Qigong for Depression

A recent study by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University looked at the effects of qigong on depressed elderly patients with chronic medical illnesses. The study group participated in a 12 week qigong program and the control group participated in a newspaper reading program.

The authors looked at symptoms of depression, psychosocial functioning, muscle strength, and salivary cortisol and blood serotonin levels. The study group consisted of 21 subjects between the ages of 73 to 87 and the control group consisted of 17 subjects between the ages of 73 to 89. The study used the qigong set called Eight Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin).

After 12 weeks, the qigong group showed significant improvement in symptoms of depression, self-efficacy, self-identification of well being, and right-hand grip strength. A decreasing trend of cortisol level was observed, but the final level was not quite to the level of statistical significance.

The author's hypothesis was that the anti-depressive effect of qigong could be explained by improvement in psychosocial functioning and down-regulation of hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The authors concluded that their study provided preliminary evidence that supported their hypothesis.

Psychosocial functioning refers to our psychological development within a social environment. It is generally used to refer to the ability to cope with the complex and difficult issues that cause us stress. Improvement in this functioning means that qigong helps us deal with stress and maintain normal social functioning. In other words, it helps us stay sane in a crazy world. You can read more about this topic at Wikipedia. Click here. 

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis refers to a complex feedback and regulation process between these three glands. This process is a major part of our reaction to stress. It affects our immune system, mood, emotional response, digestion, and metabolism. Down-regulation of this process means that qigong helps us calm down our overactive emotions and be healthier. You can read more about this topic at Mind-Body Health. Click here. 

The study was published in the October 2012 issue of Aging & Mental Health. Click here.

© 2013 Eric Borreson 

Tai Chi Opening Movement - Part 4 of 4

This week, I am adding some more depth by adding in more of the core principles of tai chi. Add these principles to what you practiced at the previous level.

This if the last of 4 articles. They are intended to be read in order. To go to the beginning of this series, click here.

Wu Ji

Stand for a moment in wu ji before you begin. You can read more here. The first step is to relax into the posture. Stand as still as a tree and pay attention to any sensations you feel. Do not try to change anything. Just pay attention to the sensations. Visualize a string connecting the top of your head with the heavens, lifting you and stretching your spine. 

Let your mind travel throughout your body. Use your breathing as a point of focus. If your mind wanders, bring it back to your breathing. Let your mind calm down and empty out. A calm mind can better sense the flow of qi. The goal is to develop your ability to sense what is happening in your body. Awareness of your body develops your self-awareness.

Now start to adjust your posture. One area to focus on it the pelvis and buttocks. We often tighten the muscles in this area in order to help maintain balance. We need to adjust our posture so that we can relax these muscles.

Moving Your Qi

Last week, I wrote about open and closing movements. The next phase of understanding open and close is to start moving your qi as you open and close. The Conception and Governing Vessels are the main "rivers" for your qi to flow. The Conception Vessel runs down the front and center (yin side) of our torso. The Governing Vessel runs up our back (yang side) along the spine. During your practice, keep your mouth gently closed with your tongue touching your upper palate. This connects the Conception and Governing vessels.

When you open (inhale), visualize moving your qi from your dan tian, through your perineum, and up your spine toward the bai hui point at the crown of your head. When you close (exhale), visualize moving your qi down the front center of your body to the lower dan tian.

It takes practice to accomplish this. Learn it in small sections of the movement. Inhale as you start raising your hands during the opening movement. Visualize your qi moving from the dan tian, up the back, and over the top of your head. Exhale as you lower your hands. Visualize your qi moving down the front of your body to the dan tien. Repeat this several times until you start to become comfortable with it.

It is important that you do not force your breathing here. If you are not sure where to be inhaling and exhaling or you get tired, just breathe naturally.

Dan Tien Breathing

The muscles closest to the spine work different than other muscles in terms of function and neuromuscular properties. Their function is to protect and strengthen the spine. In Western medicine and anatomy, these muscles are called the deep stabilizers. Dr. Paul Lam uses the term dan tien breathing to describe a way to strengthen these muscles as well as develop proper posture and alignment.

