Qigong includes all these movements we've done and hundreds of others.
There's lots of different systems of Qigong,
Different forms.
Forms would be the term I would use to describe a collection of moves that fall into a name,
Like the 15 Tai Chi movements.
That's a form.
Han Yuan Qigong.
That's a form.
But it also includes three internal skills to help build us up.
And these things can be done whether you can stand or not,
Whether you can sit or not.
You've got one of those knockout flus.
It's got you on your back.
These are things you can do.
We're going to do a guided relaxation and a guided meditation,
Almost interchangeable term.
So first start,
Make sure you're comfortable in your chair.
That the chair is supporting your back nicely.
Feet resting on the floor.
Knees in a position that the legs can just stay put.
Not too much pressure on the thigh against the chair so you don't get a pinching on the hamstrings.
Shoulders down,
Hands resting.
You can do one palm on the other,
Interlace the fingers.
Nothing so hard as holding a mudra.
Just relax the hands.
Place them in a position that you can,
I use the term,
Set them and forget them.
And if you're comfortable closing your eyes,
Please do.
If you want to keep your eyes open,
Narrow them to like a grain of rice.
And pick a spot on the floor to gaze at so that your vision is constant,
Unmoving,
Restful.
For those of you at home,
If you want to stretch out on a couch,
On the floor,
On a mat,
Do this in a supine position,
That's fine too.
And the first thing is to start to pay attention to the flow of your breath.
So that as you inhale,
You're aware of inhaling.
And as you exhale,
You're aware of exhaling.
So you can even say to yourself internally,
Breathing in,
I'm breathing in.
Breathing out,
I'm breathing out.
And in time you can shorten it to simply breathing in,
Breathing out.
Or even shorter,
In.
And just settle your attention on the ebb and flow of your breathing.
Continuing to breathe in,
Aware that you're breathing in.
Breathe out,
Aware that you are breathing out.
Over and over.
This is mindfulness of breathing.
When you become distracted by something,
A sight,
A sound,
A feeling,
A thought,
And you notice you've become distracted,
Thank yourself for noticing,
Because that's mindfulness.
And return your attention to the breath with a smile.
And if while following your breath in and out,
You drift off to some internal landscape or another,
And then you notice that you've drifted off,
Thank yourself,
Because that is a moment of mindfulness.
Come back to following your breath with a smile.
Because following the breath like this,
Will help your body to calm down and relax.
Help your nervous system to shift from fight or flight,
To the relaxation response.
We have one whole part of our anatomic nervous system,
Built to relax.
All it takes is breathing in,
Aware that you're breathing in.
Breathing out,
Aware that you are breathing out.
Sounds will come and go,
Just like thoughts come and go.
All the while,
Breathing in and breathing out.
For those of you who've been practicing for a while,
Imagine sitting in your mentally quiet space somewhere inside,
Just observing your breath,
Coming in,
Going out.
That internal safe space,
That island in yourself,
Where you can rest and be at ease.
While you're breathing in and breathing out,
Relax your feet,
Your toes,
Your ankles.
Relax your calves and knees.
Relax your thighs and hips.
One hip across the pelvis to the other hip.
Hips and both legs.
Muscles becoming soft,
Gentle,
Relaxed,
At ease.
Perhaps even beginning to feel a little warm,
A little heavy.
Noticing that gentle pull of gravity.
All the while,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
That's it.
Breathing in and out.
Relaxing your fingers,
Your hands and wrists.
Relaxing your forearms,
Elbows.
Relaxing your upper arms and shoulders.
One shoulder across the collarbone to the other shoulder.
Shoulders drooping.
Arms,
Hands and fingers becoming warm,
Heavy and relaxed.
All those muscles softening,
Loosening.
Blood and lymph flowing more easily.
Both the arms and the legs.
Energy of your body moving more freely.
Down the arms to the fingers.
Back up the arms to the shoulders and armpits.
Down the legs to the toes.
Back up the legs to the hips and pelvis.
I invite you to enjoy any and all sensations of relaxation,
Comfort.
That you may be experiencing right now.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Perhaps giving yourself a gentle smile.
For this can be a happy moment.
Begin to relax your torso.
Low back,
Abdomen.
Mid back and upper abdomen.
Upper back,
Chest.
All the muscles around the ribs.
Relaxing the abdomen.
Chest breathing muscles.
It becomes even easier to take a nice,
Relaxed,
Full breath.
Adding energy to your body as well as comfort.
Imagine the organs in your chest,
Ribs,
Torso.
Relaxing also.
Your heart circulatory system relaxing.
As the arteries and veins relax,
Blood flows more easily.
Blood pressure goes down.
As the chest relaxes,
The lungs can expand more,
Bringing in more oxygen.
Enriching your blood.
Healing what needs to be healed.
Stomach relax,
The organs of digestion relaxing.
Liver,
Spleen,
Pancreas relaxing.
Kidneys relaxing.
Moving up,
Relax.
Back of your neck,
Relax the throat.
Let the back of your head relax.
Top of your head relax.
Muscles around the ears on the sides of the head,
Relax.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Breathing in,
Saying to yourself,
Relax.
Breathing out,
Saying to yourself,
Calm.
Over and over.
Relaxing your forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eyelids,
And the eyes themselves.
Muscles that move your eyes.
Relax your nose and cheeks.
Lips,
Tongue.
Your throat and your jaws.
Allow the head to rise a little bit as the muscles relax in the neck and throat.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Breathing in,
Feeling relaxed.
Breathing out,
Feeling happy.
Now very gradually,
Let your breath become a little bit more full.
It's gotten very quiet.
A little bit more deep,
Bringing more energy in.
Wiggle your fingers a little bit,
Wiggle your toes a little bit.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Move,
Stretch.
