Exercising with a Ball

Martial Arts, physical culture, and Qigong enthusiasts can benefit from using a medicine ball when doing exercises.  There are many routines developed by Taijiquan and Qigong masters using a medicine ball.   Qigong Ball exercisers can get into a calm mode, mellow their mood, and go with the Flow.  

Medicine Ball Training and Exercises: Bibliography, Links, Resources .  Prepared by Mike Garofalo.  A general introduction to the use of medicine balls in exercise programs. 

I developed my own medicine ball routine called: Magic Pearl Qigong. 

Magic Pearl Qigong, Part I, Movements 1-8 .   Instructions, Bibliography, Links, Handouts, Resources, Mythological Associations, Lore.  Prepared by Mike Garofalo. 
The Magic Pearl Qigong can be a very vigorous physical culture routine if you increase the weight of the ball, lower the stances, and increase the number of repetitions of each movement.  Serious Qigong Ball enthusiasts use a very light wooden ball, move slowly, stay relaxed, sink, play.  

In addition, upper body strength and athletic fitness is also be improved by practicing longer Taijiquan Forms using weapons like the saber, sword, cane, and staff. 

Body-Mind Centering

Exploring Body-Mind Centering: An Anthology of Experience and Method.  Edited by Gill Wright Miller, Pat Ethridge, and Kate Tarlow Morgan.  North Atlantic Books, 2011, 470 pages, index. bibliography. VSCL.

Principles of Body-Mind Centering Approach

"All cells have consciousness (mind).

All levels of physiological organization (e.g., tissues, systems) have consciousness that can be experienced directly.

As we begin to make all systems more conscious,
they become more accessible. 

We can transmit to each other the embodiment.
of the group's shared learning.

The mind of the body system (e.g., bones, muscles, organs,
nervous system) is reflected in the room when that system.
is touched.  

It is possible to create, evoke, and titrate resonance.

Support precedes movement.

Embodiment can initiate movement; movement can
initiate embodiment.

The is a difference between the map of the body
and the territory of the living person's somatic experience."

Somatic Intelligence

I have learned and benefited greatly from reading and studying the following three books:

Awakening Somatic Intelligence: The Art and Practice of Embodied Mindfulness    By Risa F. Kaparo, Ph.D.  Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 2012.  Index, 368 pages.  ISBN: 978-1583944172.  Subtitle: Transform Pain, Stress, Trauma, and Aging.  VSCL.  

Philosophy in the Flesh : The Embodied Mind and Its Challenge to Western Thought.  By George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.  Basic Books, Perseu Books, 1999.  Index, bibliography, 624 pages.  ISBN: 0465056741.   "The mind is inherently embodied.  Thought is mostly unconscious.  Abstract concepts are largely metaphorical."  VSCL.

Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind.   By Frank Jude Boccio.   Boston, MA, Wisdom Publications.  Index, bibliography, notes, 340 pages.  ISBN: 0861713354.  VSCL.   

Somaesthetics, Body-Mind Practices, Embodiment Arts:  Quotations, Facts, Information, Bibliography, Resources

Valley Spirit Yoga

Qigong (Chi-King) Mind-Body Practices

Lunge Exercise

The common exercise called the "lunge" is used in many fitness programs.  Basically, one leg is positioned forward with the knee bent and the front foot flat on the floor.  The forward knee joint should be positioned directly over the center of the foot.  The forward kneecap should not go past the toes or behind the heel.  

The back leg is extended and positioned behind the body.  The back foot may face forward, or to the side at up to a 45 degree angle.  The back knee may be slightly bent, or bent quite a bit and lowered down nearly to the floor, depending upon the strength and knee flexibility of the exerciser.   

The upper torso is kept erect and centered over the hips.  Look straight forward and keep the head lifted.  The arms and hands may take a variety of positions.  

The lunge exercise works the muscles of the thighs, buttocks. hip flexors and extensors, calves, lower back, and the hamstrings.  All lunges primarily strengthen the muscles of the front of the thigh (quadriceps).   

The lunge exercise is often performed using one's bodyweight alone; however, many athletes hold dumbells, kettlebells, or barbells in their hands as they step forward into the lunge position and then back to a standing position.  

Yoga uses many lunge postures:  Warrior poses (Virabhadrasana), Cresent Moon (Anjaneyasana), Equestrain (Ashwa Sanchalanasana), etc.  The Equestrian pose also stretches the illio psoas muscle in the back leg side.  

Tai Chi Chuan uses many forward lunge postures:  Parting the Wild Horses Mane, Brush Knee, Single Whip, Ward Off, Fair Lady Works the Shuttles, etc.; and side lunge postures: Lazily Tying the Coat, etc.

Taijiquan and yoga lunge poses often do not drop the back knee so low the ground, tend to keep the back leg straighter with the knee slightly bend, and the back foot at an angle.  This position is much safer for older persons.  Bodybuilders, weightlifters and younger active athletes tend to keep both feet facing forward, dip the back knee closer to the floor, and hold dumbbells in their hands. 

Lunge Exercises: Videos, How To, Safety Tips and More.  By Mike Behnken.

