Three Basic Spring Forest Qigong Exercises

EACH OF THESE EXERCISES, the Beginning of the Universe, the Moving of Yin &
Yang, and the Breathing of the Universe, helps to open energy channels in the
body and to awaken your awareness of the way the energy moves and flows
through your body.

There are many energy channels in the body, but the most important ones are
the front channel and the back channel. The back channel is the governing
channel.

All the other energy channels work around these two main channels. One of
these two main channels ends at the roof of your mouth, while the other ends at
the tip of your tongue. So, whenever you practice any Spring Forest Qigong
exercise you should always place your tongue gently against the roof of your
mouth. Your tongue acts as the switch connecting the two main channels.

You can do these exercises standing, sitting, or lying down.

The Beginning of the Universe

This exercise helps bring your focus back into your body and wake up your
internal energy.

• When doing this exercise while sitting, try to sit up and keep
the spine straight.

• When doing this exercise while lying down, lie on your back
and keep your spine as straight as possible.

• When doing this exercise while standing, stand straight with

your knees a little. (If you want to lose weight bend your knees
a little more.)

• Set your feet a little more than shoulder width apart for good
balance while standing.

• Eyes look forward.

• Wear a smile on your face to relax every part of the body and stimulate your
brain to produce endorphins.

• Draw your chin back a little to straighten the entire spine. Energy travels up
and down the spine in the governing channel more easily when the spine is
straight.

• Drop your shoulders and move your elbows outward a little.

• Slowly take a deep, silent, gentle breath through your nose. As you breathe in,
draw the lower stomach in a little. As you breathe out, let your stomach out. This
makes it easier for the Yin and Yang energies to communicate with each other
and create balance.

• Imagine using your whole body to breathe. Visualize the universal energy
coming into every cell of your body and collecting in the lower Dantian. This is a
primary energy center in your body. The lower Dantian is located in the area
behind your navel.

• When you exhale, visualize any pain or sickness changing into smoke and
shooting out from every cell of your body to the end of the universe.

• Gently close your eyes and lips.

• Now say the password in your mind: “I am in the universe. The universe is in
my body. The universe and I combine together.”

• Continue breathing slowly, deeply and gently and feel the emptiness, the
quietness, the stillness of the universe.

Do this exercise for 2 to 3 minutes or longer if you have the time

The Moving of Yin & Yang

This exercise is very good for healing your internal organs. Through the guidance
of your mind and the movement of your hands, the heart energy and the kidney
energy join during this exercise opening many blockages in the body.

Again, you may do this exercise standing, sitting, or lying down. Use the same
body positions as in the Beginning of the Universe and remember to place your
tongue gently against the roof of your mouth.
• Continue to breathe deeply and gently as you raise your right hand, the Yang
male energy, to the upper chest while you raise your left hand, the Yin female
energy, to the lower stomach.

• Your hands and fingers remain slightly open to receive energy, with your palms
facing your body, without touching the body, to create a sensation of emptiness.

• As you raise your hands, visualize a transparent energy column in the middle
of your torso shining with beautiful colors. This energy column runs from the top
of your head to the bottom of your torso. The size of the energy column depends
upon your visualization. (If you have difficulty holding this visualization, don’t
force it. Simply say it once in your mind and then know that the energy column is
there.)

• Hold this position for about 30 seconds, longer if you wish, then slowly start
moving your hands. Your right hand moves out and down to the bottom of the
torso while your left hand moves in and up to your face. Again, your hands do
not touch your body.

• Continue moving your hands slowly in this circular pattern. Your hands move at
a rate of 3 to 5 circles each minute.

• While moving your hands, visualize the energy moving up and down the
transparent column and visualize the channels in the torso opening completely.
(If you have difficulty holding this visualization, just say it once in your mind.
Then, feel confident the transparent energy column is there and focus on guiding
the energy with your hands. Feel the energy moving. This is a relaxed focus. It
shouldn’t feel forced.)

Do this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes or longer if you can. The more time you
spend doing this exercise the deeper you will start to go into the emptiness.

The Breathing of the Universe

If you are doing the Moving of Yin & Yang prior to doing the
Breathing of the Universe you make the transition in the
following way.

Finish the Moving of Yin & Yang by slowly bringing both hands to
a stop in front of your navel at the position of your lower Dantian.

For men, stop with your left hand inside of your right hand. For
women, stop with the right hand inside of the left hand.

Again, your hands do not touch each other or your body. This
space allows you to keep the feeling of the emptiness.

• Now, focus your mind on your lower Dantian and take three
slow, gentle, deep breaths.

• Then, as you inhale the fourth time, move your hands apart
and open to the sides.

• As you exhale, bring your hands in towards each other but your hands do not
touch.
• Continue doing this movement with each inhalation and exhalation, slowly and
steadily

• Imagine you are using your whole body to breathe.

