Look Back To Carry The Moon: No. 7 of the 18 Qigong Exercises.
Of the 18 qigong exercises that make up the Shaolin 18 Lohan Hands, this is perhaps one of the most popular. It is certainly, along with Lifting the Sky one of the best known of the qigong exercises that make up this set.
Also known as: Carry the Moon, 回 頭 抱 月 and HUI TOU BAO YUE.
Carry the Moon is well known for giving the following benefits:
This pattern really gives your spine a gentle work-out and is beneficial for back and spine problems. If you have serious acute back pain, practise Lifting the Sky first. Carry the Moon enhances the nervous system and generates a shower of vital energy down the body which promotes youthfulness and creates a supple and healthy spine.
Many of the qigong exercises in this set form the foundations for more advanced skills e.g. 3 Levels to ground can promote the Small Universal Qi Flow, Pushing Mountains is the foundation of many advanced qigong/chi kung skills. Carry the Moon is the foundation for generating a shower of cosmic energy through the body, which is like cleansing on steroids!
Cleansing is not just important for the meridians and health, it is also important Spiritually. There are many references in the bible and other spiritual texts that make reference to the fact that we are more than just the human beings we ‘appear to be’. E.g. ‘I and the Father are One’, father here meaning God/Spirit etc. In fact the whole essence of the Lotus Sutra is to demonstrate that we all have Buddha Nature, that is we all have the ability to reveal Buddha hood.
Carrying the Moon practiced at a very high level is excellent preparation for ‘cleansing’ the wrong view that we are mere flesh and bone and for helping us reveal our true nature.
Of the 18 qigong exercises that make up the 18 Lohan hands set, this is by far my favourite. It generates an incredible qi flow and allows me to cleanse deeply.
But as always I need to add the following caveat – if you only practice these qigong exercises at the level of form only then you will not get these benefits. And the best way to learn the skills necessary to practice these qigong exercises as qigong is, you guessed it – to learn directly from a qigong Master or at least a qualified instructor.
The next of the 18 qigong exercises we’ll be taking a quick peek at is: Reverse Hands Bend Waist — I sometimes wonder if there is nothing this particular qigong exercise can’t do!
Bye for now,
Marcus James Santer