Continuing our look at the 18 qigong exercises that make up the Shaolin 18 Lohan Hands Chi Kung set: Lift Heels Bend Knees.
Like many of the names given to the qigong exercises, it is exactly what it says. You lift the heels and bend the knees =)
Also known as 提 踭 彎 膝 or QI ZHENG WAN ZUO this is one of the qigong exercises that demands a high degree of balance and concentration to perform without falling over, take my word for it. If you knee’s start making snap, crackle and pop noises, don’t worry that’s perfectly normal, even though it can sound rather alarming =)
This is one of my favourite qigong exercises because I always found it easy to get a really good qi flow from it. Practiced as qigong you can expect to gain the following benefits:
This pattern is beneficial for the knees and encourages chi to flow to the extremities of the body. It brings relief from arthritis and rheumatism and for those who are ready it promotes the Small Universal Qi Flow, this is when qi flows continuously through the Ren and the Du meridians of the body. It has been said that: “An exponent of the Small Universe is a living example of radiant health: he is physically fit, emotionally stable, mentally alert and spiritually peaceful”.
This pattern also opens up the meridians in the legs which allow negative qi within the body to be efficiently drained through the feet and down into the ground, where it is of great benefits to creatures that live in the earth. This is because energy which is negative to us is positive to them. Another example is the negative qi we breathe out. To the trees this qi is positive. Remember something is only negative or positive (yin or yang) when in relation to something else.
Wow, we’ve covered 17 of the 18 qigong exercises in this set. Stay tuned for the last one…
Bye for now
Marcus James Santer