- Energy Exercises, Principles and Practice - Long

[Guest guest]

For lack of a better definition, I am going to make one up. In brief

I would say that energy exercises are nothing more than " Basic

Calisthentics with Focused Breathing and Visualized Intention. "

Applying this definition, it is not essential that you understand

the basic energetic patterns of the body, but it is helpful. Also

applying this principle, ANY type of movement, stretching exercise

can be turned into an " energy exercise " by using intention and

awareness.

Let's start with a review of the energetic patterns, beginning with

the meridian structure. There are twelve " paired " meridians, named

after key organs. They are paired in that they are bilateral,

existing on both the left and right sides of the body. In addition,

they are primarily either Yin or Yang meridians (six each), plus

being paired with one of the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese

Medicine (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood). The exception is the

Fire element, which is associated with four meridians. There are

also two non-paired meridians – the Conception Vessel running

longitudinally on the front of the body and the Governing Vessel

running longitudinally on the back of the body. In addition to

these 14, there are 8 Extraordinary Vessels (also called the Strange

Flows), which have no associated acupoints of their own but

intersect and connect the other meridians. The meridians run both

superficially (close to the skin) and deep (within the body).

Acupuncture points are simply those locations where a meridian comes

close to the surface.

As an aside, there is growing scientific evidence to support the

theory that the meridians are actually embedded physically in the

fascia. Knowing what I do about fascia, this makes a great deal of

logical sense to me. Since fascia is the one tissue that literally

wraps and interconnects EVERYTHING else in the body, down to and

including the cellular level, it makes perfect sense that the

meridians, the energetic structure of the body, would be associated

with the fascia and use it as the carrier or transport medium for

the transmission of energetic information throughout the body. And

my growing belief in this interconnection and its association

with " connective tissue " is part of why I have been directing my

attention and personal energies into further study of it.

But, since I am doing a brief review, the element and pair

associations are: Wood (Liver and Gall Bladder), Fire

(Heart/Pericardium and Small Intestine/Triple Warmer), Earth (Spleen

and Stomach), Metal (Lung and Large Intestine), and Water (Kidney

and Urinary Bladder). Each Element also has " qualities " that are

associated with it, such as season, color, climate, human sound,

emotion, taste, body orifice, tissue, smell, body fluid, and sense.

Each meridian also has high and low times, 12 hours apart. The

energy/chi in the body moves through the body in a linear fashion,

one meridian to the next. I am not going to go into more detail on

this here other than to say that it is absolutely astounding what a

fully trained practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine can tell

from all of this, especially when they add in tongue and pulse

diagnostic tools.

Besides the meridians, the body has another separate but related and

interconnected energetic structure. The primary piece of this is

the Chakra system consisting of seven major and multiple minor

Chakras. The major Chakras are the Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus,

Heart, Throat, Third Eye and Crown. As with the meridians, Chakras

are also associated with principle organs or glands. Starting with

the 1st or Root Chakra, these would be the Adrenals, Ovaries/Testes,

Pancreas, Thymus, Thyroid/Parathyroid, Pituitary, and Pineal. Is it

pure coincidence that there also happen to be seven primary

transverse fascial planes in the body, six of which correspond

precisely with the location of primary Chakras: Groin, Sacrum,

Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat and Third Eye? The 7th plane runs around

the head under the jaw line and there is no corresponding plane for

the Crown Chakra. Maybe it is a coincidence. I personally doubt

that very much. In addition to these seven major Chakras, there are

also minor Chakras in the palms and all of the major joints like

knees, elbows and shoulders. Where the energy flow in the meridians

is basically longitudinal, energy flow in the Chakras is circular

around the central point of the Chakra.

The final pieces to discuss are the motor ovals and motor spirals.

I don't know exactly how to describe these except to say I

personally equate these in Polarity and the Chakra structure to the

Eight Strange Flows in the meridian structure. In my mind, they act

in some fashion to link the Chakras together. There are three

main " currents " that run longitudinally (called Long Line Currents),

wrapping around the body (called the Transverse Current), and in a

spiral moving out and around from the navel, in a widening pattern

(called the Spiral Current).

Ok – that's the basic energetic structure. How do we now apply that

in terms of energy exercises? What are we trying to accomplish by

doing the exercises in the first place? We are trying to do several

things. We are trying to increase our supply of environmental

(air/oxygen/earth) energy. We are trying to stimulate the flow of

energy in the body's energetic channels by stretching those

channels. Coincidentally with that, we are trying to clear

blockages in those channels. There are different types of energy or

Chi. There is original Chi (that which we are born with which

resides in the Kidneys – what you start with is what you have to

last your whole life – you don't get any more. Use it wisely.)

Then there is energy or Chi we get from food, water, air, and

associations with those around us, etc. These can be and are

replenished as they are used. Before you start scoffing at the

concept of deriving energy from food, water and air, what do you

think your body is doing every time it takes a breath, swallows a

bite of food, or takes a drink of water? Energy from those around

us? How up does it make you feel being with a harmonious group of

family or friends? How down does it make you feel to be around a

bunch of complainers and gripers? In an Eastern sense, all of this

can be thought of as converting " something " into Chi, into energy.

