Ba Duan Jin (Part 3 of 8) – Separating Heaven and Earth

This week's post is a detailed look at the Ba Duan Jin qigong exercise called Separating Heaven and Earth. It is also known as Harmonizing Spleen and Stomach by Raising Arm Separately and as Raise Each Arm to Regulate the Spleen. It is traditionally the third 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 stomach and spleen. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the stomach is known as the sea of grain and water and is responsible for digesting food. The spleen is responsible for transporting nutrients throughout the body. 

Standing Instructions:

1. Stand in wuji with your feet two shoulder widths apart. Hold your arms in front of your chest with your palms down and fingertips pointing at each other.

2. Shift your weight to your right foot, inhale, raise your right hand overhead, and turn your palm up, its fingers pointing to your left. Simultaneously, press your left hand down with its palm down and fingers pointing to the front.

3. Exhale and return both hands to the beginning position.

4. Shift your weight to your left foot, inhale and repeat Step 2, but this time raise your left hand overhead and press your right hand down.

5. Exhale and return both hands to the beginning position.

6. Do this exercise eight times.

Modification for seated form:

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

2. Simultaneously, press your left hand down and forward with its palm down and fingers pointing to the front.

4. Press your right hand down and forward.

Modification for a more challenging form:

1. Start in horse stance.

2. As you stretch and extend your hands, rise from the horse stance.

3. As you relax and return to neutral, exhale and return to horse stance.

NOTE: Continue moving from horse stance and standing wuji as you alternate hands.

Benefits & Effects:

1. The alternating stretching stimulates the muscles in the front of the upper body, improves circulation to the stomach, liver, and spleen.

2. The muscles of one side of the body are stretched against the other side. This kind of exercise harmonizes and adjusts the digestive system; the energy level of the body, particularly the stomach and spleen; and the vital energy circulating through to coordinate the internal organs.

3. The internal organs, especially the stomach, spleen, liver, and gallbladder are massaged and stimulated through this exercise.

4. This exercise brings favorable effects to patients who are suffering stomach and duodenal ulcers or stomach inflammation.

5. Stimulates the digestive process and the peristaltic action of the intestines.

6. A prophylaxis and a treatment for intestinal and stomach diseases.

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 4 of 8) - Looking Backward to Amend 5Strains and 7 Impairments

© 2012 Eric Borreson

Sinking the Qi Part 2 – Focus on Breathing

I have written about the word sink in the context of sinking the qi. In this sense of the word sink, it means to relax the hips and waist, lower the pelvis bones, and allow your body to settle. Let your shoulders relax away from your neck. Allow your skeleton to support your body. Use your intention to lower your elbows.

A big part of sinking is developing song (relax/loosen) and jing (mental quietness) in your practice.  Following the principle of song means to relax your body, without going limp, and loosening up the muscles, tendons, and joints. Jing means to focus your mind on your forms and avoid distractions. Proper breathing helps with both of these principles.

Last week I wrote about when to inhale and when to exhale and how that relates to storing and delivering energy. This week, I am going to focus on breathing techniques that help you focus your mind and improve your flow of qi.

Abdominal Breathing

Abdominal breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, helps you to sense qi. As you exhale, you should try to sense a warm, tingly, or heavy feeling in your dan tien. Don’t worry if you don’t feel this at first. That’s normal. Continue practicing to develop your ability to sense your qi.

For abdominal breathing, take several long slow deep breaths. Allow your mind to relax so you can begin to focus on your mind-body connection. Concentrate on the abdomen area below the diaphragm. When you exhale, gently contract the muscles in your pelvis and lower abdomen. Keep the chest relatively still. When you inhale, expand your abdomen. Again, keep your chest relatively still. In other words, exhale by contracting your abdomen. Inhale by expanding your abdomen.

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.

Continue to practice abdominal breathing during meditation or while practicing tai chi. Keep your attention on your lower abdomen in the area around your dan tien. With enough practice, it will become natural and comfortable.

Dan Tien Breathing

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. During both inhales and exhales, try to keep your top hand from moving.

When you exhale, gently contract your lower abdomen as if the air is leaving the balloon. Gently contract the pelvic floor muscles at the bai hui point along your perineum.

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. Gently relax the pelvic floor muscles at the yin hui point in the perineum. You probably will not be able to breathe as deeply as you could during regular abdominal breathing.

This technique adds an additional focus on your perineum, the area between your anus and your genitals. Use your yi, or focused attention, to gently contract the muscles of the pelvic floor located at the midpoint of the perineum. Visualize that you are contracting those muscles toward your belly button as you inhale. Allow those muscles to relax as you exhale. If you get tired, just relax and go back to breathing naturally.

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. Paul Lam describes it like this (dan tien breathing):

“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.”

Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming talked about this in his book TheRoot of Chinese Qigong: Secrets of Health, Longevity, & Enlightenment. He described it like this:

“... abdominal breathing is an important part of Buddhist Qigong training and so it is often called "Buddhist Breathing". To practice it, you must first use your Yi to control the muscles in your abdomen. When you inhale, intentionally expand your abdomen, and when you exhale, let it contract. In addition, when you inhale, you should gently push out your Huiyin (Co-1) cavity or anus, and when you exhale, hold it up. “

This type of breathing helps clear your mind (develop jing) and helps loosen and relax your body (song). It takes lots of practice. There are also other benefits to this type of breathing. According to Dr. Lam, 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. A way to strengthen these muscles is to use this type of breathing, as well as proper posture and alignment.

Traditional writings in tai chi refer to “pulling up the anus” or “contracting the anus”. I have never understood that idea very well. I think that this means the same as what I have been calling Buddhist Breathing. However, note that this does not mean contract the buttocks. These muscles need to be relaxed when not needed, just like all other muscles.

© 2011 Eric Borreson

Sinking the Qi to the Dan Tien

I have written before about this topic. It sometimes seems a little esoteric, but it doesn't need to. I have rewritten a previous post with more detail about some of the key topics to try to remove some of the confusion.

Chen means to sink. Chen refers to using your breathing to sink your qi to your dan tien. The dan tien is important to everything we do in tai chi. Chen enhances song and jing. During exhalation, your qi naturally sinks to the dan tien when the principles of tai chi are followed. When song and jing are achieved, the qi flows naturally.

 In this sense of the word sink, it means to relax the hips and waist, lower the pelvis bones, and allow your body to settle. Let your shoulders relax away from your neck. Allow your skeleton to support your body. If your shoulders are lifted up, the tight joints block the flow of energy. Use your intention to lower your elbows. Avoid overextending your arms while practicing tai chi. Keep them slightly bent and hold them in a curve, with your armpits slightly open. This type of sinking is soft on the outside and hard on the inside. This is the origin of the term “strength like a metal rod wrapped in cotton”.

Breathing
Breathing is generally not taught to beginning tai chi students because they have a tendency to let the breathing become more important than the movement. Specifying breathing patterns during a form can impede your progress by creating tension. It can lead to an emphasis on the breathing at the expense of the essential principles of tai chi. It should be the opposite. Allow your body to breathe naturally. Use these guidelines to give some direction. There may be exceptions.

Every form in tai chi has an associated inhale and exhale. The whole process of breathing and sinking your weight is called “sinking the qi”.

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 opening hands movement in Sun style. 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 movement that deliver energy. Exhale during movements when compressing your chest, such as with the closing hands movement in Sun style. Also exhale during movements creating a substantial movement, such as when doing a push or press.

As you exhale, allow your body to sink. As you step, allow your weight to settle down onto your substantial leg. Visualize that your spine is stretching and the qi is flowing through your leg down into the earth. This helps improve your balance and strengthen your legs. Stronger muscles strengthen the joints and tendons and improve your joint health.

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.

My next article will continue this topic and focus more on breathing to help you learn to focus your attention.

© 2011 Eric Borreson

What is Stagnant Qi: How Tai Chi and Qigong Can Help

We may occasionally hear the terms "stagnant qi" or "bad qi" in reading about our practice of qigong and tai chi. Both of these terms refer to problems of some kind with your qi. If we think of qi as an energy that flows through our body, then stagnant qi and bad qi refer to some kind of blockage of qi flow. If we think of qi as connectedness throughout our body, then stagnant qi refers to some kind of interference with that connectedness. Tai chi and qigong can be used to help with problems of qi flow.

Bad qi can be seen or felt as nausea or tiredness. It may be a general malaise. Stagnant chi is a little more severe, manifesting as pain, stiffness, problems with mobility, general ill health, or many other similar symptoms. There are many specific treatments in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for stagnant qi or bad qi.

Left untreated, stagnant qi and bad qi and turn into a chronic illness. If your Western doctor is unable to identify or treat symptoms, you may need a diagnosis from a TCM specialist.

Wherever tension is held in our bodies, we develop blockages to qi flow. Long term experience of any kind manifests itself in our bodies. For example, if we are under a lot of stress, we shoulders become hunched over because we "store" stress there. If we habitually stand with locked knee joints, we develop blockages and stagnant qi that manifest as foot, leg, hip, or back pain.

Long term practice of qigong promotes the flow of qi. Tai chi is a great form of qigong. The movements are designed to loosen our joints, muscles, and tendons. In fact, one of the fundamental practices of tai chi is called song. When you practice tai chi with song in mind, your joints open up and the qi flow improves. Further tension in your muscles is relaxed by being aware of substantial and insubstantial in our weight shifts.

Breathing is another important part of tai chi. This can also help with stagnant qi. Stagnant qi can feel like a heaviness or slowness in the body. Use abdominal breathing during your forms practice.

Slow down your form and breathe deeply. Use one in-breath for opening movements and one out-breath for each closing movement. Imagine your breath reaching all the way to your dan tian. As you exhale, imagine taking your breath to points of heaviness. Use your breath to move the stagnant qi out of your body. Use this to develop jing, or mental quietness.

Note: I am not a medical professional. I am not giving medical advice or providing a diagnosis. I am summarizing a concept from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Do not disregard advice from your doctor because of anything you read here.


© 2011 Eric Borreson