Exercise #8 – Push Up on Sky/Press Down on Earth

HEALING T’AI CHI

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  “All things have their backs to the female
and stand facing the male.
When male and female combine,
all things achieve harmony.”

                                                  Tao Te Ching, #41, Translated by S. Mitchell

 

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   Balance is central to the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is the principle underlying T’ai Chi.   The ancient Chinese believed that spiritual, mental, physical or emotional imbalance is the reason for all illnesses.  Dis-ease is caused by a lack of ease somewhere in the body, mind or soul, rooted in a lack of balance between the yin or female principle and the yang or male principle.  If these two elements are not in balance and at ease with one another, illness or injury will surely follow.

Each movement in the following exercises involves a soft activity (yin) and a hard activity (yang).  In general, whenever you are breathing in, the movement will be soft.  Whenever you are breathing out, the motion of your arms or legs will be hard, the muscles tightening, the movement forceful.   Keep that in mind as you follow the instructions for the exercise below.

 

Exercise #8 – Push Up on Sky/Press Down on Earth

Imagine yourself occupying the space between the sky (yang) and the earth (yin).  By touching each, you are connecting with the energies of both.

Benefits – This exercise will help balance your yin and yang as it stretches your arm muscles and trims your waistline. 

Posture – Sit against the back of your chair so that your back is completely supported.  Your feet should be flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.  Sit up straight, shoulders pressed down, head held high.

1. Begin with your hands resting on your thighs.  Take a deep breath in through your nose.  This is a yin motion so your muscles should be completely relaxed.
2. As you breathe out through your mouth, bring your right arm up with the palm facing the ceiling, pressing upward.  At the same time, press downward with your left hand, palm facing the floor.  This is yang so tighten your muscles and press upward and downward as hard as you can.
3. As your arms return to your thighs, breathe in and relax your arms.
4. Change arms and repeat the exercise, paying particular attention to the difference between the yin and yang movements.
5. Repeat for a total of 18 times alternating arms each time.

 

 

Use the following acupressure point to enhance your exercise session.  The point is called Crooked Pond and is very effective to stimulate the immune system.

• Bend your left arm in front of your chest.
• Press your right thumb against the pressure point at the end of the crease just below the upper arm bone.
• Hold this point for at least 30 seconds then reverse arms and hold your thumb at the Crooked Pond pressure point on the other side for another 30 seconds.

  Don’t forget to drink water after your exercise session.

 

 

~~~The information on this blog is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner.  Please see your health care provider before beginning any new fitness program.~~~

Exercise #7 – White Crane

T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available at Barnes and Noble.

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Healing Tai Chi

“Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
accomplish the great task
by a series of small acts.”

  Tao Te Ching, #63, Translated by S. Mitchell

 

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 Ask the Sage: What is a dan tien?

A dan tien is a location in the body where energy is stored.   These repositories can be found at three locations: 3 finger widths below the belly button, just under the diaphragm, and at the center of the head.  The lower dan tien i.e., the one below your belly button, contains or stores your physical and sexual energy.  The middle dan tien (the one close to your diaphragm) stores your emotional energy.   You can get a good idea of where the third dan tien is located by imagining a line drawn from the top of one ear through your skull to the top of the other ear and a second line drawn from between your eyebrows at about the point of the third eye straight to the back of your head.  Where these two lines intersect is approximately the location of the pineal gland and your upper dan tien.  This is the repository for your mental and spiritual energy.  When we “center ch’i”, we are drawing the different types of energy to the center of the body and returning the excess to the three dan tiens.

Exercise #7 – White Crane

In this exercise, you will be squeezing and massaging your internal organs, working them as you breathe deeply and twist your trunk from side to side.  The meridian (energy pathway) receiving the most stimulation will be the one that circles your waist.  As a result, this action will reduce the size of your waist.

Posture: Sit as usual with your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.  Press your back against the back of your chair allowing for the natural curve of your spine. Make sure you are sitting up tall and that your head is balanced on your neck as though it were suspended by a string from the ceiling.

Benefits: Your internal organs will be energized and your waistline reduced.

1. Begin with your right hand alongside your right ear, palm forward.  Press your left hand toward the floor, palm down and elbow straight.  Take a deep breath in through your nose.
2. From the waist, twist your torso to the left as far as you are able, breathing out through your mouth as you do so.
3. Reverse your hands so that your left hand is now alongside your left ear and your right hand is pressing toward the floor, palm down.  Begin breathing in as you turn slowly to the front again.
4. Continue the movement to the right, blowing out through your mouth as you twist from your waist as far to the right as you can.  Then change hands again and begin moving back to face front while breathing in.
5. Repeat from left to right changing hands for a total of 18 twists or 9 turns to each side.

 

 

To enhance your exercise session of White Crane, use the acupressure point called Blazing Valley to relieve swelling and water retention.

• Lie on your back so that you can comfortably reach the arch of your foot.
• Press firmly with your thumb at the middle of your arch midway between the tip of your big toe and the very back of your heel.
• Hold for at least 30 to 60 seconds.  Then, change feet and repeat the steps above.

Benefits:  Use this pressure point as often as you wish, whenever you feel bloated or your feet and ankles are swollen.

 

 