 

 

Like a Dragon Whirling in the Clouds

"It is easier to leave a circle than to enter it.
The emphasis is on the hip movement whether front or back.
The difficulty is to maintain the position without shifting the centre.
To analyze and understand the above situation is to do with movement and not with a stationary posture.
Advancing and retreating by turning sideways in line with the shoulders, one is capable of turning like a millstone, fast or slow, as if whirling like a dragon in the clouds or sensing the approach of a fierce tiger.
From this, one can learn the usage of the movement of the upper torso.
Through long practice, such movement will become natural."
- Yang Family Old Manual, The Coil Incense Kung

"The East Asian Dragons are often associated with water, rain, vapors, fog, springs, streams, waterfalls, rivers, swamps, lakes, and the ocean.  Water can take many shapes and states, and Dragons are shape shifters and linked with transformation, appearing and disappearing, changing into something new.  Water is found in three states, depending upon the surrounding temperature: a solid (ice, snow), a fluid (flowing liquid), and a gas (fog, vapor, steam).  Since rainfall is often accompanied by thunder and lightening (thunderstorms and typhoons), the Dragon is sometimes associated with fire; and, since hot water and steam are major sources of energy in human culture, this further links the Dragon with the essential energy of Fire.  The Dragon is thus linked with the chemical and alchemical transformative properties of two of the essential Elements, both Water and Fire.  Dragons are generally benign or helpful to humans in East Asia, but their powers can also be destructive (e.g., flooding, tsunami, typhoon, lightening, steam, drowning, etc.).  There are both male and female Dragons, kinds or species of Dragons, Dragons of different colors and sizes, and mostly good but some evil Dragons.  Some Dragons can fly, some cannot fly; most live in or near water, a few on land.  The body of a Dragon combines features from many animals, representing the many possibilities for existential presence.  The Dragon in the East has serpentine, snake, or eel like movement qualities: twisting, spiraling, sliding, circling, swimming, undulating, flowing freely like water."  [See: The Dragon in China and Japan by Marinus De Visser, 1913] 

Dragon Chi Kung features exercises that involve twisting, turning, screwing, spiraling, curving, wiggling, undulating, spinning, sinking down and rising up, swimming, circling, swinging, or twining movements are often associated with snakes, serpents and dragons.  There are many Qigong sets and specific Qigong movements that have been called "Dragon" forms, sets, or exercises.  Baguazhang martial arts feature much twisting, turning and circling; and, also include many "Dragon" sets and movements.  Silk Reeling exercises in Chen Style Taijiquan include twisting, twining, circling, and screwing kinds of movements. 

The Realms of the Dragons

Dragon Qigong
 

Dragon Staff

Swinging Arms Exercises

Magic Pearl Qigong

Leaping Over the Dragon's Gate

Dragons: Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes

Cannon Cane Taijiquan Routine

Cloud Hands Blog Repost from 2023:

Cannon Cane, Eight Immortals Cane Routine #2.  

A Hypertext Notebook by Michael P. Garofalo

Traditional Tai Chi Eight Immortals Cane, Routine Two (Cannon Cane). Demonstrated by Master Jesse Tsao. Instructional DVD, 65 minutes. Produced by Tai Chi Healthways, San Diego, 2008. Routine Two, Cannon Cane, is based on the Chen Style of Taijiquan. Master Tsao developed this cane form himself, with grandmaster Zhu Tiancai's support. "This is the answer for people looking for the martial arts aspect of Tai Chi. You will surely love the way Master Jessee Tsao presents to you this unique auncient practice. A short stick, umbrella, or any everyday object of the proper length can be used as a substitute for a cane. Like the Chen Style Tai Chi Cannon Fist, this routine is full of powerful moves and explosive strikes. Detailed instruction is provided in English, with front and back views. It is a good reference for home study, or a resource for instructor's teaching preparation. Suggest 30 class hours. (Difficulty: Intermediate through Advanced Levels). DVD-R, (62 minutes). There is a streaming version available through Amazon." VSCL

Mastering Tai Chi Cane for Health and Self-Defense. By Jesse Tsao, Ph.D., Tai Chi Healthways, 2022, 225 pages, $27.00.

"The cane has been used as a self-defense weapon for centuries. But it is more than just a weapon or a walking aid—it is a useful tool to practice the ancient Chinese art of tai chi and gain all the benefits of relaxation, health, and wellness for students of any age or fitness level. For the very first time, Master Jesse Tsao brings his fifty years of tai chi practice and training, combined with his PhD in Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Education, to this comprehensive guide to mastering the tai chi cane with routines he has created.

Rooted in the Taoist Eight Immortals legends, this book takes you through the steps of tai chi cane stretch and self-massage to increase flexibility, loosen tight muscles, and prepare the body for daily activities as well as stimulating energy points to open the body’s blockages and flush out stagnation and toxins to promote self-healing. Routine I blends the softer flow and circular movements of the popular Yang-style tai chi for stress management and personal fitness. And for students looking for training in cane self-defense, Routine II is based on the fast and vigorous practice of traditional Chen-style Cannon Fist that mixes robust leaps with explosive strikes—ideal for diehard martial artists.