To learn how to breathe with this method, place one hand over your upper abdomen, above your belly button. Place your other hand over your lower abdomen, below your belly button. When you inhale, imagine that the air fills your lungs, bypasses your upper abdomen, and fills your lower abdomen and gently expands it like a balloon.

When you exhale, gently contract your lower abdomen as if the air is leaving the balloon. During both in hales and exhales, try to keep your top hand from moving. When you are comfortable with dan tien breathing, remove your hands and stand in dan tien. In addition, the dan tien breathing method can be practiced while doing the Open and Close Hands form of Sun style tai chi. Dr. Lam describes it like this:

“The dan tien breathing method is especially effective for relaxation and for healing. Whenever you feel stressed or nervous, take a gentle breath. Start doing open and close. Breathe in and out and you most likely will find your mind clears up and the stress eases off.”

 Another way to think about this is to gently contract the muscles of the pelvic floor located at the midpoint of the perineum, at the hui yin point. Visualize that you are contracting those muscles toward your belly button as you inhale. Allow those muscles to relax as you exhale. The total movement should only be about 1/4 inch or about 1/2 cm. If you get tired, just relax and go back to breathing naturally.

This type of breathing uses your diaphragm to expand your lungs. As we get older, we tend to breathe shallower. This change is primarily due to sitting and hunching over. This exercise greatly expands your lung capacity and counteracts the bad influence of hunching over. This is very relaxing and improves your qi.

Description of the Movement

Keep working on relaxing your body, especially your shoulders, waist, and pelvis. As you extend your hands out during the initial movement, inhale and visualize your qi moving up your spine. Just let your mental focus move up the spine and over the top of your head. At the same time, gently contract the muscles of the pelvic floor.

As your hands start to come back down, visualize your qi moving down the front of your body. Just let your mental focus move down the front of your body. At the same time, gently release the muscles of the pelvic floor.

As you bring your hands back in toward your waist and up along your abdomen, inhale and visualize your qi moving up your spine. Just let your mental focus move up the spine and over the top of your head. At the same time, gently contract the muscles of the pelvic floor.

As you start to extend your hands and step forward, visualize your qi moving down the front of your body. Just let your mental focus move down the front of your body. At the same time, gently release the muscles of the pelvic floor.

Final Thoughts

This writing project grew so much bigger than I expected. There is so much more to talk about. I will add to this some time in the future.

This is a lot to learn. It's too difficult to do it all at once. Have a point of focus every time you practice. Take some time to focus on relaxing any tension. Develop song in all your movements. Focus on the principles I have written about.

To read the first article in this series, click here. 

© 2013 Eric Borreson

Tai Chi Opening Movement - Part 3 of 4

Add these principles to what you practiced at the previous level. Last week, I looked at the opening movement with a little more depth than a beginner is aware of. This week, I am adding some more depth by adding in more of the core principles of tai chi. To go to the beginning of this series, start here. 

Note: I thought I would finish this article in 3 sections. I ended up with much more than I expected, so it will take 4 sections. I just renamed the previous articles to reflect this.

Description of the Movement

Bend your knees slightly. Rise up a little bit as your start moving your hands. Continue as before. Start to shift your weight onto your right foot as your hands start moving in toward your waist. Allow your body to turn to the right to line up your hip, knee, and foot.

As your hips continue to rotate to the right, allow the motion to lift your left heel off the floor. Pick up the left foot, place it straight ahead, and start to shift your weight forward. Visualize your weight flowing from your right leg to your left leg as your shift your weight. Push down with your right foot. This allows force to come out of the ground. The hip turning allows your dan tian to spiral around. To read more about developing spiral force in your movement, click here.

Your body has turned a little bit to the right. This means that the force spirals through your leg and dan tian. Turning your body directs the force straight forward as you shift your weight forward. Visualize pushing against a heavy weight, like pushing a sofa across the room. Bring your attention to the ming meng point in your lower back. Tuck in your tailbone to support your lower back as you deliver energy.

Opening and Closing Movements

Nearly every movement has an opening and closing. Focus on the martial meaning of each form. Know how and where power is developed and delivered. This helps you to understand the correct posture and movement and your helps your mind direct your body into the right movements. Focus on the movements and their intention.

