For General Physical Support

How might you extend care for your body? It is an ancient healing practise that involves gentle, flowing movements to improve the flow of chi, which can be affected by illness and heartache and other disturbances. It can help focus your body to restore grounding and flow. The movements themselves are simple, rather than strenuous, and only require a few repetitions. They have a range of evocative names such as wind blowing into the ears and the fluttering fragrance. The focus is on aligning your breathing with flowing, gentle body movements and there are sets of poses and balances designed for morning or evening practise. The emphasis in qigong is on the flow, rather than the pose, so that we physically become an expression of the life force itself. We consciously breathe calm into the body and mind. Concentrate on the flow between one movement and the other, using a smooth and fluid energy during the practise. Ground and centre yourself, taking a deep breath. Throughout this exercise, your elbows and upper arms remain close to your body. Breathe slowly and gently in rhythm with the movements. Bend your arms up at the elbows, bringing your hands towards your navel, with palms facing the body and fingertips touching lightly.

Full Of Emptiness

Breathe in and open the gate by moving your hands out in an arc, away from your body. Your lower arms move apart until your palms are facing ahead and your chest is open. Notice your heart is open to the world and your back is straight and strong. When your arms are extended, maintain the flow by reversing the movement, breathing out as your hands return to close the gate. Repeat a few times, breathing slowly and gently in rhythm with the movements. Ground and centre yourself, taking a deep breath. Begin with palms facing each other but not touching, at the heart centre. Breathe in slowly and gently. From that position, move both hands slowly, and at the same time, by extending one hand above your head with palm facing upward to the sky, and extending the other, with palm facing downwards to the earth. Allow your face to follow your upper hand, focusing your intention. Rather than holding the pose at any time, continue the flow in your movements as you repeat them. Your breath so that it mindfully supports the movement, which in turn supports the breath.

Still Believing In You

I say in my mind, I am connecting heaven and earth. There are also many sequences available online that can support your quiet qigong practise at home, following someone more experienced, and attuning yourself with their calm and flowing energy in order to extend your own. A common pattern is to use one set of movements for morning practise, with another set for the close of day. Make it a soothing and pleasurable experience. Drawn from giant trees, Cedarwood oil has grounding and soothing effects. Ginger rhizomes are the source of this healing oil that is used to treat nausea. Frankincense oil is drawn from tree sap and used to reduce inflammation and strengthen the immune system. Neroli is a sweet oil that comes from orange blossoms. It has calming and sedative benefits. A bell or gong or singing bowl. Place the feathers and the bell at the base of the candle. I am grateful for my amazing body that allows me to experience so much.

The Hand That Feeds

I tune in to its wisdom. I gather body, mind, and spirit at this time. Begin your music and close your eyes. Tune in to your body, moving slowly and kindly from your toes to the top of your head, noticing and releasing any tension or discomfort. Hold the bell in your hands at your lap and close your eyes again. Notice which parts of your body feel well and vital. At each of those points ring the bell. Notice its vibration and sound. Use your breath to amplify those energies and spread them throughout your body. Take one or more of your feathers. Starting at your feet and moving up your body, feather your skin and clothes and hair. Trust your instincts here to decide whether to feather energies towards you or away from you, reinforcing the wonder and wisdom of your body and releasing that which no longer serves you. Take your time and be loving in your intentions. Draw and release some deep breaths to feel those connections here and now. You may wish to use your journal. What is the vibration of the bell calling you to? What does your body want you to know at this time? What is the message of the feather today? Turn off your music and blow out your candle. Decide where you’ll keep your feathers, knowing you can revisit this experience at any time. Spirit precedes, transcends, and survives the physical self. We can connect with our spirit in our everyday experiences when we encounter the wonder of nature, or when we consider the meaning of life, or when we contemplate the mystery of our existence, or the power of the human spirit. We explore and express spirit through our senses, our relationships, our creativity, through our human rituals, and for some, through spiritual practise or a religious tradition. Bereavement and grief are connected to all these elements and it is not surprising then that grief is a deeply spiritual experience, because it connects us to the deepest mysteries. It is spirit we encounter when we are aware and conscious. If you have ever been with someone who has died, or even been there in the moment of death, you may recognize that something, some essential part of the person has left or disappeared from their body. It is a presence that is sensed rather than seen, felt rather than known. Part of the suffering of loss and grief is that we long for certainty about the existence and nature of the afterlife for our loved one. The spirit lives on in many ways.