, and this is no exception. Even though a position is especially related to a particular energy meridian or practice position, that is certainly not all it affects.

Today I'll give an overview of baduanjin, incuding the hours of the day for the organs which you may want to keep in mind when you choose your time of day to practice.

Qi gong is a method of health and vitality cultivation which is hundreds of years old. There are thousands of different forms, many of which concentrate building, moving, or promoting healing energy through specific parts of the body. BaDuanJin is a very complete practice that promotes health in specific organs and areas of the body, as well as being a whole-body workout without the Work! It also promotes physical coordination and gracefulness, and teaches economy of movement so you use less energy to accomplish tasks.

Each of the eight positions in BaDuanJin should be practiced slowly and gently. Practice of the complete form should take approximately 20 minutes a day. It may seem at first as if "nothing is happening," but be assured much is happening! Your inner organs and body systems are being well cared for, given new or renewed energy and vitality. It can take as little as one month, or as long as three months, before you feel the difference in your general health and well-being. If illness or disease is present, it may take longer to feel the beneficial effects of qi gong practice, but improvement of health will be noticed if one practices mindfully and daily.

By practicing mindfully, one practices without distraction. Listening to soft music is fine, but televisions, telephones, and computers should be turned off, and lighting should be normal (not bright). When practicing, wear loose clothing in layers; it is not unusual to become warm during practice, and a sweater or extra shirt can be removed to allow for greater comfort. Practicing in fresh air is beneficial, going outdoors in nice weather is recommended, but avoid cold and drafts in winter weather. Practice away from air conditioners in summer.

When you practice mindfully, you should concentrate on two things; the movement of the positions, and breathing. 

Breathing is very important. Inhaling should "fill the belly;" that means to allow, but not force, the abdomen to extend outward as you inhale. Exhaling should empty the lungs, and the abdomen may gently be contracted, "pulled in," to help tighten and strengthen abdominal muscles. Breathing should always be done only through the nose; breathing through the open mouth is to be avoided because it can cause the mouth and throat to become dry and uncomfortable. Also, breathing through the mouth allows the intake of colder air than does breathing though the nose. Inhaling cold air is to be avoided. The tip of the tongue should always rest lightly on the roof of the mouth, just behind the top front teeth. 

The BaDuanJin positions are to be practiced in gentle, swaying movements of the arms. Feet should be shoulder-width apart, firmly on the floor with weight balanced on the center of the foot, not the toes or heels. Legs should be slightly bent; never "lock" your knees! "Locking" or stiffening any joint is to be avoided, always. It can damage joints, and it blocks the flow of energy. The positions should be repeated on an average of eight to twelve times each. You may practice BaDuanJin at any time of day, and even do a "short set" (or a full set!) anytime you are feeling tired or stressed. 

Above all, always listen to your body. If something causes pain, Stop! At first, you may feel slight aches after practice. You may also feel tingling or other sensations in your hands, arms, and legs. That's normal with any exercise and will disappear after the first week or so of practice. 

Time Wise

When to practice qi gong

There are many theories on the best time of day to practice your energy and health enhancing routine. Some believe that working out early in the morning at the time yang energy grows is the best option. Others believe that a couple of hours after your largest meal of the day is a good time. I believe that your body will tell you the best time by intuitively moving you to practice. Once you determine the best time for you, do try to practice at the same time each day.

There are, however, some beneficial and interesting things to know about time-of-day. In Tradition Chinese Medicine, certain hours of the day correspond to certain areas or organs of the body, and certain emotions. If you are experiencing illness or emotional distress, you may want to practice at a time within the two-hour period which corresponds to the area of your complaint. Doing this directs extra energy, and promotes additional curative benefits. 

11:00 PM to 1:00 AM gall bladder: anger

1:00 AM to 3:00 AM liver: anger

3:00 AM to 5:00 AM lungs: sorrow, anxiety

5:00 AM to 7:00 AM large intestine: sorrow, anxiety

7:00 AM to 9:00 AM stomach: pensiveness, overconcentration

9:00 AM to 11:00 AM spleen : pensiveness, overconcentration

11:00 AM to 1:00 PM heart: joy (overexcitement), grief

1:00 PM to 3:00 PM small intestine: joy (overexcitement), grief

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM bladder : fear

5:00 PM to 7:00 PM kidneys : fear

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM pericardium: joy (overexcitement), grief

9:00 PM to 11:00 PM triple burner: joy (overexcitement), grief 

The triple burner (or san jiao) is not a recognized organ in Western medicine. Chinese medicine considers this a connector and coordinator of the functions of all the organs as well as an energy regulator. Unless you have another preference, this would be an all-around good time of day to practice qi gong.

