elephant journal

Qi Gong is the Alphabet

by Michael on Aug 2, 2009

Imagine yourself at the beautiful coast. Looking down, your view is full of things. Looking up, the view clears and becomes simpler, less busy, calmer. That’s what each movement of Qi Gong brings to you. Qi Gong brings focus. Purpose. Qi Gong eliminates what clutters your mind and body. What’s left is filled with what you’re looking for…

Wear loose, comfortable clothes. Take deep breaths. Qi Gong is something you can do alone or in a group. Let me tell you a little about my experience. I dropped by the Seaside Hostel in Seaside, Oregon. Seeing a flyer that said “Qi Gong at 9am every morning” is what convinced me to stick around.

Admittedly, the area is dramatic. Scenic. Changing every minute. Warm, then colder. Windy, then calm. I looked around and saw a poster with some Qi Gong moves described.

Lift up, press down

Draw in, push away

Pull in. push to sides

Pull in. push up

Push in to front / sides

Sunrise, sunset

Hip circles

Knee circles

Wind mills

Rowing the boat

Archer pulls bow

Stirring the pot

Two rams butt heads

Climbing the ladder

Combing horses mane

Half horse drop

Tiger embraces mountain

Repulse monkey

Bear

Swan

Stork lands on pond

Holding the barrel

Pushing clouds

Bamboo in wind

Ape swings through trees

Fire hands

Holding the ball

Throwing the net of joy

Ball press

Combing your halo

Storage sounds

Standing stake

Lotus hands

Let me try to remember the details. Trung told us: Standing on heels versus balls of feet is different. One is submissive and another is aggressive. We moved our hands like we were holding a ball. A ball of energy. Left and right. Always breathing. Breathing deeply. We went through many moves. These moves comprised the set of exercises. This was my Qi Gong experience. Let me hear about yours! I’d like to hear more about what the parts of Qi Gong add up to for you. What words to Qi Gong’s alphabet spell for you?

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