With more than 300 photographs and illustrations, Mastering Tai Chi Cane for Health & Self-Defense provides clear, step-by-step instructions for each posture followed by key points for mastery, making it a perfect manual for beginners while the in-depth content will be invaluable to martial artists and tai chi instructors." VSCL.

Standing Fully on a Single Leg

"The Taichi Classics say that the proper root is in the foot.  A beginner can develop root by simply spending three to five minutes, morning and night, standing fully on a single leg.  Alternate legs and gradually increase the time as you sink lower.  This 'bitter work' not only develops a root, it stimulates the cardiovascular system, with benefits the brain.  It is essential that your ch'i sinks to the tan-t'ien, both feet adhere to the floor, and you exert absolutely no force.  When practicing this Standing Posture, you may assist your balance by lightly touching a chair or table with the middle and index fingers.  After a while us only the middle finger.  When you can stand unassisted, you my choose either the Lift Hands Posture or Playing the Guitar Posture to continue your practice.  Do not fear bitter work.  If you do you will never progress."

-  Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing, New Method of Taichi Ch'uan Self-Cultivation, 1965, 1999, p. 11  

Practitioners might also do the Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg Posture or the White Stork Spreads Its Wings Posture.

Standing on one leg, holding static poses, is also a common practice in Hatha Yoga, e.g., Tree Pose, Vriksasana. 

Standing Meditation

You stand on one leg.  You can hold the arms in a variety of positions.  I suppose you could even hold weights in the hands.  You can hold the lifted leg in a variety of positions.  There are many possibilities for different static postures. You could use a cane or staff to help with balance.  You "can develop root by simply spending three to five minutes, morning and night, standing fully on a single leg."  


Effectively Using Rooting, Sinking, Centered, and Vertical Forces in Taijiquan


Effectively Using Rotating, Spiraling, Spinning, and Circular Forces in Taijiquan

Luohan Chi Kung

Luohan Qigong, Lohan Qigong, Luohan Gong, Lohan Gong, 18 Buddha Hands Shaolin Buddhist Qigong

Resources, Lessons, History, Links, Bibliography, Notes, Research  http://www.egreenway.com/qigong/lohan.htm
 
  "One tradition is that the Buddhist teacher, Bodhidharma (448-527 CE), a famous Grand Master of Chan (Zen),introduced a set of 18 exercises to the Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Temple. These are known as the Eighteen Hands of the Lohan. This Shaolin Lohan Qigong (i.e., the art of the breath of the enlightened ones), "is an internal set of exercises for cultivating the "three treasures" of qi (vital energy), jing (essence), and shen (spirit)," according to Howard Choy. The Kung Fu master, Sifu Wong Kiew-Kit, referring to the Shaolin Wahnam style, says "the first eight Lohan Hands are the same as the eight exercises in a famous set of chi kung exercises called the Eight Pieces of Brocade." There are numerous versions,seated and standing, of Bodhiidharma's exercise sets - including the related "Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Washing" qigong set. Some versions of the 18 Lohan (Luohan) Hands have up to four levels, and scores of movement forms for qigong and martial purposes."
- Michael P. Garofalo, Eight Section Brocade (330Kb)
 
  For a comparison of some of the exercises in the Lohan Qigong with the Eight Section Brocade see my chart on the topic. 
 
  The Luohan Qigong includes a massage or patting training methods, and this is especially popular among Yin Fu Bagua enthusiasts. Master Xie Pei Qi has a DVD out on the topic. 

Temple Qigong by Grandmaster Ho'o

Nine Temple Qigong Exercises

The Temple Qigong (Chi Kung) form consists of nine exercises.  It was popularized by Grand Master Marshall Ho'o (1910-1993) of Los Angeles, California.  It is also referred to as the Nine Temple Exercises, or the Marshall Ho'o Temple Exercises.  

My webpage on Temple Qigong provides a bibliography, links, the names of the movements, and an explanation of each movement.  

Standing Meditation, Resting Position: Wuji

1.   Turning the Prayer Wheel

2.   Rotating the Knees

3.   Crossed Arm Rotation

4.   Picking Fruit

5.   Swinging the Leg

6.   Leg Bounce

7.   Retreat and Advance   

8.   Grinding Corn

9.   Polishing the Mirror

Closure: Collecting and Storing Energy 

Marshall Ho'o wrote a book 1968 which included an explanation with photographic illustrations of the Temple Qigong set.  The black and white photos in that book were of poor quality and the editing was unsatisfactory.  An instructional DVD also teaches this form.  

"Dr. Ho'o was instrumental in the certification of acupuncture in the State of California. He was the first Tai Chi Master to have been elected to the Black Belt Hall of Fame.  He was Dean of the Aspen Academy of Martial & Healing Arts, on the faculty of California Institute of the Arts, and taught Tai Chi and Acupressure at many educational institutions.  In 1973, he created a series for KCET public television, in Los Angeles, teaching Tai Chi.  He was a consultant to Prevention Magazine's The Doctor's Book of Home Remedies.  A Chinese American, Dr. Ho'o was America's first Tai Chi Chuan Grandmaster.  His influence is far-reaching in both the fields of healing and martial arts."
-  The Lineage, Teachers of Two Birds Tai Chi

Tai Chi Chuan  By Marshall Hoo.  Burbank, California, Ohara Publications, Inc., 1986, 1993.  111 pages.  ISBN: 0897501098.  VSCL.  The Nine Temple exercise set is briefly described in this book on pages 18-42.  Each movement is clearly illustrated by four to eight clear black and white photographs of a woman doing the form.  The Taijiquan is the Standard 24 Form in the Yang Style. 