~~~The information in this blog is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner.  Please see your health care provider before beginning any new fitness program~~~ 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise #6 – Center Your Ch’i

T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available at Barnes and Noble.

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HEALING T’AI CHI

 

   “If you open yourself to insight,
you are at one with insight
and you can use it completely.”

  Tao Te Ching, #23, translated by S. Mitchell 

                     

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  Ask the Sage:  How does ch’i move through the body? 

Ch’i moves along invisible pathways called “meridians”.   The number of meridians is generally considered to be 365.  Any of these pathways can become clogged due to illness, injury, an improper diet, insufficient rest, or environmental pollutants.  Where the path of a meridian crosses another meridian is called a junction point.  It is here where the energy or ch’i is most likely to become stuck.  Acupuncturists insert needles into these areas to open the passageway and allow energy to pass through unimpeded.  Exercises and self-acupressure can resolve many of the problems caused by blocked ch’i.  Regular practice of the exercises in this blog will increase the flow of energy and may prevent many ordinary bouts of fatigue and illness.  If the problem persists, however, an acupuncture treatment may be necessary.

 

Exercise #6 – Center Your Ch’i

In this exercise, we are collecting bits of energy from all over our bodies and returning them to the neutral position in the lower dan tien (more about this later).  Using this exercise at the beginning and again at the end of each exercise section will ensure that your energy remains centered and readily available.

Posture – Sit with your back against the back of your chair, allowing for the small natural  curve of your spine.  Make sure your feet are flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.

Benefits – This exercise will center your energy and re-balance your body.

1. Hold your hands, palm up, just above your lap.  Breathe in deeply through your nose while contracting your diaphragm.  In this exercise – unlike the others – your diaphragm is not expanded during inhalation; it is contracted.
2. As you tighten your abdomen, raise your arms out to the side and up over your head to its center.  Your palms are now facing the ceiling, fingers barely touching. (see illustration below)
3. Allow your arms to descend gradually in an arc out to the side.  As you do so, exhale and relax the muscles of your diaphragm and abdomen.
4. Return your arms to the original position in front of the lowest part of your abdomen, palms up.
5. Repeat Centering Ch’i no less than 3 times before you begin your full exercise session, after each section of exercises and again at the end of the complete program.

 

Use the Bigger Rushing (LV3) acupressure point to enhance your exercise session.  Michael Reed Gach in his book, Acupressure’s Potent Points, suggests the following method for stimulating this important point:

• Put your right heel on top of your left foot and rub back and forth in the area between your big toe and the second toe.  Rub this important liver point for at least 30 seconds.
• Change feet now and repeat, using your left foot to rub the same area on the top of your right foot.
• Be sure to give equal attention to both feet for the same amount of time in each session. 

Benefits -This liver point is particularly effective for fatigue, confusion, headaches, nausea and irritability.

  Don’t forget to drink plenty of water!

~The information in this blog is for educational purposes only.  It is no intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner.  Please see your health care provider before beginning any new fitness program.~

  

 

Exercise #5 – Dragon’s Breath

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     The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.

                                                                                  Tao Te Ching, #5

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  Ask the Sage:  What is chi? 

Students often ask me that question.   The Chinese word chi has many different meanings such as soul, spirit, energy or wisdom.  In the context of practicing T’ai Chi, we use the word to refer to the energy that flows continuously and naturally throughout our bodies.  Much like breathing, we are unaware of this movement and make no attempt to exert control over its actions.  But again like breathing, we can and should learn to direct chi with our minds through the regular practice of T’ai Chi so that we can better use this energy where and when we need it.

