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Soaring Crane Qigong

Qigong is about harnessing the natural energy both within our body and from the earth. It relies on the belief that the smooth flow of life energy or qi, through the body's channels, is vital for good health and that illness occurs when there is a poor circulation in the body's system.

There are two types of qigong - the hard form and the soft form. The former belongs to the martial art while the latter is for health. The soft qigong is further divided into two types: kinetic (externally mobile, but internally stationary) and static (externally stationary, but internally mobile).

Soaring Crane Qigong, which is originated from China, belongs to the soft type. It is based on developing these processes -

	◎ abdominal breathing;
	◎ focusing your mind;
	◎ relaxing your body;
	◎ visualization of qi;
	◎ meditation

and adopting a combination of kinetic and static postures to cultivate the life energy or qi in our body.

Abdominal breathing is a process in which inhalation is slowly drawn into the 'dantian', an area just below the navel. In normal breathing, you tend to breathe down to your diaphragm, a level between the lungs and the stomach. Abdominal breathing goes beyond that level, down to the lower part of the abdomen. This increases the capacity of storing breath in your body.

Focusing your mind is required for developing the life energy - qi. When practising, the mind has to visualize the qi is at the diantian, certain vital points and in the movements. Visualization generates heat and turns the excessive water in our body into qi.

Relaxing your body completely allows your internal channels to be unblocked so that the qi can sink freely into your dantian. Living in a stressful environment will make our muscles feel tense most of the time. So, if you want your body to last longer, you have to develop a way to relax until it becomes your second nature. Qigong can help you to achieve that.

These, in a nutshell, give you some idea of what is qigong.

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Soaring Crane Qigong: Features/Effectiveness/Health tips

Warm-up

Exercise

Exercise 1: Steps

1-9 10-18 19-27

Exercise 2: Steps

1-9 10-18 19-27

Exercise 3: Steps

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