« Qigong, Stress, Cortisol and Excess Body Fat | Main | Can Qigong Enhance Your Creativity? »
March 6, 2006
Quick Qigong Stress Buster Redirects Energy From Head to Abdomen, Enlivens the Lymph System
One of my favorite qigong methods for quickly and simply reducing stress, I first learned in 1976 and have practiced it frequently ever since.
It's designed to start bringing the energy down into the abdominal in particular. In Qigong practice we recognize that there is a “central intelligence” in the abdominal area. We have three brains, three intelligences: one in the head, one in the abdomen, and one in the heart region. But, generally, the abdominal center is where you really want to have the attention and energy.
So, when you are doing this practice, it’s important to have very good posture. You want the weight very evenly distributed on the feet. The knees are unlocked, a little bit bent. The sacrum is tucked under, shoulders are relaxed, and the hands initially just hang.
You are going to be pushing the arms back and letting the arms float forward. Breathe gently through the nose. Your gaze is a 180 degrees soft focus, level.
This is something that you can do hundreds of times, even a thousand. I have done up to one thousand in the past.
The movement will calm you down, is also gently energizing, and it starts to bring everything down into the abdomen.
An added benefit of this technique, in Western terms, is that the arm movement, along with the concentration on the abdominal breathing, begins to activate the lymph system. When the lymph system is properly activated, you have a detoxification effect. The lymph system is responsible for removing trash from the body essentially.
When the lymph system is activated, you also get a relaxation response. So, after a while of doing this technique, you’ll start feeling very calm and relaxed and centered in the abdominal area. Do it at least 100 of these if you can.
See all of John Du Cane’s qigong resources.
Posted by james at March 6, 2006 10:20 AM