There are thousands of qigong schools and movements, but all genuine forms of qigong are guided by the same principles. Here are the key points for your practice to be complete and bear fruit.<\/span>1st Principle <\/b>“Learn to detach from problems” <\/span> <\/p>\n In order to facilitate the flow of energy in our bodies, we need to learn how to dissolve any blockages that may arise. Try to stretch the joints, muscles and ligaments around the shoulders, elbows and wrists, moving them one by one in circles, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction. <\/span><\/p>\n Direct your attention to your navel (Lower Dantian), inhale and exhale slowly.<\/span><\/p>\n As you breathe in, feel the air dissolving all the blockages in your body and mind. The aim is to help the mind detach itself from problems and understand that in order to know what Qi is, we need to transform ourselves into Qi.<\/span><\/p>\n Problems need solutions. 2nd Principle <\/b>“Embrace the Negative\/Yin and the Positive\/Yang”<\/span>Just as water surrounds fire and can turn it into steam, the inner Yin\/Negative and Yang\/Positive can help us find balance.<\/span>On a physical level, this creative tension has to be distributed equally as the body performs the Qigong movements.<\/span>One way of seeking Qi balance is through the “Qi Circle” exercise:<\/span><\/p>\n With an empty mind (apply the first principle), stand with your feet parallel, shoulder-width apart. Raise your hands and arms in a circle, as if you were holding a ball. Imagine that this ball is Qi energy, which you are trying to balance.<\/span><\/p>\n Repeat the movement at least 10 times. 3rd Principle <\/b>“Listen to your heartbeat and your breathing” <\/span> <\/p>\n Rarely do we stop to pay attention to the sounds around us, and even less often do we stop to listen to our own bodies. It’s important to learn to listen to your heartbeat and your breathing. <\/span><\/p>\n Use your heart and your stomach in every movement. On a mental and emotional level, try to feel in a state of health receptor and empty your mind. “Coordinate the movements of your lower Dantian (1.5 cms inside the navel).<\/span>Be consistent and smooth as you perform your movements.<\/span>Your waist coordinates your limbs like an axle turning in a wheel.<\/span>Like the wind blowing or the flow of the tides in nature, coordinate your breathing with circular movements of your arms down and up, synchronizing them with your breathing. <\/span>Descending and exhaling, ascending and inhaling. <\/span>Feel the movements of the center of your Dantian.<\/span><\/p>\n The water that evaporates falls back into the rivers and seas in the form of rain. 5th Principle <\/b>“Meditate on the immobility of every movement” <\/span>When there is no wind, a tree may seem immobile, but behind this immobility there are roots moving slowly and constantly to find nutrients to feed its trunk, branches and leaves. <\/span>Create a perception of Qi energy rising from your feet to your head through your legs, waist and torso.<\/span><\/p>\n With regular practice, you can begin to sense the Qi energy entering your body, feeling it flow through your main energy meridians. 6th Principle <\/b>“Don’t push. Float with life and let life float in you”.<\/span>Be like a swimmer gently swimming in the fluidity of the water.<\/span>A sense of freedom emerges as we begin to realize that our effort is unnecessary in nature, for the transformation of tensions into harmonious situations. <\/span> <\/p>\n Move gracefully. If you try too hard to do the breathing exercises and movements, it’s as if you’re forcing a solution to a problem.<\/span><\/p>\n If you freeze water instead of boiling it, you’ll get ice cubes instead of hot water to make tea. 7th Principle <\/b><\/p>\n “Take pleasure in the Art of Being and be grateful for every little bit of progress” <\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes we’re too rigid and don’t notice the small steps we’ve already taken.<\/span><\/p>\n By doing breathing and relaxation exercises on a daily basis, you will gradually notice differences. <\/span><\/p>\n If you slow down a little, you may notice that you feel the energy in the palms of your hands today, whereas yesterday you only felt it in your fingertips. <\/span><\/p>\n This is because perhaps today you’ve been able to relax a little more and are more receptive to what’s going on inside you, forgetting about the outside.<\/span><\/p>\n Each step is made up of many small steps.<\/span><\/p>\n An attitude of gratitude for success also encourages the flow of Qi in our body’s nervous and immune systems. <\/span><\/p>\n 8th Principle <\/b><\/p>\n “Become a source of Qi through smiling” <\/span><\/p>\n There are different depths to the study and experience of Qi energy. <\/span><\/p>\n Smiling at our internal organs is an essential part of successful health with Qi. <\/span><\/p>\n Not just moving muscles and ligaments, but experiencing the vital energy flowing through the spinal cord, bringing this energy to the center of our being. <\/span><\/p>\n Smiling helps the growth of new white cells and strengthens the immune and nervous systems. <\/span><\/p>\n Smile a lot to yourself and to the world while practicing Qigong.