Hands on the Belly to Relax the Brain.

This is another very simple technique that I use often in order to calm and reduce conceptual activity and center myself fully in my body. I use it most frequently when my mind is whizzing when I lie down to go to sleep at night, or if I want to take a quick nap during the day and want to move into a state of relaxed non-conceptuality relatively fast. It can be done sitting, standing or lying down:
Simply place your hands one on top of the other on your belly, just beneath your belly button. Close your eyes, relax the brain and simply focus on the feeling of warmth that the resting hands create on the lower belly. If you like you can imagine that the lower belly area is like a magnet, and that energy from the brain is gently being attracted down into the torso by the pull of this magnet. However, to be honest I find that this is not necessary, the natural sensation of the hand on the belly does the work for you, without you having to do a lot else!

© Toby Ouvry 2009 please do not reproduce without permission.

Free Form Breathing - Allowing your Body Conscousness to Decide

One very simple technique that can be used in order both to prepare for Qi Gong exercise and also as a general calming and grounding meditation exercise is as follows:
Simply ask your body how it wants to breathe in order to find its point of balance, relaxation and calm. Then simply allow your bodies consciousness to guide the pace, depth and manner of your breathing for a few minutes.

In this exercise rather than imposing a technique or form upon our breathing and body, we allow our body consciousness to guide us in the breathing pattern IT needs to do most in order to find centered-ness, relaxation and calm. It may decide that we need to breathe in short bursts with an emphasis on the outbreath, it may guide us toward long, evenly spaced breathing or whatever (you may be a little surprised!). The point is that we are allowing our body consciousness to do it, rather than dictating to our body what the rhythm should be.
Once you have done this for a short while you may find that your mind and body are calmer and more centered, and you can go onto engage in whatever activity you then wish with a greater sense of poise and presence of mind.

© Toby Ouvry 2009 please do not reproduce without permission.

Solar Qi Gong Meditation

This is a meditation that is designed to connect to and move energy from three solar sources through our body and energy system, and in particular though our middle, upper and lower dan tiens. The three solar sources are the sun that is the center of our solar system, the molten solar core of the earth and our own solar center located in the center of the chest (middle dan tien).
Once you are familiar with it you will find that solar energy is a particularly powerful form of Qi which can be used to great healing, clearing and regenerating effect within our physical, energetic, soul and spiritual bodies.

Begin by sitting in a comfortable meditation posture in a chair with your feet comfortably on the floor, or standing in the Qi Gong standing posture. Settle your mind and body with a few relaxed deep breaths.

Be aware of the Sun that is the center of our solar system, see it as being directly above your head in the sky.
Now send your awareness down into the center of the earth, feel the sun within the center of the earth.
Now feel into the center of your chest, somewhere between the level of your heart and the level of your solar plexus (it varies slightly for different people, go with what you feel regarding precise location), see a beautiful ball of solar light/fire there, the sun within the center of your being.

Focusing on the sun above you in the sky. See a line of light now descending to the point above the crown of your head. See being formed there a powerful and bright miniature sun.
Now see a line of light from the sun within the earth extending up to the point immediately beneath your feet. See a bright and powerful miniature sun
being formed immediately beneath the soles of your feet.

Now see the miniature sun above the crown of your head descend and locate itself in the center of your brain and head area (upper dan tien), so that it is almost like a halo surrounding your head and neck.
Focusing on the miniature sun beneath the soles of your feet, see it rising up your legs and locating itself in the center of your sacral area, just above the hips (lower dan tien).
You now have three suns locates in your lower abdomen, heart and head respectively.

See the lower sun in your abdomen rising and merging with the sun at your heart. Now see the sun in your head descending and merging with the sun at your heart.
See the lower sun continuing to rise from the heart and coming to rest in the head. See the upper sun continuing down from the heart into the lower abdomen.
Now the ''sun in the lower abdomen'' and the ''sun in the head'' have exchanged places.

After holding this visualization for a while, see the both suns gradually descending and/or ascending from where they now are back to their original positions in the head and the lower abdomen, so that the three suns are now back in their original positions.

