Drug Rehab, Repair & Recovery: Qi Gong

Drug Rehab, Repair & Recovery: Qi Gong

Effective drug repair and recovery will require some form of energy cultivation practice.  The East has the goodies.  The West is borderline hopeless.  This article presents Qi Gong as one possibility for that practice.

You are strongly recommended to join a group in your local area.  If that doesn't suit, you may follow the reproduced articles here.

Context:  Qi Gong, chi kung, or chi gung literally means 'Energy work" or "Life Energy Cultivation" is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation. Qi Gong has roots in Chinese medicine, martial arts and Tao (A philosophy unique to the Chinese).  Qi Gong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance Qi (chi) or what has been translated as "intrinsic life energy".  From a philosophical perspective Qi Gong is believed to help develop human potential, allow access to higher realms of awareness, and awaken one's "true nature"

Qi Gong - 8 (Treasures) Pieces of Brocade

The 8 treasures is the most famous Qi Gong exercise of all. It was developed by the famous Chinese general Yue Fei during the Sung dynasty to improve the health condition of his soldiers. If practiced regularly, it can improve and maintain your health for the rest of your life. Do this exercise at least once a day, and you should be able to feel the improvement in your health within 2 weeks time.

 

The first video is good and has nice soundtrack.

The second presentation is much more my speed.  A bloke who knows what he is doing INSTRUCTING KIDS!!! Could it be more simple.  Kids know everything.

The following text is to back up the above video.  It is lifted from the following website and explains in detail the necessary steps to fololw to get the most out of this exercise.

<http://www.healingqigong.org/8-section-brocade>

Piece 1 – Two Hands Hold up the Heavens (Shuang Shou Tuo Tian)

Benefits: balances clears and makes the the triple warmer/heater meridian (sanjiao) flow properly in balance which is primarily associated with endocrine system and our fight or flight response, an unhealthy triple heater can result in issues such as ADD, Chronic fatigue, Anxiety and panic attacks as well as insomnia and tinnitus, practicing this qigong will benefit all these conditions.

1. Stand relaxed with fingers interlinked palms facing you
2. Inhale slowly and raise your hands to overhead(like in the picture) palms still facing you.
3. stretch in this movement and go onto your tiptoes
4. hold your breath for a few seconds
5. lower yourself back on your heels
6. now move your body left and right (imagine you are standing between two walls of glass so you cant move forwards or backwards, you can only arc left and right – so that you become the shape of a crescent moon –imagine the guy in the picture stretching left and right in that position- that is exactly what you must do.
7. Repeat this 7 times

Piece 2 Drawing the bow to shoot the hawk

Benefits: balances and replenishes the kidney meridian, strengthens your root through the low horse stance, strengthens lower body

1. stand in a horse riding stance, ie wide legs like in the picture
2. your arms are at your sides, bring them up and cross them in front of you
3. extend your left arm out and put your index finger out(this motion should look like you are drawing a bow) while simultaneously drawing your right hand back as if pulling on a bowstring(see picture)
4. now feel your chest open as you draw the bow, your backs shoulder blades should come together like you are trying to squeeze a cigar between them
5. with your index finger out you should feel  a weird tingling in your finger, this is stimulating to the vagus nerve and is a health benefit of its own.(for longevity)
6. 4 reps

Piece 3 – Separating Heaven And Earth

Benefits: Spleen and stomach meridian

1. stand in horse riding stance (ma pu) slightly, not as intensely as drawing the bow
2. place hands in a position as if youre holding a beachball with one hand on top and one below
3. raise your top hand  until its in the position in the picture above your head
4. with your other hand you  put it palm facing the floor fingers facing your leg(pity it doesn’t show this in the image)
5. now create a nice stretch with your hands (should feel a definate tingle)
6. swap hands to do opposite side
7. Do this 7 times on each side

Piece 4 – Wise Owl Gazes Backwards

Benefits: Cures energy depletion and consumptive illnesses, as it works the entire spine much like a wringed out cloth, it gets rid of nagging stiff muscles and pinched nerves, this exercise really improves your vitality, focus and energy levels, it also wards off aging and is very beneficial for back pain all along the spine.

1. 1. go down into horse position(or riding horse)
2. 2. raise your right hand  to heart level with your palm open(imagine having your hands in a prayer position  – then remove the left hand and relax it at your side – this is the position your right hand should be in.
3. 3. exhale and rotate your body left twisting your spine relaxedly – as far as it will go comfortably.(hey don’t strain, relax)
4. 4. follow this movement up by moving your head to look back (left) Ie continue the movement you made with your body simultaneously with your head.
5. 5. inhale as  you come back to the central position
6. 6. repeat with the other side of your body ie now use your left hand and twist right.
7. 7. Do 10 reps 5 each side.

Piece 5 – Punching with an angry Gaze

Benefits: strengthens and revitalizes the liver. Engenders courage and fortitude

1. stand in horse stance but not too low
2. face forwards and raise both arms to the hips
3. clench fist gently and raise your elbows (as if you have just picked up a barbell and are at the bottom of a bicep curl)
4. Inhale.
5. pivot towards the left with your whole body(without changing your footing, so you twist to face 90 degrees left
6. Simultaneously punch, now you can adjust this to your mood, if angry then punch hard and forcefully allowing your angry energy to be thrown out as you exhale at the point of hitting. If you are calm, then do  a relaxed qigong punch.
7. do this on both sides for 5 reps each side

Piece 6 - Big Bear Turns from Side to Side

Benefits: this exercise directly increases your life force and energy, affecting longevity personal power and health.

1. stand in horse stance with your hands on your hips at 90 degrees
2. you should face north when doing this exercise
3. turn left while pivoting your waist to face right(90 degrees from facing forward)
4. now go back to facing forwards
5. do the same to the left,
6. basically you face left and right but in a low horse stance position, you can move your legs to accommodate.

Posture 7 - Touching Toes then Bending Backwards

Benefits: stimulates the yin meridians and the governing vessel so most of the lower meridians and all the solid organs of the body, check above for the illustration

1. begin with a relaxed stance not too low ie not horse stance
2. bring your arms to your lower dantien(navel area) as if you are cradling a tennis ball in both hands and bring it slowly up to your middle dantien(heart) area,
3. exhale slowly as you push out with both hands going forwards from this point (as if you are pushing someone
4. bend forward at the hips but keep a straight back (this will pull your hamstrings)and go down as low as you can, and try touch the floor with both hands- all the while exhaling
5. feel the earth energy(yin) and inhale as you bring it back up with you, trace your inner legs beginning with ankle and calf area and up past inner thighs & groin back up past the lower dantien(inhaling all the way and pulling the earth energy with you) back to the heart area
6. put your hands on your lower back in the kidney area and massage gently
7. bend backwards and look up as you do so

Posture 8 – Bouncing on the Toes

Benefits: Bouncing on your toes, aside from a good calf workout is said to help rid the body of many diseases and stimulate healing and immune system.

This makes sense even in western medical theory as it would stimulate the lymph to flow – the bouncing

1. stand with your legs about shoulder width apart
2. slowly raise yourself to your tiptoes
3. bounce down with reasonable force ie allow yourself to bounce on your heels
4. keep doing this for about 21 repetitons
5. you should feel the force of the movement throughout your body, obviously don’t do it so hard you hurt yourself in any way, just bounce lightly.(but feel the impact through the body)

Many thanks to Sifu Andreas from  http://www.taichichuanberkeley.com/ for allowing me to use the little chinese men images from their website – and thus making this page that much easier to understand!

And I add my thanks too

Better and better

a:)