How do we practice Qigong?

In daily life, we often hear the word Qigong. Sometimes when we watch movies and TV series, we always think that Qigong is a very mysterious thing. In fact, it is not like that. Everyone can practice Qigong by themselves, because Qigong is actually a kind of exercise to adjust breathing and mind. As long as we practice simple Qigong, we can also achieve the effect of exercising the body and mind. So how should we practice Qigong specifically?

Qigong occupies a very important position in the traditional culture of our country, so we must inherit and carry forward Qigong. Qigong can bring complete changes to our body, adjust our mood, and develop our subconscious mind. So if you have time, interested readers may try the following methods.

1. Master the three elements of Qigong practice: regulating breathing, regulating the body, and regulating the mind

When practicing Qigong, one must first work on regulating the breath, body, and mind.

(1) Adjusting the mind means consciously controlling conscious activities, which is the core link of Qigong exercise. The basic requirement is to be clear-minded, eliminate distracting thoughts and achieve a state of tranquility. Difficulty in entering a state of tranquility is a major obstacle for beginners in practicing qigong. Since tranquility is related to the effectiveness of practice, beginners are often eager to achieve tranquility, which in turn makes them impatient. The more they practice, the more annoyed they become, and it becomes even more difficult to enter a state of tranquility.

To enter into a state of tranquility means to change random thoughts into quiet thoughts through concentration of mind, and then to achieve a state of having no thoughts, being peaceful, happy and at ease. Concentrating the mind means focusing on a certain part of the body or an activity, or imagining something that is beneficial to the body. The most commonly used method of focusing the mind is to combine breathing with focusing the mind on the Dantian.

Dantian refers to the Qihai point one and a half inches below the navel. It is not a point or a surface, but a sphere. The combination of breathing and focusing the mind on Dantian is called Qi through Dantian. The general method of channeling Qi into Dantian is: perform abdominal breathing, that is, when inhaling, the diaphragm descends, abdominal pressure increases, and the lower abdomen bulges outward, as if Qi is inhaled into Dantian through the lungs; when exhaling, the lower abdomen retracts, as if Qi is exhaled from the lower abdomen through the lungs.

(2) Breathing control is the conscious control of breathing. The basic requirements are “fine, quiet, even, and long”, gradually achieving silence and no breath. A state of continuous in and out, of being in and out of existence. When you first practice, be sure to be natural and don't force yourself. Slowly progress from audible to silent, from short to long. It is best to practice the "Qi Guan Dantian" method. As for the "Big Zhoutian" and "Small Zhoutian" qi circulation methods, you can learn them gradually after you have a certain level of skill.

Circulating Qi means leading the Qi with the mind through deep and long breathing and holding the breath, opening up the meridians, and allowing the mind to follow the Qi to circulate around the body. This was also called "holding the breath", "drawing in the qi", "moving the qi", "moving the qi", "moving qi", etc. in ancient times. If you direct Qi to the affected area to treat yourself, it is called "moving Qi"; if you send Qi outward to treat others, it is called "distributing Qi".

(3) Body adjustment means consciously controlling the posture and movements of the body. Body adjustment is generally divided into "walking, standing, sitting, lying and sitting". These five situations must be coordinated with regulating the mind and breathing.

Conducted together. The general requirement for body adjustment is to loosen up your clothes, be comfortable and natural, and be informal.

When walking, you should be straight and steady, pay attention to the road, let the Qi flow through Dantian, exhale and lift your anus, and inhale and relax.

Stand upright, feet parallel and shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, torso straight, chest and abdomen tucked in, arms half raised forward, elbows and wrists bent as if holding a ball, eyes half closed, staring at the tip of the nose, then

Then regulate your breathing and focus your mind on Dantian, like the “Three Circles Standing Stance”.

Sitting, there are two types: freestyle and cross-legged:

Freestyle: Choose a chair, stool or bed of appropriate height, sit with your feet on the ground, legs shoulder-width apart, hands facing up, palms stacked together in front of the abdomen, eyes half open, looking at the nose

Or put your hands together like a Buddha, with your eyes half open and looking at the fingertips.

