Ba Duan Jin (Part 5 of 8) – Head and Tail Swaying to Get Rid of Heart Fire

This week's post is a detailed look at the Ba Duan Jin qigong exercise called Head and Tail Swaying to Get Rid of Heart Fire. It is also known as Big Bear Turns from Side to Side and as Sway the Head and Shake the Tail. It is traditionally the fifth of the exercises.

Ba Duan Jin is a traditional qigong routine with hundreds of variations. It is variously translated as Eight Silken Brocades, Eight Pieces of Silk Brocades, Eight Section Brocade, Eight Silken Exercises, Eight Fine Exercises, or many other names.

Qigong is all about body, mind, and breath. These exercises contain specific movements that are synchronized with the breath while the mind concentrates on the movements. The exercises are intended to help develop mental focus and calm, peaceful movements. At all times, keep your knees loose and flexible.

Explanation:

This exercise reduces qi in the heart (heart fire). Excess heart fire leads to heartburn, restlessness, lack of sleep, mental uneasiness, colds, and hypertension. This exercise pushes the qi from the middle dan tien, into the heart and lung area, and out through any obstructions.

NOTE: Inhale when you are in the beginning position and exhale when you bend forward.

Standing Instructions:

1. Bend your knees slightly and stand with your feet two shoulder widths apart. Bend slightly and place your hands on your thighs with thumbs pointing out.

2. Slowly wave your head from side-to-side a total of four times.

3. Bend left and down from the waist and rotate your upper body down and around toward the right in a circle. At the same time, sway your buttocks towards the left. Continue rotation to beginning position.

4. Do this exercise eight times.

Modification for seated form:

1. Sit in wuji.

3. Bend left and down from the waist and rotate your upper body toward the right. Continue rotation to beginning position.

CAUTION:  Do not overbalance. It is easy to lean too far and fall from a chair.

Modification for a more challenging form:

1. Bend knees to assume a deep horse stance with feet two should widths apart.

Benefits & Effects:

1. A general overall exercise induces perspiration and helps to relieve the symptoms of heart fire.

2. Strengthens the legs, waist, back, and neck. Opens up the governing vessel.

3. Enhance every organ and system’s function.

For the rest of this series, start with:

Ba Duan Jin (Part 1 of 8) - Support the Heavens

To continue with this series, see:

Ba Duan Jin (Part 6 of 8) – Pulling Toes to StrengthenKidneys and Waist

© 2012 Eric Borreson

The Art of Tai Chi

Here is what happens when a skilled tai chi play and a skilled film maker get together.

I don't have anything to add. Just enjoy the moment.

Ba Duan Jin (Part 4 of 8) – Looking Backward to Amend 5 Strains and 7 Impairments

This week's post is a detailed look at the Ba Duan Jin qigong exercise called Looking Backward to Amend 5 Strains and 7 Impairments. It is also known as Wise Owl Gazes Backward and as Turning to Tonify the Nervous System. It is traditionally the fourth of the exercises.

Ba Duan Jin is a traditional qigong routine with hundreds of variations. It is variously translated as Eight Silken Brocades, Eight Pieces of Silk Brocades, Eight Section Brocade, Eight Silken Exercises, Eight Fine Exercises, or many other names.

Qigong is all about body, mind, and breath. These exercises contain specific movements that are synchronized with the breath while the mind concentrates on the movements. The exercises are intended to help develop mental focus and calm, peaceful movements. At all times, keep your knees loose and flexible.

Explanation:

This exercise increases the flow of qi in the neck and head. The five strains are the weaknesses of the 5 yin organs: spleen, lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys. The seven impairments refer to injuries caused by emotion: grief, joy, hate, love, happiness, anger, and desire. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), you can become ill when your internal organs are weak and emotions overcome your natural defenses. Strong emotions accumulate in the head. 

Standing Instructions:

1. Stand in wuji with your palms touching your thighs and your eyes lightly closed.

2. Inhale and slowly turn your head to the left and gradually open your eyes as you turn. When you turn to your maximum limit, open your eyes as wide as you can.

3. Exhale and return to the beginning position, with eyes lightly closed.

4. Repeat to the right.

5. Do this exercise eight times.

Modification for seated form:

1. Sit in wuji with your feet flat on the floor.

2. Place your right hand on the outside of your left knee to keep your knees from moving.

Modification for a more challenging form:

2. When you turn to your maximum limit, open your eyes as wide as you can. Lean back and look over your shoulder down at your opposite heel.

CAUTION: When leaning back to look over your shoulder, do not lean your head back. Lean your body and keep your head in line with your neck and spine to protect your cervical vertebrae.

Benefits & Effects:

1. Turning the neck and twisting the body strengthens your neck and straightens your spine, opens the yang meridian up the back, and improves the flow of qi in the head and brain.

For the rest of this series, start with:

Ba Duan Jin - Support the Heavens (Part 1 of 8)

To continue with this series, see:

Ba Duan Jin (Part 5 of 8) – Head and Tail Swaying to Get Rid of Heart Fire

© 2012 Eric Borreson

Accountability

This week, I want to write about a simple technique I use to motivate myself to maintain my practice and to write a new article every week for my blog. Do you want to know what it is? Reread the title of this week's article.

Accountability is a key to accomplishment. I have promised my readers that I will write another article every week. I have missed a few weeks in the last three years, but not very many. I really want to deliver what I promise.

I have asked my students to practice often. Every week I ask them how they did. I am starting to ask them to ask me how I did in the last week. They are my partners in accountability.

Who do you have in your life that you can partner with? A friend? A relative? A teacher? Find someone. It's worth it.

© 2012 Eric Borreson

Preparing for the Rest of Your Life

"If you wait for an emergency to happen before you decide what to do, you're already dead."* We need to be prepared for unexpected things to happen. However, it's even better to be prepared to prevent unexpected things from happening. Prevention is way better than cure.

We all expect to live forever. We all expect to be healthy and competent. Maybe hope is a better word than expect, but it doesn't change the message. Life is full of unexpected things: injury, illness, and loss. There is a certain amount of randomness to these things, but we can develop plans to minimize the probability of these things happening.

If you really, truly want to prepare for the rest of your life, you need to plan for ways to maintain health and prevent injury. If you really, truly want to plan ahead, you should be living a healthy life right now. Tai chi is proven to help with improving health, reducing depression, and preventing falls and other injuries. Don't wait for the time when stress has already caused damage to your body. Don't wait until your health deteriorates. Don't wait for the depression of old age and poor health.

Here is a brief list of benefits of Tai Chi for Health that have been proven through extensive studies:

Improved balance, reduced falls, and reduced fear of falling

Reduced blood pressure

Improved strength, range of motion, and endurance

Improved management of chronic pain

Improved strength in the deep stabilizer muscles

Strengthened immune system

Reduced bone loss in post-menopausal women

Improved outlook on life (symptoms of depression and stress)

Enhance mind-body connection through improved proprioception and kinesthetic awareness

You have a choice about how you live the rest of your life. You can be proactive and take charge right now. Or you can be reactive and wait until the damage is done. Prevention is much easier than cure.

Don't think you have time? I believe that TV should stand for "The Vacuum" because it sucks your brains out. I believe that investing 15 minutes a day in maintaining and improving your health is more important than having your brains sucked out by The Vacuum.

Sign up for a tai chi class now. They're everywhere.

Please share this article with anyone that you think would benefit from it.

*Quote from the movie, A Perfect Getaway (2009)

© 2012 Eric Borreson