Michael Stenson

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“As you grow more relaxed, you become less afraid.  As you become less afraid, you become more relaxed.” ~Cheng man-ch'ing

 “In any action, your entire body should be light and agile with all of its parts connected like pearls on a thread.  No one part should resist moving with the whole. “~Cheng man-ch’ing~ 

  “Concentrating your chi reverses the aging process and bestows youthful vigor; this is T’ai Chi’s most important benefit.” ~Cheng man-ch’ing~

Chi Gung - 8 Ways To Graceful Aging
by Michael Stenson

The Chinese word for exercise is yun-tung which means circulating chi with movement. Gung can be translated as mindful, physical effort so Chi Gung is a particular kind of work to cultivate chi. Chi Gung cultivates internal energy over purely physical development. Chi is many things, including life force, intrinsic energy, essence, spirit -- the circular flow of the river of energy animating the universe. Chi follows thought. An old Chinese proverb tells of a ruler who promised the kingdom to anyone who could thread a nine-tunneled pearl. A sage tells one on the way to try, to attach the thread with a dab of honey to the back of an ant that will pull the thread through the nine tunnels. The pearl is your body and the nine tunnels are your wrist, elbow, shoulder, hips, knees, ankles, base of your spine, atlas and the top of your head. The thread is chi. The ant is attention and the honey is your practice of Chi Gung. Eight Ways Chi Gung practice cultivates chi and the circulation of chi and also develops a keen sense of timing, balance, suppleness, strength and sensitivity through study of five principles while performing the slow, rhythmic exercises. 

Relax - The most important Chi Gung principle is relax. Relaxation enables your body to become supple and responsive, sensitive and agile. Relaxing is not the same thing as collapsing. Relaxing is filling your body with energy and letting go of internal resistances to movement. A relaxed body is energetic, alert and alive – ready for anything. In Chinese this principle is expressed by the term sung. Translating sung as "relax" is still too stiff because sung goes deeper than muscles right down to sinews letting go of all bracing and hard lines of resistance.

You cannot relax your body, however, without also calming your mind. Your mind cannot be controlled with force, or left to wander. Too much effort and your mind will resist, too little and it will drift. Your mind must be attracted to a sweet space through gentle, persistent intention. “Energy follows thought” is an old Chi Gung maxim that shows how keeping attention focused upon relaxing and using the imagery of the exercises will lead a busy mind to quiet. Chi sinks down into a relaxed body inducing a calm, composed, light-hearted feeling.

Body Upright - The principle of an internal sense of upright alignment is a refinement of the relaxation principle. If we are not truly upright we have no balance, only varying degrees of bracing ourselves up. When we brace on joints we wear them out and spoil our ability to balance. Joints are not designed to carry our weight, they are designed to move our body. Locking your knees and cocking a hip raises your center of gravity and jams up dynamic balancing mechanisms; instead of being able to shift smoothly and adapt, you wind up faltering and stumbling. Diminishing vision and weakening leg and core muscles further spoil your balance and predispositions you to falling.

Complete harmony within your body appears when all traces of bracing are gone and your body is held up by the delicate, dynamic balance of muscles. At rest, your body is calm and ready for anything. In motion it is fluid, powerful and vital. Imagine you are a tree growing upward on the inside and relaxing downward on the outside of your body. Alignment cannot be forced. It has to be invoked internally with imagination. True uprightness comes from invoking an internal sense of having your body arranged neatly upon itself by using relaxation (neither forcing nor collapsing) as the tool to find your most efficient structural integrity. Then your body's natural grace is allowed to shine through. “Poise” is the word that comes closest to describing the spirit of this principle. 

