Separating Heaven and Earth

With the fresh brisk air of an early January morning and no more sound than that of songs of a few early raising birds........................ I was un-gracefully stepping between emptiness and fullness as my mind was wondering in thoughts when it should have been in the present moment ..............................as I negotiated my movements through my  normal everyday Tai Chi routine................. I got to thinking about how people talk about not having any "energy" and feeling "blah", slow and sluggish.

I got to thinking about exercises that "release" Energy.

You see, Must people have TO MUCH energy. All the while trying to build up new energy when really what needs to be done is some of that built up energy needs to be released. Built up energy or to much will make you feel sluggish, weak and tired.

So this week I encourage you to try an exercise that releases excess energies and that brings new, clean and fresh oxygen to your cells. This exercise that I have provided for you here is one of many that I practice myself. It comes form Qigong ( CHEE KUNG) a branch of healing from traditional chinese medicine ( TCM). Tai chi comes from Qigong. This exercise will help rid your body of toxic energy, renew the joints and help to open the meridians. It is a good exercise to lengthen and strengthen the spin and back.

You can use it anytime you may feel you have an abundance of energy or stagnate energy. Use it when you feel like you may have the symptoms of a cold coming on.

When performing this exercise move through it slowly and gracefully. Keep your mind focused on the breath and do not let it wonder. It is also a great exercise to use when feeling stressed or angry. Enjoy !

This exercise has different variations and is sometimes called by a different name. I learned it this way and by the name of Separating Hevan and Earth.

STEP 1 . Stand natural and relaxed. Place your hands on your thighs and keep your fingers spread wide apart.

STEP 2. Take a deep breath in through your nose and start to circle your hands out and up.

STEP 3. Continue the hands in an upward movement and bring the palms together overhead.

STEP 4. With palms together, start bringing them down the midline of your body as you slowly exhale through your mouth.

STEP 5. As your hands end in prayer position you should be fully exhaled with your breath. Pause for 2-3 seconds.

STEP 6. As you begin to inhale through your nose ......Start raising your right hand upward and your left hand downward. Tilt your head to follow your eyes upward toward your raising arm.

STEP 7. Stretch your arms as if pushing upward with one and downward with the other. HOLD the breath. Stay here for as long as you can COMFORTABLY hold the breath 8-10 sec. should be fine.

STEP 8. Exhale through the mouth as you begin to lower the right hand and raise the left hand.

STEP 9. At the end of the exhale your hands will stop in prayer position. You should be fully exhaled at this point. pause for 2-3 sec.

STEP 10. As you did in STEP 6- Begin to Inhale through the nose and THIS TIME Raise the LEFT HAND upward and push the RIGHT HAND downward.

STEP 11. Follow the same procedure as in STEP 7 - 10. Returning to prayer position with an exhale through the nose.

Repeat these steps ..............alternating sides at least two more times. Then move onto step 12.

STEP 12. After alternating sides for at least two more rounds............ Lower your hands down and slowly begin a forward bend. Keep your knees slightly bent. Breath out through the mouth.

STEP 13. As you lower...... Relax your neck and you should be at the end of your full exhalation. Remain here for two breaths. Keep your knees bent slightly.

STEP 14. As you Inhale through the nose begin to raise up. Rolling up vertabrea by vertabrea. Slowly and with control.

STEP 15.  As you end your upward spinal roll.......then slowly raise your head to level. End with a roll back of the shoulders and relax back to a normal stance. Take a few regular breaths before ending.