Tai Chi Chuan: The 27 forms by Marshall Hoo .   Instructional DVD, released in 2005, by Marshall Ho'o.  Black Belt Videos, 90 minutes.  Includes the Nine Temple Qigong.   

Walking Just Might ...

"It engages your buttocks with the world
It modestly reduces fat
It improves glycemic control, especially after meals
It improves triglyceride levels and lowers blood pressure, especially after meals
It might help you live longer if you do it briskly
It is well tolerated by people with arthritis
It is good for your brain
It reduces stress
It boosts immune function
It helps prevent falls in the elderly
It gives you a chance to think
It can be a kind of meditation
It is in your blood, in your genes
It enables recognition of the felt presence of immediate experience."
-  Mark Sisson, Reasons to Walk this Year, 2014



"Walking might:
Allow you to see new aspects of your local environment
Make you a bit mellower and more peaceful
Set a good example for others
Enable you to meet other people and dogs
Make for good conversations with a friend while walking
Engender more gratefulness and kindness
Lift your mood and improve your attitude
Give you time to think, reflect, or contemplate alone
Energize your body, mind, and spirit
Bring new scents and smells to your nostrils
Provide mystical experiences and epiphanies
Reduce or resolve your worries 
Enjoying good memories or testing your memory 
Allow you to feel and see the effects of our invisible Air
Give you more confidence in achieving your goals
Get you in better awareness of your feelings
Change your perspective 
Allow you to help with neighborhood watch
Let you be alone for awhile
Make your legs feel good
Appreciate the beauty in our world
Allow you to come under the 'Spell of the Sensuous'
Provide some time for listening to music or lectures
Reduce the onset or ameliorate physical ailments or diseases."
-  Michael P. Garofalo, Ways of Walking, October 2016  



Ways of Walking Website:  Quotations, Information, Facts, Poetry, Inspiration

Benefits of Walking

Caloric Expenditures While Walking

Walking Meditation

Exercise Options for Older Persons

Aging Well

Bone Marrow Washing Chi Kung

Repost from August 2013:

John wrote to me asking,

"Hello, Mike. I have enjoyed all of your guides and articles, and know if I have a guestion I just need to go to your website and I usually always find an answer.

I have been researching Xi Sui Jing or Bone Marrow Washing. I have had no success, and wonder if you may be able to guide me in the right direction to either find a teacher, literature or video on this system. I am told there are 18 forms or exercises. Is this true?  I have non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer and thought this may help with my chemotherapy treatments, although the doctor thinks it's a waste of time and money. Thank you."


John,

Intelligently listen to your oncologist's "advice" about treating cancer in terms of complementary medicine and physical exercises.  Some favor exercise and others do not as a complementary therapy.  Many people do not feel much like doing qigong exercises while undergoing chemotherapy.

I can't agree with your doctor that practicing Qigong would be a waste of money since it is very inexpensive or totally free to learn and pracice.  Books and instructional DVDs are quite inexpensive these days, and free UTube video are readily available.  Some people argue that the current elaborate and extremely costly conventional medical treatments for cancer are a waste of time and money, and cause undue suffering, and decide on other options, including doing nothing (wu wei).  This makes for very difficult decisions by the patient.

Based on considerable worldwide research, people who are overweight and don't exercise and eat improperly and use unhealthy drugs have a higher incidence of poor health and diseases and die younger than people who are trim, fit, eat properly, don't use recreational drugs, and exercise regularly.  Nevertheless, I do not believe that Qigong or other fitness modalities can be of significant benefit in curing or slowing the progress of cancer; and people who actively practice Qigong may get cancer anyway.  Cancer has many causes and its appearance is currently unpredictable, although more likely above the age of 60, and cancer "cures" are actively being researched and evaluated.   There is lively debate on the subject of the best treatments for the complex and serious disease of cancer.  Read the book "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer" by Dr. Stephen Hoye and Siddhartha Mukherje, 2010, for a thorough discussion of this important subject, although a depressing account.   

Some Qigong (Chi Kung) enthusiasts and teachers do believe that their exercises, breathing, meditation, and visualization methods do significantly help people with serious diseases, including cancer.  Medical Qigong offers clinics attempting to help people with all kinds of health problems, and schools training future Qigong medical practitioners and healers exist worldwide.  However, Caveat emptor.

High hopes that the body will heal iteself using some method is very important.  The placebo effect is a real factor.  If you have confidence that Qigong will help in your healing, then it just might work for you.


As for Bone Marrow Washing (Xi Sui Jing) Qigong:  

Gabi Greve from Japan sent me information on Daruma Bone and Marrow Washing Exercises.