Dennis Lewis on Breathing

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Following are two excerpts from the February 13, 2007 issue of "Authentic Breathing News," the email newsletter of Dennis Lewis, author of Free Your Breath, Free Your Life.

Breathing techniques can be very effective in reducing stress. The two Dennis shared in his newsletter are especially effective for excellent health and wellness. While I have not changed a word in the articles, I have broken the longer paragraphs into shorter ones to make them easier to read in the narrow-column format of the blog.

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BREATHING FACT: WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO BREATHE THROUGH YOUR NOSE by Dennis Lewis

We hear frequently from people who want to know why nose breathing is so important. So we are including this write-up from our website:

"When we breathe through our nose, the hairs that line our nostrils filter out particles of dust and dirt that can be injurious to our lungs. If too many particles accumulate on the membranes of the nose, we automatically secret mucus to trap them or sneeze to expel them. The mucous membranes of our septum, which divides the nose into two cavities, further prepare the air for our lungs by warming and humidifying it.

Another very important reason for breathing through the nose has to do with maintaining the correct balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our blood. When we breathe through our mouth we usually inhale and exhale air quickly in large volumes. This often leads to a kind of hyperventilation (breathing excessively fast for the actual conditions in which we find ourselves).

It is important to recognize that it is the amount of carbon dioxide in our blood that generally regulates our breathing. Research has shown that if we release carbon dioxide too quickly, the arteries and vessels carrying blood to our cells constrict and the oxygen in our blood is unable to reach the cells in sufficient quantity. This includes the carotid arteries which carry blood (and oxygen) to the brain. The lack of sufficient oxygen going to the cells of the brain can turn on our sympathetic nervous system, our "fight or flight" response, and make us tense, anxious, irritable, and depressed.

There are some researchers who believe that mouth breathing and the associated hyperventilation that it brings about can result in asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, and many other medical problems.

And finally, let's hear what famed osteopath Robert C. Fulford, D.O. has to say in his wonderful book Dr. Fulford's Touch of Life about nose breathing: 'Remember: always try to breathe through your nostrils, and not through your mouth, because air must contact the olfactory nerves to stimulate your brain and put it into its natural rhythm. If you don't breathe through your nose, in a sense you're only half alive.'"

COMMENTARY/PRACTICE FROM DENNIS LEWIS: THE CHILDHOOD BREATH

Think back to when you were a child. Unless you had asthma or some other health problem, the power of the life force, your breath, manifested itself in just about everything you did. Do you remember the kinds of things you did then?

In addition to jumping, running, twisting, turning, swimming, dancing, skipping, hopping, wrestling and all the other physical activities that help keep the ribcage, back, and diaphragm flexible and loose, you probably also remember hollering, shouting, and singing a lot--at least until your parents and teachers told you to stop. Perhaps you were even told by your parents or teachers that your voice was so terrible that shouldn't even consider singing. This has happened with many of us, and the results have often been devastating not just on the physical and emotional level, but to the very core of one's self-esteem.

What your parents probably did not realize is that all of these activities, including the constant use of your voice in many different ways, were spontaneous developmental manifestations of the life force, which awakened subtle physical and emotional perceptions, moving through you and animating you. The movements and sounds also kept your diaphragm flexible and strong.

Of course, under the influence of "education" and "socialization," you learned to control or stifle these manifestations and live more in the straightjacket of your mind, the world of thoughts, concepts, and judgments, which gradually separated you in an artificial and unhealthy way from the life and energy of your body. Unless you went ahead and sang anyway and participated in daily physical flexibility- oriented activities throughout high school or college, activities such as dance, swimming, martial arts, and so on, the daily demands on your diaphragm diminished, and, as a result, it ceased to function in an optimal way.

Now close your eyes and imagine that you are a child again. Think of a place and time when you really felt like you were able to be yourself--a tree, a lake, a playground, a hill, a particular street, wherever you felt most comfortable. Now in your imagination jump, skip, hop, twist, turn, run, sing and shout for five minutes. Really sense what that feels like. Notice how your breathing changes.

Now stop and go someplace where you enjoy being alone and try the same thing--but this time not in your imagination but in reality. In full awareness of what is happening in your body, emotions, and thoughts, and for at least five minutes, let the breath of life move through you as it will. Then check your overall sensation of yourself.

How do you feel? Do you feel more connected with yourself and the environment? What about your breathing? Can you somehow sense the movement of the diaphragm in your chest with each breath? Does your breath feel more evenly distributed throughout your body? Just notice, sense, and enjoy.

Copyright 2007 by Dennis Lewis

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