There are three types of cross-legged sitting: single cross-legged, double cross-legged and natural cross-legged. Single-cross-legged sitting is to place one calf on top of the other calf; double-cross-legged sitting is to place the right calf on top of the left calf first, then lift the left calf and place it on top of the right calf, with the two calves crossed and the soles of the feet facing up on the thighs; natural cross-legged sitting is to cross the two calves naturally into an eight-shape, with the feet pressed under the thighs. The upper body posture is the same as freestyle. You should prepare a soft cushion when practicing the exercise. When your legs feel numb, you can do self-massage before finishing the exercise.

This exercise is suitable for people who are sick or suffering from insomnia and can be performed before going to bed. It is best to lie on the right side with the head slightly forward. The lower hand is naturally placed in front of the pillow with the elbow bent, the palm facing up. The upper hand is naturally placed on the thigh, the palm facing down, or placed on the dantian, with the palm pressing on the abdomen. The leg posture is that the lower leg is naturally straight or slightly bent, and the upper knee is bent 120 degrees and placed on top of the other leg.

Doing has two meanings: one is to adopt a reasonable and non-tiring posture according to the nature of the work during daily work, and coordinate with focusing on Dantian and abdominal breathing. Its spiritual essence is to focus on Dantian and practice Qigong at all times and in all places; the second is to guide the dynamic exercises of various schools such as Yin-Yang and Tai Chi, which have a variety of postures and movements. Learners should choose one and practice it seriously. In short, adjusting the body means adjusting the shape so that your body conforms to the requirements of the posture and form of the exercises.

2. Essentials of Qigong Practice

(1) Relaxation and tranquility complement each other and follow nature.

Relaxation and tranquility are closely related. Relaxation of the whole body can promote tranquility, and after entering tranquility, the whole body will inevitably relax, so the two complement each other. Relaxation, on the one hand, means relaxing the muscles of the whole body, and this relaxation must be in a state of being relaxed but not slack. It is easier to relax your whole body in a lying position, but after getting into position, you should shake your whole body slightly a few times to achieve comfort. To maintain both standing and sitting positions, certain muscles must be in a tense state, but they also need to be relaxed as much as possible. Another aspect of relaxation is relaxation of consciousness. First of all, it should be accompanied by relaxation of muscles throughout the body so that the whole body has a comfortable and relaxed feeling. In addition, when focusing on breathing or Dantian, the mind should not be too concentrated. Tension should be eliminated to achieve relaxation of mental consciousness. Quiet refers to relative quietness. In terms of breathing, the in and out breathing is silent, and one feels relaxed and comfortable. In terms of consciousness, it emphasizes achieving tranquility through concentration and eliminating distracting thoughts. In short, relaxation, tranquility and naturalness are the key to practicing qigong. If mastered well, good results can be achieved quickly. If mastered improperly, deviations will often occur.

(2) Practice your mind and qi, and achieve unity of mind and qi.

The Qi in Qigong mainly refers to the true Qi (original Qi). When you first start practicing Qigong, you must start by practicing the lung Qi (the air you breathe). When exercising lung qi, the breathing methods used vary depending on the method. Even so, no matter what kind of exercises are used, most of them require breathing to be "slow, even, fine, long and slow". People who are well-trained in qigong can even breathe two or three times per minute, forming slow abdominal breathing. The exercise of exhaling and inhaling must be practiced gradually from shallow to deep, from fast to slow. It is not possible to form complete deep breathing in a short period of time. When you first practice, you must use your mind to guide the breathing. After practicing to a certain level, you will be able to achieve natural and regular breathing. Practice the mind: one is to eliminate distracting thoughts and achieve tranquility; the other is to focus the mind on Dantian, so that the whole body will undergo more profound changes. It is very difficult for beginners of Qigong to eliminate distracting thoughts quickly. They must practice for a certain period of time to gradually reduce distracting thoughts and achieve the state of tranquility.

How to combine the training of mind and the training of qi during the practice? When you start to practice breathing, you should also focus on your breathing to help you practice breathing as quickly as possible. Wait for it to be long. After even breathing is formed, pay attention to the rise and fall of your abdomen with your breathing. When the breathing exercise is very proficient, you can naturally achieve the state of Qi flowing through Dantian even without paying attention to breathing. At this time, you can simply focus on Dantian. By practicing Qi and mind in this way, the two can be closely combined to achieve unity of mind and Qi, make the true Qi abundant, and achieve the goal of curing diseases and improving health.