Roberto Gravez recommended "The Scholar Warrior" by Deng Ming-Dao.  This book gives all 24 movements of Bone Marrow Washing Chi Kung with drawings and instructions. The book also provides guides for diet, meditation, and so forth.  Mr. Gravez criticized my skepticism about the use of qigong in healing cancer.  I agree with him that "Scholar Warrior" is a fine and useful book, and Deng Ming-Dao is a good writer and expert on Taoist matters. 

Dr. Bikum Hu in Berkeley, California, teaches Bone Marrow Washing Qigong.  

As for general well-being, an increased sense of vitality, feeling good, psycho-spiritual progress, positive visualization, and relaxation, qigong has helped many people. Most people who regularly practice qigong generally have positive comments to make about their experiences.


Yang Jwing-Ming and Mantak Chia have written books on the Bone Marrow Washing Chi Kung form, and, as I recall, give instructions on a version of the set. Yang Jwing-Ming's books are usually very informative and useful for learning forms, and have excellent, detailed background theory.

There are both harder and easier verions of the Xi Sui Jing exercise as with Shaolin White Crane Qigong. 18 Lohan Qigong, another Shaolin Qigong form, is also popular.

I'd recommend The Eight Section Brocade Qigong for a general introductory form, and you don't need to spend any extra money learning it (I explain it for free on a webpage); and, there are many free UTube verison online.  Please, don't spend more than 20 mintues a day, at first, doing the form in the early morning. Also, enjoy some walking if you feel up to it!

I find the exercises, postures, and movement routines of many "different" qigong forms to be quite similar.  Likewise, there are also many named "styles" of yoga, but the postures of physical (hatha) yoga are common and familiar, even if named differently.  For example, lunges or moving the shoulders/arms through a full range of motion are found in all qigong, taijiquan, and yoga practices.

Visualizations of energy flow inside and outside the body, philosophical emphasis, vigorous vs gentle movements, breathing instructions, and descriptions of esoteric anatomy or meridians vary more in qigong forms. 

John, my very best wishes for a long remission, improved well-being, and a peaceful soul.

Mike Garofalo

Tai Chi May Boost One's Immune System

"Dr. Michael Irwin of University of California – Los Angeles conducted a research study that found that after 25-weeks of Tai Chi practice, older adults’ immunity against shingles was slightly higher than people who did not practice Tai Chi but got shingles vaccinations. Combining Tai Chi practice and vaccination, the seniors’ immunity index was twice as high as vaccination alone, the same level of people 30 years younger.

The Chinese Culture University in Taiwan found that Tai Chi Chuan increased circulating myeloid dendritic cells which are antigen-presenting cells of the immune system.

Chang Gung University in Taiwan found that regular Tai Chi Chuan exercise enhances functional mobility and important T cells in the immune system. It also discovered that regular Tai Chi practice improves T cell function of patients with type 2 diabetes.

If that wasn’t enough, even Dr. Oz’s personal trainer Donovan Green and world Kung Fu champion Master Karl Romain endorse taking Tai Chi for developing a stronger immune system.

From a western scientific standpoint, it’s difficult to explain exactly why and how Tai Chi affects our immune system. Dr. Peter Wayne, Assistant Professor of Harvard Medical School and author of the Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, comments with many active ingredients—movement, breathing, attention, visualization, and rich psychosocial interactions, Tai Chi is a multicomponent intervention."
-  "Can Tai Chi Boost Your Immune System?" from Asian Fortune

How to Boost One's Immune System

How to Boost One's Immune System

1.  Daily moderate cross training exercises.
2.  Adequate rest, relaxation, and sleep.
3.  Proper diet and adequate protein.
4.  Vitamin C supplementation.
5.  Reduce stress, overdoing, overreaching, overachieving, unrealistic objectives.
6.  Maintain cleanliness and sanitary conditions.
7.  Adequate water intake.
8.  Maintain an upbeat, positive, and realistic attitude. 
9.  Take all prescribed medicines on schedule.
10.  Don't smoke or drink alcohol.
11.  Develop and maintain positive social relationships.
12.  Stimulate and engage your thinking processes. 
13.  Use effective vaccines and avoidance tactics to prevent communicable diseases.  



There is plenty of evidence that Tai Chi, Yoga, Chi Kung, and Walking all can boost one's immune system.  However, claims by advocates of each of these mind-body exercise systems seem to ignore the fact that regular moderate exercise of just about any type will improve functioning of the immune system, combined with the other healthy living practices listed above.  I find little evidence that any one mind-body exercise system is "the best."  The bottom line, for me, is daily moderate cross training exercises.  

Yoga Postures - A Likely History

Repost from 2014:

Recently, I have been reading many books about yoga, exercise and spirituality.  The following book by Mark Singleton has influenced my understanding of the evolution of the practice of hatha yoga since 1880:

Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice  By Mark Singleton.  New York, Oxford University Press, 2012.  Index, bibliography, notes, 262 pages.  ISBN: 9780195395341.  VSCL.