The opening is the part of the form where power is developed and stored. Think of it as a bow and arrow. Pulling on the bowstring is opening and storing energy. The closing is the part of the form where power is delivered. Releasing the bowstring is where you are delivering energy.

In general, you should inhale sometime during opening movements and exhale sometime during closing movements. Chen Jin, a Chen-style tai chi master, wrote that when you are opening, you are solid outside and soft inside. You can feel your body soften as you inhale and expand your abdomen. When you are closing, you are soft outside and solid inside. You can feel your inside harden, or become more solid, when you are delivering force as you contract your abdomen.

In our commencement movement, the first movement when we raise our hands is the opening. We are storing energy and should inhale some time during this movement. The first closing movement is when we lower our hands. We are delivering energy and should exhale during this movement. We switch back to opening when we start to pull our hands in toward our waist. Inhale again. We start to close again when we shift our weight forward and use spiral force from the ground to push our body and hands forward. Exhale during the close. The close ends when we finish moving forward. We start to open again as we move into the second form, Open and Close Hands.

Next week, I will discuss more breathing techniques, moving your qi, and wu ji.

 

To read the first article in this series, click here. 
To read the next article in this series, click here.

© 2013 Eric Borreson

Tai Chi Opening Movement - Part 2 of 4

Sometimes there is value in going back to the beginning and focusing on the basic forms again. Let's take a look at the opening form of tai chi single-hand practice. I primarily practice Sun style tai chi, so that is what I discuss below. Different styles of tai chi use slightly different movements in this form, but they all have the basic principles in common.

Last week, I looked at the opening movement as a beginner. Read more here. This week, I am adding a little more depth by adding in more of the core principles of tai chi.

Description of the Movement

Add these principles to what you practiced at the beginner level. Use the same starting position. Notice how your weight feels on your feet. Lean forward very slightly and feel the extra weight on the balls of your feet. Lean back very slightly and feel the extra weight on your heels. Find the sweet spot where the feeling of weight on the balls of your feet is the same as the feeling of weight on your heels.

Exhale and let your shoulders relax and sink. Visualize that your fingers are being pulled toward the floor. Sink your qi and let your knees bend a little bit more. You can read more here about sinking your qi. 

Inhale slowly and visualize your qi pushing your hands out and up to shoulder height. Notice that your center of weight shifts forward when your hands move forward. Keep your weight evenly centered on your feet by leaning back very slightly as your hands move forward. The yang movement of your hands needs to be balanced by the yin movement of your body. At the same time, start to shift a little bit of your weight onto your left foot.

As you bring your hands back down, exhale and visualize your qi sinking from the dan tian down through your legs out through the bubbling well in the soles of your feet. Move slowly. Let it seem like your hands are hot knives cutting through butter.

As you start to shift your weight onto your right foot, allow your weight to sink on your right leg. Let your body turn naturally to the right to align your right hip, knee, and foot. This releases any torque and tension in your knee. As your body turns to the right, let your left heel naturally rise off the floor. Slowly and gently pick up your left foot and bring it straight forward. Lightly place your foot down heel first with no weight on it. Then place the rest of your foot down, still with no weight on it. This means that you must bend your right knee enough to place the left foot without putting any weight on it. Step like a cat does as it hunts.

Push off with your right foot and start to shift your weight forward onto the left foot. Use your whole body to push your hands forward, keeping your palms facing each other. Visualize pushing against a very heavy object, like pushing a sofa across the room. As your hands extend, step forward with your right foot, timing it so that you finish your hand movements at the same time you finish your stepping and weight shifting.

Control Your Movements

Slowly bring all your weight onto your left foot. The natural tendency is to push off with your right foot to bounce forward and finish shifting your weight. Instead of that, focus your attention on the weight transfer. When all the weight is on your left foot, pick up your right foot and place it beside your left foot, with the feet about hip's distance apart. This probably will take a very short step until your legs are strong enough to do it properly.

Posture and Body Alignment

Another way to think about controlling your movements is to work on body alignment. An upright body strengthens the deep stabilizer muscles. Try to keep your body upright and supple throughout all the movements.