In a Western sense, think of it as converting one form of matter

into another, breaking food, water and air down into essential

nutrients. But however you choose to visualize it, you are in fact

providing " energy " for your body. There is nothing at all mystical

about this part – it is pure hard science, basic chemistry and

physics.

The way you turn basic calisthentics or stretches into energy

exercises is to focus your awareness on the movement itself and what

you are trying to achieve by doing that particular movement. You use

deep, focused breathing. You visualize the meridian or channel

being stretched or stimulated. You can even heighten the effect by

deliberately accessing specific acupoints while performing the

movement. And you do it all in a slow, rhythmic pattern. When it

comes to energy exercises, you are going for quality, not quantity.

The only aspect of quantity worth mentioning is the principle of

three times three in Polarity. Let's say that you are going to do a

series of eight exercises. You would do each one three times and

then repeat the entire eight exercise cycle twice more for a total

of three sets of eight. We don't follow that principle when doing

the Jin Shin Do warm ups. We do each exercise three to five times,

one time through. Different modalities, different approaches.

I am going to type out some instructions for doing specific

exercises. Before I do, I will mention an absolutely excellent book

on the subject. It is called " Energy Exercises " by Chitty and

Louise Muller. It is published by Polarity Press in Boulder

Colorado and runs about $18 new. As you can guess from the

publisher, all of the exercises in it are derived from the works of

Dr. Randolph Stone (the developer of Polarity Therapy). In total,

it details 77 different exercises you can do for different parts of

the body or different purposes. It also, however, has an excellent

beginning section that covers some of the basic principles of

Polarity Therapy and the energetics of the Chakra structure. I

recommend it highly on both counts.

Other avenues you can look at are things like Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or

any of the exercises used in oriental martial arts such as Kung Fu,

Judo, Tae Kwan Do or Karate. At deeper, more advanced levels, the

personal defense aspects of the martial arts take a back seat to the

development and control of chi. It is like a lot of this – different

modalities, schools or forms, all using or addressing the same

underlying structure but coming at it from different angles and

using different names for the same thing.

Deep focused breathing – how do you do it? What we are told to do

is use something called the " microcosmic orbit. " This has you

visualize taking your breath in from the ground, up your legs and

through your spine. You breathe in through your nose. You breathe

out through your mouth. But instead of visualizing out through the

spine, you visualize down the front of your body. In equals up

through the back; out equals down through the front. Where do you

put this breath that you are taking in? You start deep in the pit

of your abdomen and fill your body with air going up, including

trying to totally fill the tops of your lungs. You are visualizing

filling yourself with air like filling a long, thin balloon. After

you have completely filled your lungs, hold that breath for a count

of from three to five seconds. When you breath out, concentrate on

totally squeezing ALL of the air out of your lungs. This allows

more space for your next inhalation, allowing you to breathe even

more deeply. Over time, it also helps increase your lung capacity.

This is a fairly long cycle for one breath, isn't it?

And now you start to understand what I was referring to earlier when

I said that energy exercises are done in a SLOW, rhythmic pattern.

If each breath cycle takes from 10 to 15 seconds to complete and you

are matching each full movement cycle to one full breath, there is

no way you are going to just zip through the exercises in some whiz

bang fashion. Not all of the exercises will be performed this

slowly. But those that can be, should be. Also, some exercises are

designed to work with and match the breathing cycle. Others have

you take a breath in and then do the movement while exhaling.

Others have you take a breath in and hold it. And while matching

breath to movement is the ideal – it doesn't always happen in

practice because it takes practice to do it properly. It is the

ideal that you strive to meet.

So how about some specific exercises? I am going to start with the

Jin Shin Do exercises. There are eight, called either Pal Dan Gum

or the Eight Silken Movements. In addition to describing how to do

them, I will type in a brief explanation of what they are intended

to accomplish.

1. Upholding Heaven with the Two Hands.

Improves circulation throughout internal organs. Stimulates Triple

Warmer and Pericadium Meridians.

Inhale while raising both arms above your head. Raise your arms by

sweeping outward in a wide circle, visualizing gathering energy into

that circle while doing it. Interlock your fingers and then push

upward with your palms toward the sky. Raise your head toward the

sky while doing this and try to raise onto your toes at the same

time. Hold for a count of three to five and then exhale while

bringing your arms back down and around so you end up with your arms

crossed in front of your chest. Repeat at least three times.

2. Opening the Bow

Expands chest and stimulates Lung meridians.

Start with your arms crossed in front of your chest in the ending

position of #1 and with knees slightly bent. Make soft fists.

Then, starting with one side (say the right), extend that arm and

hand straight out to the side from the shoulder in a long stretch.