Mr. Singleton's well argued and carefully documented thesis is that transnational yoga as we know it today, asana practices, emerged from physical culture practices from Europe, Indian nationalism, gymnastics, bodybuilding, medicine, health regimens, New Thought, a Hindu studies revival, fitness and gym business promoters, and the development and expansion of visual media.  This process began in the 1880's and continues to this day. 

"Consider the term Yoga as it refers to modern postural practice as a homonyn, and not a synonym, of the "yoga" associated with the philosophical system of Pantanjali, or the "yoga" that forms and integral component of the Saiva Tantras, or the "yoga" of the Bhagavad Gita, and so on.  In other words, although the word "yoga" as it is used popularly today is identical in spelling and pronunciation in each of these instances, it has quite different meanings and origins."  p.15

"As Joseph Alter has recently argued, a key methodological issue is therefore "how to exercise ethnographic relativism, historical perspectivity and intellectual skepticism all at the same time."  This means critically examining modern yoga's truth claims while seeking to understand under what circumstances and to what ends such claims are made." p.14

The esoteric, magical, religious, New Age, imaginary and spiritual dimensions of "yoga" are definitely part of the currents of contemporary yoga practice and trends in non-church spirituality since the 1880's; but, the bigger picture of its popularity is due to our enthusiasm for fitness, bodybuilding, stress reduction, sexuality, improved health, relaxation, and the "good life." 

Another book that points us in the right direction regarding contemporary yoga practices is:

The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards  By William J. Broad.  New York, Simon and Schuster, 2012.  Index, bibliography, notes, 298 pages.  ISBN;  9781451641424.  VSCL. 

This book is a must read for those who question the often outlandish claims for the benefits of yoga, are concerned about risky yoga postures, and favor a more scientific approach to yoga practice. 

Finally, I enjoyed reading:

Original Yoga: Rediscovering Traditional Practices of Hatha Yoga  By Richard Rosen.  Illustrations by Evan Yee.  Boston, Shambhala, 2012.  Index, bibliography, glossary, appendices, 286 pages.  ISBN: 9781590308134.  VSCL.  

"The changes the traditional practice went through over the centuries might be considered organic, common to any living organism’s natural evolution. What happened to Hatha Yoga in the early years of the twentieth century, by contrast, happened virtually overnight and was totally "person-made," or artificial. The full story is too long to tell here and has already been masterfully recounted from slightly different perspectives by British researchers Elizabeth de Michelis in A History of Modern Yoga (Continuum, 2004) and Mark Singleton in Yoga Body (Oxford University Press, 2010. Suffice it to say that by the end of the nineteenth century in India, Hatha had fallen on hard times and was on its last trembling leg. Several Indian teachers set out to save Hatha from oblivion; among them was Tirumular Krishnamacharya, whose work provided the impetus for three of our most popular and influential modern teachers: T. K. V. Desikachar (whose teaching was once known as Viniyoga, a term that has since been abandoned); the late K. Pattabhi Jois (who taught Ashtanga-Vinyasa Yoga); and B. K. S. Iyengar, who (though he often adamantly insists there’s no such thing) created Iyengar Yoga. And save Hatha the teachers did. You may have heard or read somewhere that yoga is five thousand years old, a number that’s continually cited by people who should know better, since there’s not a shred of concrete evidence to back it up. What we do know for certain is that the yoga we practice in the West is no more than one hundred years old. Our Indian teachers took what was once the province of a relatively small, loose-knit, mostly male ascetic community that was resolutely living on the fringes of respectable Indian society and transformed it into a worldwide mass movement open to anyone of any age, gender, or physical condition. This is the second meaning of original yoga, the yoga that’s "original" to the twentieth century, or what we call modern Hatha Yoga."  Original Yoga by Richard Rosen

This book includes instructions on some practices for "energizing" aspects of the esoteric body that are typical in Qigong and Yoga.  Those interested in organic energy, Prana, Chi, and nadis/meridians will find it interesting.  

After you set aside the preaching about worshipping Krishna, Shiva, or other Tantric dieties; strange chakras, gunas, and pranic realms; divine grace or higher consciousness; the power of meditation, mudras, and mantras; and Hindu pride ... just stick with the physical practices of yoga to effect significant transformation of your body and mind.  

Consider the situation and determination of the following fellow:

Experience and Movement

"In general, there is no isolated sensory experience.  From the beginning, there is a tendency towards testing each new sensory experience by the other senses.  ... We have shown that it is not legitimate to speak of a sensory impression separately from motor-vegetative changes."
-  Moshe Feldenkrais, Body and Mature Behavior, 1949, p.112



The Potent Self: A Study of Spontaneity and Compulsion.  By Moshe Feldenkrais.  Foreword by Mark Reese.  This book was originally written in the late 1940's.  Frog Books, 2002.  288 pages.  ISBN: 978-1583940686.  VSCL.  

