Shibashi
Qigong Newsletter -
Issue V.10
Summer 2008
Instructor Training
Workshops
I will be teaching a Tai Chi
Qigong Shibashi Instructor Training Course at Toronto,
Canada on October 3-5, 2008. For details, please visit
www.taichi18.com/workshop.htm
I am also planning another
Instructor Training Course at California, USA on
November 21-23, 2008. At this moment, I am still searching
for a good location to run this workshop. If you know any
good venue for running the workshop, please let me know. My
email is
sifu@taichi18.com
You will gain a lot from this
course even if you do not plan to become an instructor
because I will correct your form individually.
Furthermore, you will learn all the fine details of the Shibashi qigong, techniques on increasing your sensitivity
to qi, detecting and defending yourself from sick qi, and
forming and benefiting from a huge qi field.
Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi as an Aerobic Exercise
There are many benefits in
practicing Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi. Besides the obvious
benefits, like the balance of Yin and Yang, increase overall
qi level, clear blockages in the meridians, … etc.,
practicing Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi also has the benefits of
aerobic exercise.
Aerobic exercise refers to
exercise that involves or improves oxygen consumption by the
body. Its benefits are widely known. For low intensity
aerobic exercise (50%-65% of your maximum heart rate*), it
can improve overall fitness, reduce stress, decrease body
fat, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Slightly higher intensity
aerobic exercise, (65%-80% of your maximum heart rate) is
ideal for training your cardiovascular system and developing
local muscle strength and increase stamina. Blood supply is
increased through the new growth of blood vessels to the
affected area. This provides more nutrients to the working
muscles and helps take metabolic wastes from the muscles.
With the increase in blood volume the cardiac muscle becomes
larger, increasing the amount of blood pumped per heart
beat. This means a lower heart rate at rest and more
efficient recovery.
* Your Maximum Heart Rate
(MHR) = 220 – Your Age
Our research has found that
when performing the 1st Set Tai Chi Qigong
Shibashi, the heart rate generally fall into the 50% to 70%
range of your MHR, some call this range ‘The Healthy Heart
Zone’ which is very good for weight control, decrease blood
pressure and cholesterol.
When performing the 2nd
Set Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi, the heart rate generally fall
into the 60% to 80% range of your MHR, some call this range
‘The Endurance Zone’. In this zone of exercise, intensity
can be used to build your heart/lung capacity, stamina and
endurance.
Imaginary Resistance
When performing the movements
of the 2nd Set, you should adopt a lower stance
than the 1st Set if you wish to further increase
your strength and stamina. Moreover, you can imagine you
are performing the whole set in water, so you should feel
some resistance when you move. Once you are comfortable
performing the whole set in imaginary water, you can then
imagine you are performing in mud or honey to further
increase the imaginary resistance.
The most important point to
remember when practicing with imaginary resistance is DO NOT
TENSE UP YOUR MUSCLES, they should still be relaxed all the
time. Just use your mind to imagine the resistance. That
is because the qi will have a difficult time moving when you
tense up your muscles.
It is recommended to use
imaginary resistance with the 2nd Set Shibashi
only. It is because relaxation is the main focus of the 1st
Set Shibashi. Furthermore, only apply the imaginary
resistance once you are able to perform the entire 2nd
set smoothly.
By practicing this way, not
only you can build up more strength and stamina, it is very
good in training your mind power as well. It also prepares
you well for the meditative qigong that I will introduce in
the near future, since some meditative qigong involves quite
a lot of visualization.
You will not build up bulky
muscles by practicing with imaginary resistance. However,
after a few months of practice, you will find yourself
become much stronger. The strength you develop is called
Neijing (internal energy/power) which is quite different
from muscular force. Sometimes you see those skinny
internal kung fu masters push off big guys easily. It is
the neijing that enable them to do so, not muscular force.
Talking about Neijing, has
anyone been able to achieve the 50 minute requirement of the
Shaolin Neijing Yi Zhi Chan that I talked about in my
previous newsletter? Send me an email if you are able to do
that stance for 50 minutes and have been doing that for more
than 100 days. I will not post the finger bending
techniques if there are only a handful of people who can
achieve that.
Practicing Shaolin Neijing Yi
Zhi Chan can also increase heart/lung capacity, stamina and
endurance because you easily achieve the low, middle or even
high intensity of the aerobic exercise at your choice by
simply adjusting the height of your stance. Use a high
stance if you are interested in low intensity exercise. And
adopt a low stance if you prefer middle to high intensity
exercise. However, it is always recommended to start with a
high stance (the angles behind your knees should be between
160-170 degree). Once you are comfortable with this angle,
decrease it by a few degrees. You will be amazed at what a
big difference it makes by simply lower a few degrees.
Studies have found by setting yourself in the Shaolin Neijing Yi Zhi Chan basic horse stance posture, it
also has the similar effect of external counterpulsation.
External Counterpulsation
External
Counterpulsation is a noninvasive technique to increase
oxygen-rich blood flow to the heart and to reduce the
heart's workload. It's performed over a series of several
weeks, with each session lasting from one to two hours
(coincidentally the sequence of most finger bending
techniques are about one hour long, a few of them are as
long as two). Pressure cuffs on the legs are inflated in
sequences. As a result, the blood vessels in the legs are
gently compressed and the blood is forced back to the heart.
This technique
-
lowers
the pressure the heart must pump against
-
increases the rate of return of blood to the heart
-
increases blood pressure while the heart is resting
External
counterpulsation
is used to decrease pain from
angina pectoris. Angina is chest pain or discomfort. It
happens because the heart muscle doesn't get enough blood
and oxygen for the work it's doing.
External counterpulsation improves the balance between the
amount of oxygen the heart needs and the amount it gets.
Both these changes reduce the pain of angina, increase level
of exercise and decrease the need for medication. (Source:
American Heart Association)
Of course,
the benefits of Shaolin Neijing Yi Zhi Chan is not only
limited to this. In the next newsletter I will share some
amazing stories about this Shaolin Neigong. And if I get
enough interest, I will start to reveal the finger bending
technique of this Neigong. Moreover, I will talk about the
benefits of Shibashi qigong from other western medical point
of view.
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