Tuck in your chin slightly. This straightens your upper spine and helps the energy flow. Tuck in your tailbone slightly. This straightens your lower spine. Be especially aware of this when you start bending your knees because your alignment can change. When you bend your knees, imagine that you are sitting down in a straight chair (not the recliner!) and keep your back fairly straight. Use a mirror or video camera to check yourself while practicing. When you are stepping forward, this gives you a much more powerful stance.

Control Your Breath

Nearly every tai chi form has an opening movement and a closing movement. In general, inhale during movements that are up and in (opening movements) and movements that store energy. Inhale during movements when expanding your chest, such as with the open hands movement in Sun style open and close hands. Also, inhale during movements creating an insubstantial movement, such as when doing a roll back.

Exhale during movements that are down and out (closing movements) and movements that deliver energy. Exhale during movements when compressing your chest, such as with the closing movement in Sun style open and close hands. Also exhale during movements creating a substantial movement, such as when doing a push or press.

Tai chi movements generally alternate between gathering (storing) energy and delivering that energy. Inhaling during opening stores the energy, like drawing a bow, and brings in the qi. Exhaling during closing delivers the energy and sends the qi. Raising your hands in commencement stores the energy. Lowering your hands delivers energy and sends the qi. This means to inhale or exhale sometime during the movement, not necessarily during the entire movement.

Your body will develop the ability to breathe properly as you practice tai chi. If you lose track during your practice, just breathe normally and don't worry about it.

© 2013 Eric Borreson

To read the first article in this series, click here.
To read the next article in this series, click here. 

Tai Chi Opening Movement - Part 1 of 4

Sometimes there is value in going back to the beginning and focusing on the basic forms again. Let's take a look at the opening form of tai chi single-hand practice. I primarily practice Sun style tai chi, so that is what I discuss below. Different styles of tai chi use slightly different movements in this form, but they all have the basic principles in common.

When new students begin learning tai chi, they have a very limited understanding of using their body and breath together to calm the mind. This 3 4-part series of articles is intended to help them start to develop an understanding of some of the deeper principles of tai chi.

Description of the Movement

Stand with your heels together with your toes pointing out at about a 45° angle with your arms hanging at your sides. Keep your knees soft and don't lock the joints. The motion starts with simple movement created by your arm muscles. Slowly swing your arms out toward the front, with the palms facing each other. Bring your hands up to about shoulder height. As your hands get close to full height, turn your fingers slightly upward by bending your wrists.

Bring your hands back down through the same path they used to travel upward. As your hands drop to about waist level, start to pull your hands in toward your waist. Start to shift your weight onto your right leg. As your hands reach your waist, your weight should all be on your right leg. Bring your hands up along your abdomen (not touching) to about chest height. At the same time, start to step forward with your left foot. Place your left foot with no weight on it (empty).

Start to shift your weight forward onto the left foot. At the same time, extend your hands forward, keeping your palms facing each other. As your hands extend, step forward with your right foot, timing it so that you finish your hand movements at the same time you finish your stepping and weight shifting.

As you bring your hands up along your abdomen, bend your elbows to move your hands instead of lifting your shoulders. As you extend your hands, keep your elbows below your wrists to keep the shoulders relaxed.

Remember the 70% Rule

Estimate your greatest ability to perform an exercise. Practice at only 70% of that level. This is not a competition. If it hurts, stop immediately. Apply this rule to everything in taiji, from how far you stretch, to how many repetitions, and to how long you practice. As you become more familiar with the forms and with your own body, you can gradually increase this number.

Control Your Movements

A good first principle at this stage is to learn to control your movements so they are slow, smooth, and continuous. You should move as though there is a gentle resistance. Think of your qi flow as a river. As it flows downhill, it gathers strength. Keep your movements slow, smooth, and continuous to smooth the progress of the qi flow.

Posture and Body Alignment

Another way to think about controlling your movements is to work on body alignment. Being upright is very important, but it is not as simple as it seems. A way to approach it is to think of your spine as a string. Imagine gently stretching the string from both ends. Being upright provides the internal organs with more space. Slightly tuck in your chin to straighten your spine.

You can read more here about the core principles of tai chi.

Next week, I will continue this discussion by adding in some more of the basic principles of tai chi. This will add more depth and enjoyment to your tai chi.

© 2013 Eric Borreson

To read the next article in this series, click here.