"Moshe Feldenkrais, D.Sc., a visionary scientist who pioneered the field of mind-body education and therapy, has inspired countless people worldwide.  His ability to translate his theories on human function into action resulted in the creation of his technique, now known as the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education.  In The Potent Self, Feldenkrais delves deeply into the relationship between faulty posture, pain, and the underlying emotional mechanisms that lead to compulsive and dependent human behavior. He shares remarkable insights into resistance, motivation, habit formation, and the place of sex in full human potential.  The Potent Self offers Feldenkrais' vision of how to achieve physical and mental wellness through the development of authentic maturity.  This edition includes and extensive Forward by Mark Reese, a longtime student of Feldenkrais, in which Reese discusses many of the important ideas in the book and places them in the context of Feldenkrais' life and the intellectual and historical milieu of his time."  - Quote from AmazonBooks



Body and Mature Behavior: A Study of Anxiety, Sex, Gravitation, and Learning.  By Moshe Feldenkrais.  Foreword by Carl Ginsburg.  Berkeley, California, Frog Books, Somatic Resources, 2005.  Index, 233 pages.  ISBN: 978-1583941157.  VSCL.

These essays were first presented as lectures to members of the Association of Scientific Workers at Fairlie, Scotland, given in 1943-1944.  They were first printed in book form in 1949.  Moshe Feldenkrais worked for the British Admiralty during World War II on submarine research in Scotland, and taught self-defense since he was a Judo Master.  Dr. Feldenkrais discusses learning, movement and consciousness, the psychological and physiological development of humans, recent research in psychology, training and reeducation, mind-body unity, instincts, anxiety, habits, and the impact of gravity on our soma/psyche.  It was written before Dr. Feldenkrais developed his somatic Awareness Through Movement methods and educational theories.  His topics and conclusions are wide-ranging. 


Moshe Feldenkrais  (1904-1984)
Awareness Through Movement, Functional Integration
Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes

    

Crane Frolic Chi Kung Exercise #6

6.  The Crane Opens and Closes Its Wings

Begin in the basic Crane stance with the hands at the waist.  The legs are separated with a shoulder's width.  Stretch the fingers open.  Inhale as you lift both hands up the center of the body, fingers pointing forward, arms about 24" apart.
As the hands reach the neck begin to move both hands to the side, upwards, and backwards.  Spread the arms as far apart as you can and to either side of the body as you lift both arms high above the head.  Draw the arms up and back as you gently bend backwards.
At the same time as the arms are lifted up and back, try to lift both heels off the ground, and come up on your toes.  Look up at the sky with your head drawn back. 
As you begin to exhale, gently draw the arms forward and down, straighten the back, look forward, and move the arms down to the waist. 
Repeat for 4 to 8 repetitions in a gentle, slow, calm, deliberate, and smooth manner. 
This movement is found in the Wild Goose Qigong (Dayan Chi Kung) routine.  Refer to "Wild Goose Qigong" by Hong-Chao Zhang, pp.20-21. 
Back-bending while standing with the arms lifted above the head and with the hands touching is a commonly used hatha yoga posture called Anyvittasana.   
This exercise is a hyperextension of the back, stretching of the latissimus dorsi muscles of sides of the upper back, a stretching of the upper rectus abdominis, engaging the pectoralis major, and a tensing of the trapezius muscles in the upper back and neck. 
This movement opens and fills with Qi (Chi, Energy) the Middle Dan Tien (i.e., 中丹田, Zhong Dantian, middle elixir fields, cauldron) of the esoteric body system explained in Chinese Qigong (Yoga); or, analogously, opens the Heart Chakra (Anhata) of Hatha Yoga.  Exercise of this area in the front of the body helps heal disturbed emotions, calms the spirit, strengthens the heart and lungs, and opens the Heart-Soul to the grace of light energy. 
The wide-spread arms held up high help establish a feeling of opening up, freeing oneself, and uplifting one's mood and spirit. 
You often see this ritual body posture in Christian revival meetings as a kind of "Saying Hallelujah" posture.
If the movement was done forcefully and with power and quickly it would be the flapping of the wings of a powerful bird like a Crane or wild Goose or for a human bodybuilder the performance of incline dumbbell flys. 

         
 


Crane Frolic Qigong Exercise Set

Eight Animals Frolics Mind/Body Fitness Practices (Chi Kung) by Mike Garofalo
 
The webpages for the eight specific animals will also have photographs of me or others doing these exercises.  There are also five, eight or twelve animals in Shaolin Kung Fu, Ba Gua Zhang, Taijiquan, and Xing Yi Quan.  Movements or postures called a "crane" or "hawk" or "rooster" are found in most of these mind-body internal arts.   

Chinese exercises recommended for improving fitness, maintaining good health, overcoming diseases, increasing energy and vitality, contributing to good mental health, and improving one's chances for longevity have a very long documented history going back to as early as 160 BCE in the Daoyin Tu.    

Eighteen Buddha Hands Qigong

Luohan Qigong, Lohan Qigong, Luohan Gong, Lohan Gong, 18 Buddha Hands

Shaolin Buddhist Qigong

Over the years, I have found many different versions of the 18 Buddha Hands Qigong or Luohan Qigong.  For example, last year, I read Stuart Alve Oson's "The Eighteen Lohan Skills: Traditional Shaolin Training Methods," Valley Spirit Arts, 2015.  