<\/span><\/p>\n 9th Principle <\/b><\/p>\n “Transform stress and conserve Qi energy in your internal organs” <\/span><\/p>\n Any relaxation and Qi absorption exercise must aim to maintain the Qi energy in your body. <\/span><\/p>\n Learn how to absorb the Qi of the Earth and reunite it with your own Qi and the Qi of Heaven in your physical movements. <\/span><\/p>\n An oyster forms a pearl from a foreign particle that enters its shell and creates an irritation. Similarly, Qigong exercises transform tensions and unwanted situations into “pearl forces” and health. <\/span><\/p>\n Qi energy combined with a balanced diet can rejuvenate the liver, gallbladder, small intestine, spleen, stomach, lungs, large intestine, kidneys and bladder. <\/span><\/p>\n 10th Principle <\/b><\/p>\n “Use Qi energy to lift yourself up and\/or to ground yourself” <\/span><\/p>\n Just as energy (Qi) can ascend, it can also descend.<\/span><\/p>\n Just as sunlight combined with rain can bring life to the earth, Qi absorption and maintenance exercises can make us receptive to the highest aspirations and at the same time make us feel “grounded”.<\/span><\/p>\n 11th Principle <\/b><\/p>\n “Use Qi to purify and transport vitality to any part of your body that needs it” <\/span><\/p>\n The fact that our body is made up of more than 70% liquids makes it easier for us to connect with Qi energy. <\/span><\/p>\n Just as water is a perfect conductor of electricity, our circulatory system can also act as a conductor of Qi energy.<\/span><\/p>\n In certain Qigong exercises, for example, we can learn to transport energy through the liver meridian and the circulatory system to help our body detoxify and purify itself<\/span><\/p>\n 12th Principle<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n “Follow the rhythm of the four seasons” <\/span>The heart, according to the ancient Orientals, is the body’s regulator and the governor of blood circulation. <\/span>The blood passes through four phases that can be compared to the four seasons of nature.<\/span>The heart and veins go through the phases of birth of new cells (spring), expansion (summer), distribution of nutrients (fall) and contraction (winter).<\/span>Respecting these rules when eating, moving and resting our bodies follows the wisdom of nature and improves the quality of our daily lives. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>
\nThis practice can be carried out by imagining that our emotional, physical and mental blockages are like blocks of ice that can be melted with the help of Qi. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nAs you breathe out, feel all the “debris” from these blockages being eliminated and dissolving.
\nYou can repeat this exercise as many times as necessary until you begin to relax your mind and body. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nLearning to dissolve a tense mind, transforming it into energy, is the best way to reach a more receptive state and find the “solution”. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nLet your arms hang loosely and relax them. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nBring the ball towards you as you inhale.
\nAs you exhale, move it away from your body. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nWhen you’ve finished, relax your arms along your body again and try to feel the effects of the exercise, how it has changed your mind, if you feel calmer and how it has affected your senses. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nListening to our breathing and the beating of our heart has powerful healing and liberating effects.
\nAnd of course it takes time to be able to hear the different sounds our organs make. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nYou become like water that evaporates.
\nImagine a soft, warm, velvety energy around you. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nSome call this state <\/span>Wu-Chi<\/b>. <\/span>It’s like being in a place, completely alone, but at the same time feeling complete and filled with peace. <\/span>4th Principle<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nThis exercise introduces us to the experience of the cyclical unity of nature. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe long-term results are a continuous flow of peace and wholeness. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nInhale deeply and slowly. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nRelax and allow your body to learn through perception. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe oyster’s defense mechanism surrounds the particle with nacre (mother-of-pearl) to remove the irritation and isolate the particle from the organism. <\/span><\/p>\n