• When you open your hands, feel the energy as it expands in the space
between your hands.

• When you close your hands feel the energy being compressed in the space
between your hands.

• With practice, and perhaps very quickly, you will actually feel the energy
expanding and compressing.

• Use your hands and body to feel the energy moving while you use your elbows
to guide the movements.

• While you inhale, visualize the pure universal energy flowing into your body
through every part of your body and gathering in your lower Dantian.

• While you exhale, imagine any pain or sickness turning into smoke or air and
shooting out from every part of the body to the end of the universe.

• Do not let your body sway while doing these movements. Just keep your body
still and relaxed and always wear a smile on your face.

Do this movement for 5 to 10 minutes or longer if you have the time.

By moving your hands in this manner and combining the breathing technique,
you help to open blockages in the whole body, especially the lungs.

When you finish this movement, stop your hands in front of you as if you were
holding a ball of energy in front of your navel – your lower Dantian. Take three
slow, gentle, deep breaths in through your nose.
Ending

When you are finished doing your Spring Forest Qigong exercises you should
always rub your hands together and then massage your face in the following
way.

Starting from the chin, gently rub your hands up your face, along the sides of
your nose, up to your forehead, then out and down in a circular pattern along the
sides of your face and back down to your chin. Then, start up again in the same
manner. Massage your face in this way several times. Doing this helps to bring
your focus back from the emptiness.

You may do these exercises in combination, one right after another; or, you can
practice just one at a time. Try to practice them whenever you feel the need to
completely relax and renew yourself. Even if you only have a few minutes, these
exercises can be helpful. Of course, the more you practice these Spring Forest
Qigong exercises and the more time you can spend doing them the more you will
feel the energy and the deeper you will be able to go into the emptiness.

Always remember to say the password whenever you begin your exercises. By
saying the password - “I am in the universe. The universe is in my body. The
universe and I combine together.” - you open yourself up to the universe and its
limitless supply of healing energy.

Small Universe

The purpose of this meditation exercise is to clear energy blockages along the
front and back channels; to physically clear the roots of sickness; and to open
the energy centers along these channels.

I highly recommend this exercise. If you have time to do only one Spring Forest
Qigong technique, do the Small Universe. It is extremely helpful in opening
blockages and balancing all the energy in your body.

We have many energy channels and energy centers in our bodies. When energy
starts at one point, visits all the channels and centers in the body, and comes
back to the starting point, we have what is literally translated from ancient
Chinese wisdom as a “Big Universe.”

The most important energy channels are the back and front channels in the
torso. When energy starts at one point on these channels, visits all the parts of
the system, and comes back to the starting point, we have what is called a
“Small Universe.” By focusing on moving the energy along these two main
channels in the Small Universe, you have a profoundly positive effect on the Big
Universe of the whole body.
The back channel starts at the lower Dantian area, which is behind the navel. It
goes down to the bottom of the torso, travels up along the spine to the top of the
head and comes down from the middle of the forehead stopping at the roof of
the mouth. It governs all the Yang or male energy channels in the body.

The front channel also starts from the lower Dantian area, goes down to the
bottom of the torso, travels up the body, passing through the heart and throat,
and stopping under the tongue. It governs all the Yin or female energy channels
in the body.

These two channels automatically connect together four hours a day: at midday
between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and at midnight between 11:00 p.m. to 1:00
a.m. Qigong practitioners like to meditate at noon and midnight because it takes
less energy and generates greater benefits.

Nearly all the important energy centers are arranged along the back and front
channels. As a result, a blockage in the heart energy center could cause not only
heart problems but problems in the lungs, breasts, chest or even mental
problems. A blockage in the tailbone could cause reproductive organ problems,
low sexual energy, or even headaches. A blockage in the cervical bone #7 of the
spinal cord could cause headaches, fever, diabetes or even lung or heart
problems.

The Small Universe is the easiest meditation technique to open these two main
channels. I have created an audio-tape and CD with beautiful background music
and guide you through each movement in this meditation. Especially if you are a
beginner, it is very difficult to do this meditation on your own.

Listen to the master’s voice on the audio tape. You will hear two sounds

[ ... O O H M … ] and [ … M U AH … ].

(If you do this meditation without a tape to guide you make the “O O H M” sound
with your first inhalation and visualize the universal energy flowing into your
body and collecting in your Lower Dantian, which is behind your navel. As you
exhale, use your mind to move the energy to the next area of your body as
indicated in the picture. On the second inhalation, make the “M U A H” sound
and again visualize the energy flowing into your body and collecting at this next
point. Then as you exhale, use your mind to move the energy to the next area of
the body. Repeat this sequence throughout the meditation.)