Point your index finger to the sky by extending your finger and

bending your wrist. Simultaneous with stretching your right arm to

the side, bend your left arm and stretch it back like you were

drawing a bow. Take the tips of your fingers and apply pressure to

Lung 1 in the hollow below the shoulder. Sight down your right arm

toward your extended finger and then stretch in a bow pull to open

up your chest. Hold for a count of three to five. You inhale while

Opening the Bow, hold it while in full stretch and then exhale while

returning to your beginning, cross-arm position. Repeat the

movement in the other direction by extending your left arm out. One

full movement cycle includes both directions. Repeat the full

movement cycle (both directions) at least three times.

3. Raising the Hands Separately.

Strengthens digestion and stimulates both Large and Small Intestine

Meridians. Harmonizes Stomach and Spleen Meridians.

Start in a relaxed position with your feet about shoulder width

apart. Visualize a big energy ball in front of your abdomen. Place

one hand on top of that energy ball and the other beneath it. Focus

your intention on the connection of your hands to that ball by

feeling for a sense of energy running in a line between your palms.

Then slowly roll your hands around so first your right hand is on

top and your left is on the bottom then your left is on top and your

right is on the bottom. Visualize that you are bringing energy into

that ball while doing this. How big can you make it and still feel

the connection between your palms? Then, starting with your right

arm, stretch your right arm toward the sky, bend you wrist

backwards and point your fingers to the left. At the same time,

stretch your left arm toward the ground, bend your wrist backwards

and point the fingers of your left hand to the right. Your right

palm will be pointing toward the sky; your left palm will be

pointing toward the ground. Look up to the sky along your

outstretched arm, look down to the ground along your other

outstretched arm. You inhale while doing the stretch. You exhale

while returning to the starting position of your hands over and

under the energy ball. Repeat everything except this time, extend

your left arm skyward and your right arm toward the ground. This

completes one cycle. Do at least three cycles.

4. Looking Backwards

Relieves fatigue in the five yin organs

Cross your arms in front of your face, palms toward your face.

Extend your arms out to the sides from the shoulders while rotating

your head to one side and looking over your shoulder toward the

ground. At the same time, arch your back and point your thumbs

toward the ground to the extent comfortable to do so. You inhale

while moving your arms out to the side and back. Exhale when

returning your arms to the starting cross position. Repeat in the

other direction. This completes one full cycle. Do at least three

full cycles.

5. Swinging Trunk and Head

Releases fire chi from the Heart and relaxes the Kidney area.

Assume a relaxed position, feet about shoulder width apart. Place

your hands on your hips. Take a deep inhalation. Bend forward at

the waist, then backwards at the waist, then raise your left arm

over your head and bend to the right at the waist, return left hand

to hip and raise right hand overhead and bend to the left. Return

to neutral. Your exhalation is timed so all of these movements are

done in the space of one exhalation. This is one full cycle. Do at

least three cycles.

6. Standing on Toes

Increases general body balance and harmony with nature. Strengthens

Stomach and Kidney Meridians.

Assume a relaxed position with feet about shoulder width apart. Let

your arms hang loosely at your sides. Rock forward into a toe raise

position while at the same time, bending your wrists backwards so

your fingers are pointing forward. Then rock backward onto your

heels while simultaneously flexing your wrists so your fingers also

point backward. Inhale while raising onto your toes. Exhale while

lowering back down to full heel rock position. Start your next

inhale as you start moving forward again. Do at least three times,

forward and back.

7. Punching with Angry Eyes.

Releases blocked chi in shoulders and biceps.

Place your feet slightly farther apart than shoulder width. Squat

down and bend forward at the waist. Bend your arms in front of your

chest and make fists in a boxing posture. While looking straight

ahead, take a deep breath. Then make two quick, forward punches

with sharp " hah " exhalations with each punch. Take a quick inhale,

turn to the right and make two more punches to right with " hah "

exhalations. Repeat toward the left. Do three cycles of front,

right, and left. Finish by arching back and punching toward the sky

and then forward and punching toward the ground (two punches each).

Make palm down, swirling motions in front of you and then go up onto

your toes with arms over your head and one final " hah. "

8. Holding the Toes and Stretching Back.

Increases flexibility and stimulates all leg meridians.

Start relaxed, feet shoulder width. Stretch your arms over your

head, palms facing in toward the mid-line of your body. Visualize

grabbing energy. Bend forward at the waist, bringing that energy

down with you. Go into a touching of the toes position, bending

your knees if necessary. Hold that position. Then, slowly uncurl,

bringing the energy back up with your hands and end by putting your

fists into the small of your back and massaging that energy into

your kidneys with your knuckles. You start your inhale when you

stretch to the sky. You hold while going into your toe touch. You

exhale when you straighten back up.

I will finish with just a couple that we use in Polarity. One is

just a basic, simple squat position. It is not an exercise as such

but is used to ground and center. Drop into a squat, resting your

arms on your knees. Clasp your hands and put your two thumbs

against your third eye. Then do deep breathing and meditation for as

long as you are comfortable in the position. The last two times I

did this one in class, I went away some place. Don't know where I

was but it sure was serene, relaxing and peaceful. A couple of

others are just basic shoulder shrugs and swinging the arms and

torso side to side.

This should be enough to get you started. Let me know if you want

to know more after you get these down.