(3) Emotional balance and good mood.

In Qigong treatment, emotional balance and a good mood must be emphasized to promote health and eliminate diseases. In addition, there will be a feeling of comfort and euphoria after each exercise.

(4) Take a step-by-step approach and don’t rush for success.

In the initial stage of practicing, one should not be impatient for quick results; the effects will gradually appear as the practice time increases. Although the training method is not very complicated, it takes a certain amount of time to master it.

(5) Practice and cultivate together and combine them closely.

Combining practice and recuperation means giving equal importance to practicing exercises and proper rest. Just practicing exercises without paying attention to proper rest will be an obstacle to defeating the disease, so practice and rest must be closely combined. Reasonable recuperation should include: paying attention to proper rest, regular life, optimistic mood, moderate diet, moderate physical activity, etc. These contents should be paid attention to throughout the entire practice process and even throughout one's life.

(6) Fix the exercise method and practice it at an appropriate time.

There are many exercises currently circulating in various places. Some exercises have been widely used in clinical practice and have shown good results; some exercises are only practiced by a few individuals and have not yet been fully disclosed to the public, or are used by very few people, so it is difficult to determine their effectiveness. Practitioners should, under the guidance of a doctor, choose 1 to 2 appropriate exercises according to their condition, physical condition, and daily habits. This will make it easier to master and achieve results.

(7) Summarize experience and avoid deviation.

Qigong therapy mainly requires patients to master the requirements and methods of practicing the exercises by themselves and to practice them continuously. Most exercises are not smooth sailing, and in serious cases, deviations may occur. The most common reasons for this situation are being impatient for quick results, failing to proceed step by step, breathing too hard, blindly pursuing deep, slow breathing, or focusing too much, or blindly pursuing certain feelings. As a result, breathing difficulties, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and even respiratory disorders, headaches, dizziness, and mental tension occur. The formation of deviation often progresses from subtle to obvious, from light to heavy. When it begins to show signs, it is easier to correct and takes less time. If the deviation has already formed, it is more difficult to correct. Therefore, at the beginning of practicing, you must experience it in depth and detail, summarize your experience, find out the shortcomings, and correct them in time to avoid deviations.

3. Notes on practicing

First, choose a suitable place to practice.

A quiet environment is especially important for beginners. When practicing outdoors, it is best to choose a place with fresh air, such as woods, lawns, or flower beds; when practicing indoors, you should also keep the air circulating. The lighting in the practice place should be dim, which is conducive to entering a state of tranquility quickly. But whether indoors or outdoors, you should not let the wind blow directly on your body, especially on the back of your neck and back.

Secondly, you should get rid of worries and be in a good mood before practicing.

Strenuous physical and mental activities should be stopped 20 minutes before practicing to ensure that the muscles of the whole body are relaxed and the mind is calm during the practice. This is also beneficial for adjusting breathing and concentrating the mind into a state of tranquility. Before practicing, you should loosen your clothes and belt to help relax your muscles and allow for smooth breathing. If you choose to lie down, you should take off your outer clothes and lie down on the bed. Before practicing, you should also eliminate the big

Urine.

Finally, pay attention to the frequency and duration of your practice.

Beginners can practice once a day when they are most awake. The practice time is 15 to 30 minutes. For those who are proficient in the practice, the practice time can be increased several times, each time extending to 30 to 60 minutes. During the practice period, you should lead a regular life, increase nutrition in your diet appropriately, and get rid of smoking and drinking habits. At the same time, you should pay attention to avoid interference from the seven emotions and maintain emotional stability. After finishing the exercise, do not stand up in a hurry. Instead, wipe your face with both hands and rub your eyes gently. Then stand up slowly and move your limbs. But it should be noted that it is not advisable to practice qigong when you are hungry or full; you should stop practicing qigong when you have fever, diarrhea, severe cold or excessive fatigue.

The above article introduces the effects of Qigong. Qigong can exercise our bodies, adjust our psychology, and even develop our subconscious mind. It is a good choice for our health exercise. However, how to learn Qigong seems mysterious. As long as we follow the tutorial and consult professionals, I believe we can learn it.