Resources, Lessons, History, Links, Bibliography, Notes, Research  http://www.egreenway.com/qigong/lohan.htm
  

  "One tradition is that the Buddhist teacher, Bodhidharma (448-527 CE), a famous Grand Master of Chan (Zen),introduced a set of 18 exercises to the Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Temple. These are known as the Eighteen Hands of the Lohan. This Shaolin Lohan Qigong (i.e., the art of the breath of the enlightened ones), "is an internal set of exercises for cultivating the "three treasures" of qi (vital energy), jing (essence), and shen (spirit)," according to Howard Choy. The Kung Fu master, Sifu Wong Kiew-Kit, referring to the Shaolin Wahnam style, says "the first eight Lohan Hands are the same as the eight exercises in a famous set of chi kung exercises called the Eight Pieces of Brocade." There are numerous versions,seated and standing, of Bodhiidharma's exercise sets - including the related "Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Washing" qigong set. Some versions of the 18 Lohan (Luohan) Hands have up to four levels, and scores of movement forms for qigong and martial purposes."
- Michael P. Garofalo, Eight Section Brocade
  

  For a comparison of some of the exercises in the Lohan Qigong with the Eight Section Brocade see my chart on the topic. 

  The Luohan Qigong includes a massage or patting training methods, and this is especially popular among Yin Fu Bagua enthusiasts. Master Xie Pei Qi has a DVD out on the topic. 

Dayan (Wild Goose) Chi Kung Exercises

Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong Exercises

Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes, List of Movements
Research by Mike Garofalo
This Qigong form is one long continuous sequence of movements, much like a Taiji form.  There are many aspects of the Wild Goose

Watch UTube Video of Part One of Wild Goose Qigong

Qigong system as presented by Dr. Bingkun Hu of San Francisco.
 

I was practicing this Dayan form one autumn winter morning in my Sacred Circle Garden when a flock of Canadian Geese flew overhead.  The North Sacramento Valley is the winter home of birds from Canada.  Behold ... 'everything is holy now':

"A second Grandfather, he of the North, spoke again: 

"Take courage, younger brother," he said, "on earth a nation you shall make live, for yours shall be the power of the white giant's wing, the cleansing wing." 

Then he got up very tall and started running toward the north; and when he turned toward me, it was a white goose wheeling. I looked about me now, and the horses in the west were thunders and the horses of the north where geese. 

And the second Grandfather sang two songs that were like this:

"They are appearing, may you behold!
They are appearing , may you behold!
The thunder nation is appearing, behold!

They are appearing, may you behold!
They are appearing, may you behold!
The white geese nation is appearing, behold!"

- Black Elk Speaks, 1932, p. 22, as told to John G. Neihardt.

A post from October 2015.  

"In the north-west of China, high above the Himalayas, are the mystical Kunlun Mountains. Nearly 1700 years ago a hermit named Si Dao An (the Peaceful Way) observed the movements of the many wild geese that haunt the area and began to incorporate these bending, stretching, twisting and fluttering techniques into a health-enhancing routine called the Dayan Gong or Wild Goose Qigong.  Since then over 30 generations have taught this skill to the world.  The 27th generation inheritor, Grandmaster Yang Mei-Jun (who died in 2002 aged 107) was the first to open the Dayan Gong outside China ...  through Master Tse Wei Jing Who is the only authorised senior instructor of the Kunlun Mountains Qigong in the East of England." 
-   Julian Wilde, Norwich Tse Tai Chi

 

 

"Wild Goose Qigong belongs to the Kunlun School, so it is also called Kunlun School Qigong.  This school began in the Sichuan Province in China.  The most famous practitioner of Wild Goose Qigong was Dao An, who spread it during the Jin Dynasty (265-420 A.D.).  Because he was the most famous teacher of Wild Goose Qigong, he was crowned as its founder by later generations.   Later on, Wild Goose Qigong spread to northern China, and was kept by Wan Li at Wutai Mountain.  Emperor Qian Long, during the Qing Dynasty (1368-1840 A.D.), promoted religion and established temples all over the country so that Wild Goose Qigong could be passed down to the present."
-   By Hong-Chao Zhang, Wild Goose Qigong, p 12

 

 

"Dayan Qigong is a content-rich set of system consisting of two categories: dynamic and silent. For the former, the routine forms imitate wild goose's shape, movements or even habits, with the aim letting the internal energy flow smoothly within the body along the channels and meridians, thus moving away the thwarting blocks. In a whole, all forms shine out the feeling of wonderful harmony consisting both softness and hardness, of unrestrainedness, simpleness, and lightness. Also, some strange feeling may arise to the heart that seems to fly over the wild stretch of ocean and the vastness overpowers all consciousness." 
-   Dayan Qigong 

Yang Style Taijiquan Long Form Section I

 Yang Style Taijiquan Long Form Section I

First Section,  Movements 1-17,  List of Movements

First Section List,  Movements 1-17,  Yang Long Form 108   

    Provides a list with the number of the movement and the name of movement. In the PDF format (print only), 1 page, 16Kb.  

First Section List,  Part I,  Movements 1 - 17,  Yang Long Form 108 

    Provides a list with the number of the movement, the direction one is facing at the end of that movement, the name of the movement, and a brief description or notes about the movement.  In the PDF format (print only), 1 page, 48Kb.