Brocade 1 – Two Hands Support the Heavens
Revitalizing Your Life Energy (Qi) Through Motion – Series
Before beginning this exercise, it is important to take a deep breath, clear the mind, and focus on feeling grounded.
All brocades start and end in the Qi Gong stance of active relaxation. The knees are slightly bent and “soft”, hands are in front of the body as if resting on a beach ball, elbows are down. The back is straight and the chin is tucked slightly. Imagine being suspended in space by a string attached to the crown of your head and extending up to the sky.
As you inhale, extend your arms to the side and scoop up the energy in front of your body. As your arms reach face level, interlace your fingers and with palms turned toward the sky push upward into a full stretch bringing your heels off the ground.
As you exhale, float your arms down and repeat the scooping motion.
After a few repetitions, change the direction of your palms (now facing downward) as you again push upward into a full stretch bringing your heels off the ground.
This is a great exercise to warm up the body, circulate the blood and alleviate stiffness.
This brocade balances the “triple burner”. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is said that the triple burner’s function is to balance our body temperature, much like a thermostat in a home. It also affects how we relate to others and ourselves so that we act appropriately in any given situation.