For some with joint limitations, weakened health, overweight or a host of other health and wellness issues, it is not comfortable or could lead to injury.
Yoga is also time intensive, in that going through a full set of postures will take a long time, not something many people seem to have on their hands now.
So Yoga is great, don't get me wrong it is just not for everyone and I would like to offer an alternative for those it just doesn't suit.
There is an old Chinese Yoga type system that can serve as an alternative, derived from the more intensive Yoga. This small system is much more concise, contain the same energetic function, yet can be worked daily in 10 - 15 minutes. It also serves to align the skeletal system (and spine), massage the lymphatic system, stretch and strengthen the muscles. It also works to release stress, increase blood and oxygen flow throughout the body, release toxins as it also releases organ pressure and increase bowel function. All the benefits of Indian Yoga, but in only a fraction of the time.
I thought I would share this exercise with you that I have used and taught for 30 years in 45 countries; it's called Ba Duan Jin (8 pieces of Brocade - 8 intertwined exercises woven together like a cloth)... it is something the people always request I teach when visiting.
I have done Martial Arts for over 4 decades, the Ba Duan Jin I learned only 30 years ago, since that time I have practiced it daily not missing a single day. I am proud to say I have not been ill since the start of this exercise, not even a cold... I did in all honesty get food poisoning once in that time.
I am not bragging on the commitment or the good health, I gave those timelines and facts to clarify that the exercise of the Martial Arts (I also did daily), did not protect my health as the Ba Duan Jin has. Prior to utilizing this exercise, I got a cold or flu occasionally, it was only after the Ba Duan Jin practice, that I no longer got ill... so I attribute that to this exercise.
It is a concise 8 movement set of body postures and transition between them that is a concise but full body and nerve stretching exercise. This ancient Chi Gong (氣功) stretching exercise was developed in the early 1300’s by a Chinese Field Marshall, Yue Fey. He originally designed it to prepare his troops for battle as it relieves the anxieties and stress, while developing stamina, flexibility, coordination as well as clear focused minds. (He is also credited to have developed Eagle Claw Kung Fu).
This Chinese Qi Gong (Chi Gong) pattern contains postures that are also seen in Indianic Yoga but in a short transitional movement strategically structured practice that is far easier to accomplish than it's Yoga counterpart. It is a perfectly balanced and complete method of holistic health maintenance as it not only stretches every muscle in the body, but also the peripheral nerves, spinal nerves and complete nerve system (also the complete elemental cycle (control cycle) of the Chinese Acupuncture Meridians), as it aids many other systems of the body such as lymphatic system pumping and cleansing.
Because of the wide array of health attributes the Ba Duan Jin produces, it is the second most widely practiced form of Chi Gong in the world (next to Tai Chi), that is perfectly suited for our modern time limitations and even space restraints as it can be practiced in a 2' x 4' area. The name translates as "eight pieces of brocade" (a brocade being a richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics)... this cloth serves to cover and protect the entire body.
The Vital Point in understanding the internal energy of our body is first to realize what it is. It is not mythical or magical, it is a biological and universal reality as all in nature are an intertwined set of vibrations. As a caution and perhaps counter to most Qigong and Yoga practices, we must never seek to increase or decrease our energy, nor should we try to store it. The best way is to let it flow naturally and freely through the body as intended, it is only with the synchronization with natural surrounding energies, that we can obtain the maximum results. This is not easy with our modern lifestyles and environments like sitting for long periods, using repetitive straining actions, living in surrounding electrical fields, however this exercise can accomplish just that.
Each Exercise has a positive and negative aspect (being a stretch and contraction, but on a deeper level a grounding and ungrounding of the body electrically).
Each exercise is performed bilaterally and the sequence repeated 3 times each.
On the opening stretches in each exercise, you inhale deeply using Perennial Breathing Method And as you contract or relax the stretch, you exhale by reversing that method.
Each inhale, lift you big toe so as to Grounding the Electrical Currents
, on the exhale drop the toe and clench the feet slightly as in Breathing With Your Feet exercise.
As you exhale, roll the hips under and straighten the spine one vertebrae at a time, starting at the coccyx.
There are more details, but will only benefit you if you succeed with these tips above... so we can leave that for questions, comments or discussion.
This is not a part of the exercise, however it is vital to feel the energy from your hands, wash down the front of your body and repeat this three times.
This exercise can open the Kundalini, or Running Fire as the CHinese would say, that can be troublesome for those not aware of how to clear it.
"Although our modern battlefields have changed, the symptoms of stress and their crippling effects have not... This ancient exercise has withstood the test of time, still preparing the individual for their personal battles and pursuits”. - Evan Pantazi
Here is a quick example and demonstration... this is a bit fast in application, however it will help to illustrate the transitions.
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Image Credit: weeklygravy, wikimedia, Brian Hall Photography (sorry the exercise images are rough images)
