Qi Gong Forms of Exercise for Health

Qigong (chi kung), which can be loosely translated as "energy training," is a Chinese form of exercise that is more than 2,000 years old. According to traditional Chinese theory, qigong works by smoothing out the body's flow of Qi (energy, or chi) through coupling breathing techniques with subtle movements. This, in turn, results in improved health and longevity. Even if you do not buy into the Chinese theory of "qi," Qigong breathing can still benefit you through stress reduction.

Basic Breathing

• As Qigong largely uses the mind and breath to guide the body's energy, the key to effective practice is learning how to breathe properly. Left to their own devices, most people will subconsciously breathe into the chest, expanding the ribcage with every breath. This results in each breath being fairly shallow, as you are failing to use the full capacity of your lungs.

  To change this, learn how to breathe into your diaphragm to perform proper Qigong "belly breathing." The best way to learn and train this is to lie on your back, assuming a comfortable position with your hands resting gently on your stomach. Relax your diaphragm and breath slowly into your belly, feeling the air expand your stomach, lifting your hands upward. Exhale just as slowly, feeling your stomach descend as the air leaves your body. Repeat this pattern of slow, natural breathing for a minimum of five minutes a day.

Flowing Motion Form

• Once you have belly breathing under control, the next step is to incorporate movement to further assist the flow of energy. Thus, you should now replace your static Belly Breathing with the Flowing Motion Form. To perform the Flowing Motion form, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent and arms hanging loosely at your sides. Begin by inhaling slowly into your stomach while simultaneously raising your arms in front of the body with palms facing upward. At the peak of your inhalation, your arms should be at shoulder-height. Begin to exhale while lowering your arms in front of the body with palms facing down. As you complete your exhalation, your arms should be back at your sides. Continue this motion for at least 10 full breaths, but practice longer if you want.

Qigong Stance Transition Form

• Beyond just controlling the breath while sitting or lying, qigong uses various positions to place your body into "open" stances so that qi can flow more freely. Stance Transition training begins with the Horse Stance. To perform a Horse Stance, stand with your feet parallel and about double shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointed forward. Bend at the hips and knees, sitting back as though you were sitting in an invisible chair. You should sink until the top of your thighs are parallel with your knees, but if you cannot get that far down it is all right--just go as low as is comfortable. Keep both hands on your waist or held out in front of the body (as though you were hugging something).

  Now that you are in a Horse Stance, practice transitioning between stances to loosen up the lower body and facilitate smooth energy flow. First, turn your left foot 90 degrees to the left while pivoting your torso slightly to the left as well. f viewed from above, your feet should be making an upside down "T." This is the "Half-Horse Stance." From here, shift your hips fully to the left, moving your weight forward and pivot inward on the ball of your right foot so that it is at a 45-degree angle. Your back (right) leg should now be completely straight with the foot flat on the floor. Your left leg should still be bent so your left thigh is parallel to the floor. This is a "Bow Stance," so named because it appears similar to a drawn bow. From here, simply reverse the steps to take you back into a Horse Stance, then repeat on the other side. Continue transitioning back and forth from Horse to Half-Horse to Bow Stance while using the Basic Breathing technique. Repeat the Stance Transition Form at least five times on each side, increasing repetitions as your strength increases.