Now see the three suns merging and forming a unified column of light from your pelvis all the way up to the crown of your head. Hold this visualization for a short while, then see the light expanding out into your whole body and energy field, until eventually you feel as if you have a very bright sun surrounding and interpenetrating your entire body and being, the center of which is in the middle of your chest. You can either hold this visualization for a while, or if you like direct the solar energy/light to any areas of your body that may need it for healing purposes. You can also send it to people or places that you may want to assist in any kind of healing process.

Finnish in your own time, ensuring that you have connected and grounded yourself fully back in your physical body before getting up and moving on.

© Text Toby Ouvry 2009, please do not reproduce without permission.

Some Questions on Qi Gong: On warming down after practicing Qi Gong, and on Qi Gong and the Chakras.

1) Why is it recommended not to expose your body to cold water after a Qi gong work out?

Essentially the reason is that, after a Qi Gong workout all the cells of your body, and the pores of the skin are energetically open. So, any cold energy that the body is exposed to, such as having a cold shower or jumping into a cold swimming pool will immediately penetrate the body which can result in a chill. So this is the same reason that when people are living in the tropics they should be careful of exposing their bodies to cool breezes (eg by going into an air conditioned environment after having been outside for a while). The ''cold'' energy will penetrate deeply into the body because the body's energy gateways are open. If you imagine a house with all its doors and windows open, any breeze will immediately penetrate into the heart of the house from outside. It is the same with our bodies in hot temperatures or when we have been doing an activity such as Qi Gong.

2) What is the relationship between the ''three dan tiens'' of Qi Gong philosophy and practice and the seven chakras taught in yoga and other spiritual traditions?

Quite a lot could be written on this one, but essentially Qi Gong identifies three main energy centers within the body; the lower dan tien which is in the sacral area, and houses the vital energy (jing) that overlights our physical body. The middle dan tien which resides in the center of our torso around the heart level, which is the center of our mental and emotional energy (qi) as well as our ''soul body''. Finally the upper dan tien which resides in the center of the head and houses our spiritual energy (shen) and is the center of our ''spiritual body''.
So, I would quite simply say that these three dan tiens are a three fold way of dividing energy up (energy, mind, spirit), whereas the chakras are a sevenfold, or slightly more complex way of dividing up the same energy (physical, energetic/sexual, emotional/mental, soul, atmic, causal and spiritual).
Another central facet of Qi Gong practice is the ''microcosmic orbit'', which essentially consists of a yang channel or meridian rising from the perineum up the spine, back of neck and head to the crown, and then a yin channel or meridian that travels from the crown down the front of the face (through the tongue, which is why we keep it placed on the roof of the mouth in Qi Gong workouts), neck and torso, all the way back down to the perineum.
These two channels have 14 points, 7 in each channel, spaced along them.
These 14 points form 7 pairs, each facing each other at various points along the torso, head and neck. These opposing yang/yin energy points then create 7 energy vortexes in the center of the body in roughly the places where we are taught the seven chakras are.
So, from a Qi Gong point of view the seven chakras are essentially energy vortexes created by the opposing yin/yang polarities of the microcosmic orbit.

Basic Qi Gong Belly Breathing

In recent classes it has really been apparent how bad breathing habits are really deeply ingrained in us to the extent that unless we really pay attention to it, we don't notice. To this end I have been doing a 'basic Qi Gong belly breathing' with the class at the beginning and end of every session. Here it is, I recommend you use it regularly until it really is an instinctive habit for you and your daily Qi Gong practice:

Stand or sit comfortably with a naturally straight back (for more details on posture see article on "Basic Qi Gong standing posture" here).

Place your hands over your belly, one on top of the other. If you are breathing properly, you will be directing the air down to the bottom of the lungs as you begin each exhalation, such that your belly will gently rise as you breathe in, and you will be able to feel this movement with your hands. Then, as you exhale you will be able to feel the belly gently moving back down to its resting position. Consciously now practice breathing from the belly, so that you can feel the rise and fall of your abdomen as you breathe in and breathe out.