Exercise #5 – Dragon’s Breath

This exercise will stimulate the movement of chi or energy through your trunk and arms quickly because of the speed and force of the inhalations and exhalations.

Benefits: For quick energy, to stimulate your circulation, cleanse your nasal passages, and tighten your abdominal muscles.

Posture: Begin by sitting with your back against the back of your chair, allowing for the natural curve of your spine.  Feet should be flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart.  Lift your rib cage so you’re sitting comfortably upright and hold your head lightly on your neck.

1. Breathe in slowly through your nose, expanding your diaphragm.  Exhale slowly through your mouth as you tighten your abdominal muscles.  Take 3 slow breaths in and out.
2. Then, inhale and exhale rapidly as though you were sneezing or blowing your nose.  Repeat this 18 times.
3. Gradually begin to slow down your breathing with a slight pause between the inhalation and the exhalation.  Take 6 breaths in and out (with pauses) to return to your normal breathing rate.
4. Repeat the entire breathing pattern 6 times.

 

Use the following acupressure point to enhance your exercise session and increase the flow of chi throughout your body.  It is called Sea of Energy and is located 3 finger widths below your belly button.

• Press firmly on this very effective point (3 finger widths below your belly button).
• Hold for at least 9 deep, slow breaths.
• Repeat as often as you wish.

Benefits: Regular use of this acupressure point will reduce general feelings of weakness and extreme fatigue.

 

 

–The information in this blog is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner.  Please see your health care provider before beginning any new program.–

 

 

 

 

Exercise #4 – Backward Arm Swings

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T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available at Barnes and Noble.

“The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.”
                                                 Tao Te Ching, #8

  Seventy five percent of our bodies’ fluid composition is water.  Our brain tissue is believed to be 85% water.  It goes without saying then that keeping hydrated is essential not only for good health but for life itself.

Most of us assume we don’t need to drink water unless we experience dryness in the mouth.   Unfortunately, the need for water to replenish the body’s tissues occurs well before our mouths feel dry.  Many of us have the habit of drinking coffee and/or caffeinated soft drinks all day long.  The overuse of these products may dull our ability to measure when we are dehydrated.  The caffeine in coffee and in most soft drinks not only reduces the water contained in them but also depletes the body’s reserves of water.

Simple hydration, however, is not our only concern here.  Because we are using T’ai Chi exercies to rid our bodies of toxins, we must also consider the importance of flushing them thoroughly so that these same toxins will not remain trapped.  Keep a glass or a waterbottle handy.  As you go through the exercises, take a healthy sip of water at the end of each section or whenever your mouth begins to feel dry.  As a reminder, I will place a graphic of a pitcher and glass of water (see below) at the end of each section. 

 

  The following exercise is recommended for daily use not only by T’ai Chi instructors but by yoga practitioners as well.   By swinging your arms back and forth, you are opening your chest to increase the inward flow of fresh air and expelling toxins that are trapped in the alveoli or small sacs at the bottom of your lungs. 

Exercise #4 – Backward Arm Swings

Posture – Sit with your back against the back of your chair, allowing for the natural curve in your spine.  Your feet should be flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.

Benefits – Strengthening and tightening of your arm muscles as well as opening your chest for more healthful, deep breathing.

1. Swing your arms backward with your palms facing the wall behind you.
2. Allow your arms to swing naturally forward.  In other words, the push occurs on the backward swing then your arms will move forward naturally with the momentum created by the backward motion.
3. Repeat for 27 swings or 3 sets of 9 swings each.

 

 Use the following acupressure point to enhance your exercise session.  This pressure point is called the Great Abyss.   (Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your practice.)

• This point is located on the palm side of your hand at the base of your thumb in the center of the pad.
• Press firmly on this point while breathing deeply in through your nose and blowing the stale air out through your mouth.
• Count at least 6 breaths, then release your finger.
• Repeat on the other hand for at least 6 breaths.  Use this pressure point as often as you wish throughout the day.

Benefits – This is a convenient and powerful pressure point to relieve coughing or a swollen throat.

  

 

 

–The information in this blog is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner.  Please see your health care provider before beginning any new program.–

Exercise #3 – Butterfly

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T’ai Chi in a Chair: Easy 15-Minute Routines for Beginners is now available at Barnes and Noble.