Separate Yin and Yang - T’ai Chi classics say separating yin and yang is the ability to both separate and unite just as one sorts out silk threads from a knotted tangle and binds them into skeins. This principle covers many aspects including empty and full, inside and outside, front and back, high and low, left and right, substantial and insubstantial to name a few. Actually a better image than separating is converting or transmuting yin to yang and yang to yin. As the yin yang symbol illustrates, ultimate yin turns into yang and ultimate yang turns into yin. The fine transition point where the change takes place is like where the edge of a wave coming to shore begins to recede and this turning point is an infinitely fine and ever changing line. In the beginning it’s easiest to just think in terms of separating your center of balance in your legs. 

Most people walk by catching themselves in a series of falls from one leg to the other. When we step and simultaneously commit weight, even just five percent, to the leg we’re stepping into unanticipated obstacles, stairs, slippery surfaces and so on, are more likely to upset us. If, however, when we step we place the foot as lightly as a cat paw and without putting any weight in it and then mindfully shift from the weighted leg to the empty leg, we will be able to adapt and ensure that our foot is firmly planted before we commit to it. Of course, it takes practice to make this way of walking familiar and easy.

All Movement Comes From The Dan Tien - The dan tien is located three fingers below your navel and one third of the way from the front towards the back of your pelvis. It is your body’s natural center of gravity and the vital center where chi is stored and accumulated. Dan Tien simply means energy center - chakra in sanskrit. This dan tien, is an acupuncture point known as chihai, the “sea of chi”, and plays a pivotal role in the treatment of disease in traditional Chinese medicine.

The principle of moving from your dan tien coordinates timing, smoothes transitions and maintains balanced alignment. To move with power, grace and balance, all movement must emanate from a single point so that your entire body moves as a whole with no breaks in continuity, hollows or projections. Without this bodies appear disordered and confused. Moving from your dan tien also trains you to turn from your hips without twisting your knees, torso or neck so that your alignment has integrity and you remain upright and stable. Most falls happen when changing directions or making transitions so it is critical to learn to turn, sit and rise from your dan tien.

Beautiful Ladies Wrists - The order in which the nine tunneled pearl is threaded is not random. The first place where relaxation and improved chi circulation appears is in your hands, followed by your elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, base of the spine, atlas and the top of your head. This principle expresses the warm, receptive spirit of chi beginning with quiet, relaxed hands open with the same sensitivity and care as one sees in the hands of a mother cradling an infant. Over time this sensitivity spreads to all of the tunnels of your pearl until at a very high level of attainment, chi finally rises to the top of your head.

You often see people bending their wrists and clutching at thin air when their balance is a concern. This often leads to broken wrists and arms when they try to catch themselves. To the trained eye, a hard line of resistance stands out that can be traced all the way from the hands to the feet. Softening your hands and wrists makes it possible for your elbows and shoulders to also let go. Letting go of your shoulders lowers your center of gravity and lets your weight drop through your hips and knees and down into the soles of your feet.

Your hands should be open and receptive with your fingers extended but not stiffened. Your wrists must not be bent in any direction. If you held your forearm perfectly vertical your wrist should balance up and the back of your wrist should be smooth without any signs of tension. Hands should have the same quality as when you are reaching out to shake someone’s hand - open, receptive and welcoming. Fingers should be extended - neither curled nor held straight. 

A core concept of Chi Gung is the application of common sense to movement and alignment. This does not mean that working correctly will initially feel natural to you. However, your familiar way of moving is not necessarily the most efficient or functionally correct. So, any change will initially feel awkward and “not natural”. However, that doesn’t mean that it is not correct. Following the five principles overcomes inefficient physical habits and allows your body to work the way it is designed: standing quietly without wobbling, instead of bracing yourself up; transitioning evenly and smoothly; and walking without faltering. Using you mind to become aware of tension patterns is the first step. Along with awareness comes choice. With choice you can let go of tension habits. Whenever you look at your watch remember to tuck your chin, let go of your shoulders, unlock your knees, put your pelvis in neutral and soon it will become an automatic response. Studying the principles is subtle work requiring concentration, discipline and patience. 

Excerpt from Chi Gung - Eight Ways To Graceful Aging, Copyright 2009 

mstenson@prairiewinds.com