After you have done this for a short while, do the following; As you reach the bottom of your exhalation, gently pull in the belly so that you are drawing in your belly button toward the spine. This drawing in of the spine will cause you to expel any remaining air from the bottom of your lungs, so that as you inhale again you will be breathing totally fresh air into your lungs, and no stagnant air will be left to remain in the lower part of the lungs. Now gently relax the belly and begin your next inhalation, slowly and naturally. Again, use your hands to really be 100% aware of the movement of the belly and abdomen as you are breathing.

In the final section of the exercise, practice combining this basic breathing pattern described above with the drawing up of the pelvic floor. As you breathe in, gently tense the muscles in your perineum. This will cause your pelvic floor to rise and become firm, and you will feel the downward pressure of the abdominal organs pressing upon it as you continue to breathe in. When you reach the top of your inhalation, gently lower the pelvic floor to its starting position by relaxing the muscles in the perineum. Repeat this pattern with each inhalation and exhalation.

This final part of the exercise can take a little bit of getting used to, but it is worth developing as a skill because it enhances the power of our breath to circulate Qi through our body quite substantially. Practising this exercise for five minutes in a day is a Qi Gong exercise that in itself will have noticeable effects on your overall health and well being!

Feet and Crown Breathing

In qi gong the soles of our feet are the main interface or energy gateway between our bodies and the qi of the earth. Conversely, the crowns of our heads are seen as a major gateway between ourselves and the energy of the sky and stars, or ‘heaven’.
In order to encourage the flow and exchange of qi between ourself and the earth we can practice ‘breathing’ through the soles of our feet. In order to do this, simply focus your attention on the soles of your feet. As you inhale, imagine yourself breathing in qi from the earth, like a tree drawing energy up through its roots. As you exhale, imagine and feel yourself breathing energy down into the earth.
In order to encourage the flow of energy between ourself and the sky, visualize a small golf-ball sized ball of light at the crown of your head. As you breathe in, feel yourself inhaling qi and energy from the sky down into your body. As you breathe out, feel energy flowing out of your crown and connecting with the sky.
Once you have a feeling for the flow of qi flowing through the soles of your feet and the crown of your head, you can then go onto practice ‘core body breathing’, or what I call ‘full body breathing’. Whilst practicing these either of these two types of breathing, retain a particular awareness of the energy gateways at the crown of your head and the soles of your feet.
To practice ‘full body breathing’ simply means to feel that, as you breathe in every cell of your body is breathing in and taking in new qi and energy. As you breathe out, every cell of your body is releasing old or stagnant qi, and allowing new qi to flow and expand through itself and our whole body. So, with full body breathing we are breathing with our whole body, and not just with our nose, mouth and lungs!

Core Body Breathing

‘Core body breathing’ is a form of breathing that I find particularly useful when practicing Qi Gong, and also as a method for developing a sense of mind-body synchronization. Like the other forms of breathing mentioned on this blog, it can be practiced on its own as a meditation form in its own right.

What do we mean by the ‘core’ of the body?

In this context, the ‘core’ of the body means the energetic centre-point of any given area of the body.
With regard to the head, neck and torso, you could say that there is a core, centre-line of balance that runs from the crown of our head, down through the centre of our brain, neck, chest and abdomen to the perineum (the mid point between the sexual organs and the anus).
With regard to the arms and hands, their core can be visualized and felt as a line of energy that runs down from the shoulders, through the centre point of the upper arms, elbow joints and forearms. After passing through the wrists, it then splits into five lines of energy that flow down through the hands into the fingers and thumb.
In a similar way with regard to the legs and feet, their core can be seen and felt as two lines flowing down the centre of the legs from the hips, each line splitting into five lines within the feet which pass down though the centre point of each of the toes.

To practice core body breathing: on the inhalation, breathe into the core of your body, feeling qi flow into your body’s energetic core; as you exhale, direct your qi from the core of your body out to the surface/skin. By breathing in this way you encourage qi to flow through all areas of your body and in particular this establishes a communication and exchange between the core qi of your body and its surface qi.