  Tai Chi is defined as an internal martial art.  That means that all the movements and the resulting flow of energy through the body is directed by the mind and not reliant on highly developed muscles, toughened hands or youthful stamina.   For that reason, Tai Chi can be practiced successfully by people of any age or level of physical fitness.  Even if you are confined to a wheelchair or have limited mobility because of arthritis, a heart condition or Parkinson’s, you can practice Tai Chi without worrying about exacerbating your condition.  Think about your mind as the Director of the activity, working in conjunction with your arms, legs, torso, head or neck.  As you go through the following exercises, remember that your mind is leading the process, breath begins each movement and your body follows your breathing.  In other words, think about where you want the energy or ch’i to go, begin your inhalation/exhalation and – only then – start moving your arms or legs.

“Empty your mind of all thoughts.
Let your heart be at peace.”

                       Tao Te Ching, #16

 We’ve talked before about the importance of breathing properly.   Breathing is automatic, of course, so bad habits are also automatic.  By practicing these exercises frequently, however, that will change; correct and deeper breathing will become reflexive and habitual.

Exercise #3 – Butterfly

Posture - Sit with your feet flat on the floor shoulder-width apart.  Press your back against the back of your chair, allowing for the natural small curve in your spine.  Sit up straight with your shoulders pressed down and your head held high.

Benefits – This exercise will open your chest expanding your lungs to their fullest extent.

1. Begin with your hands at your waist.  Move them forward and slightly upward until they are directly in front of your solar plexus.
2. Turn your hands back to back and push forward until your elbows are straight.  As you move your arms forward, inhale deeply through your nose, expanding your diaphragm.  Continue breathing in until your arms are as far in front of you as possible.
3. As you move your arms out to the side and behind you, exhale, tightening your diaphragm and abdominal muscles.  Make sure that you are using your diaphragm not your shoulders to move the air in and out of your lungs.
4. Repeat nine times.

 Use this acupressure point to enhance your exercise session.   This point is called Letting Go. 

• Cross your arms in front of your chest. 
• At the outer part of your chest, just before your large shoulder bones, measure 3 finger widths below your collarbone.  This is the Letting Go pressure point.
• Hold your middle fingers at each spot and press firmly for at least 6 deep, cleansing breaths.

-Information in this blog is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner.  Please see your health care provider before beginning any new fitness program-

 

Exercise #2 – Flower Bud Opens

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Today’s cell phones and Blackberries make us more efficient than we have ever been before but the very portability of these digital wonders also tethers us to work and other obligations.  In the past, when we came home after work, we considered ourselves “off the clock.”  That is no longer the case for many people.  It’s no wonder so many of us experience high levels of stress!

Medical practitioners tell us that stress is at the root of 85% of all diseases.   So, if we reduce stress, it stands to reason that we will also reduce illness.  Therefore, choosing an exercise program that results in strengthening, toning and, most importantly, relaxation and stress reduction is crucial to our well-being.

“Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.”

                                                                                  Tao Te Ching, #9

 

 In this exercise you’re expanding your chest and lungs.  Imagine that the energy that has been brought up through the center of your body as you take a deep breath is now extended all the way to the top of your head.  Energy will be circulating through your shoulders, neck, head and arms.  

Before you begin, think about the first yawn of the morning.  It is deep and satisfying; your chest opens wide as clean, clear air enters your lungs.

Exercise #2 – Flower Bud Opens

Posture: Begin with your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.  Sit back against your chair so that your back is flat except for the natural curve of your spine.  At the point where your arms move upward and over your head, arch your back away from the chair and hold that arched position until you begin to bring your arms out to the side and back to the front of your chest.  Return to your original position as you repeat the exercise.

Benefits: Your chest will open to the fullest extent possible allowing for a deeper  inhalation while lifting your rib cage.

1. Raise your hands over your head - with palms facing - through the middle of your chest. There is tension in your arms as you move them upward.
2. Press your arms down to the sides, palms facing the floor as you arch your back.
3. Bring your arms behind you, completely relaxed again and loose, and then return them to the front of your chest.
4. Repeat the exercise nine times. 

  Try the following acupressure point to enhance your exercise session.  It is called Great Abyss and is located in the groove at the wrist fold below the base of your thumb.

• Press one thumb firmly at the base of your other thumb.
• Hold your thumb at this accupressure point while you take six deep cleansing breaths
• Repeat as often as necessary to relieve your lung problems, coughing or asthma..

-Information in this blog is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner.  Please see your health care provider before beginning any new fitness program-