Qigong Body Alignments for Proper Posture

Posted by Paul Cavel on 23 March 2010

Walking Injuries

One of the most common pitfalls from walking–or any exercise for that matter–is knee injuries. In order to prevent knee damage, you first need to obtain the correct height of the body. Stand with feet parallel, shoulder’s width apart, lock your knees, then bend the knees just enough to feel the thighs engage to hold the body’s weight. Make sure that your knees are not forward of your toes.

To best align the spine first relax the back of your pelvis and your lower spine. Next, allow the tailbone and sacrum to drop down towards the earth. It is not pushed down or tucked under in any forceful way; it is more of letting go to gravity. The results will be less dramatic initially but later will become more profound as the nerves in that area release and the sacrum and tailbone naturally drop and tuck forward slightly. Try to create a sense of the spine rising from above the sacrum to the base of the neck in a smooth wave without force. If done correctly, this rising will take pressure off the thighs and knees without changing the angle of the shin and thigh.

Image © iStockphoto.com/Eraxion

To “sit” the head on the top of the spine you are looking for the centre of the eyes and ears to be horizontal, and the centre of your head to be over the centre of your body. You will get a sense of the face dropping towards the earth as you bring your chin and throat back gently. As you do so, become aware of the occiput area (in the back of your head where the skull meets the spine) making sure you keep this area relaxed and soft–do not force, push or strain this area. Do what is comfortable now and let things improve over time.

With the legs and spine in good alignment, let the rest of the body relax and sink down. Let go of all your muscles, organs and energy, leaving your legs and spine where they are and let everything else, including the rib cage, shoulders, arms and hands release to gravity. This is an important aspect to cultivate because it is the spine rising and the rest of you sinking to gravity that opens up the body and releases tension in a soft and safe manner.

Spine Rises, Tailbone Sinks

As you stand for a period of time it is important that you do not put undue pressure on your lower spine and/or your knees. You achieve this by having a continuous rising in the spine holding you up as you drop your energy and the rest of the body down. The tailbone has a continuous sense of dropping through the legs, which helps to drop the chi down to the ground, relax and release the nerves, and open up the spine and spinal cord. The many benefits include increased brain and body communication which improves all bodily functions.

Releasing Physical Tension

Do you have a sense of energy dropping down through your body into the ground? This always helps to release excess physical tension and to ground you, bringing your mind to the matter at hand—in this case working on your body and its energy. Of course, it’d be great if you could maintain these alignments at all times.

Open the Back of Your Knees

Next, put your mind in the back of your knees and, without changing the angle of the shin and thigh, open up the back of your knees and take the body’s weight up slightly. Leave your feet flat and solid on the floor. You can do this by either directly opening the back of the knees or by raising the whole spine up without flexing the knee joint. Whichever method you use, relax the front of the knees and allow the knee caps to drop down slightly.

Your Sacrum and Pelvis Create a Wheel—Rotate It

Now put your attention on your kwa (the leg connection through the pelvis to the spine). What you are trying to achieve is dropping and tucking the tailbone and sacrum while simultaneously lifting and raising the front of the pelvis. This raising is done from the psoas muscles—if you are able to feel and move them.

Imagine your pelvis as a wheel. Focus on the hub (centre of the pelvis or lower tantien) and rotate the wheel slightly. So the back of the wheel (sacrum) descends and the front (of the pelvis) rises.

If you rotate this wheel correctly your torso will remain at the same height and it will be possible to feel a stretch in the back of the knees. Also, you will be able to stand longer without pressure in the knees.

Only rotate the pelvis to whatever degree is well within your comfort zone. Do not force this action. As a Water method practice, you’re looking to encourage your body into a posture—not make it happen.

Relax and let go.

Positively Affect Your Kidneys and Bowels

Put your mind into your midriff (the area between the top of your hips and your floating ribs). From deep in the midriff area, raise the upper body leaving the pelvis where it is. This action is done from either the left and right channels or from your quadratas lumborum muscles. (These muscles connect the top of the pelvis and the bottom rib at the back of the pelvis.) If you are successful with this action, the lumbar vertebrae (base of the spine) will open up fully, positively affecting your kidneys and bowels.

However you do it, keep the midriff open and release your shoulders, arms, chest, sacrum, tailbone and internal organs down to gravity.

Take your time.

Smoothly Transitioning into Your Practice

Finish by lengthening up the spine gently to the occiput to take out any slack in the system and releasing and dropping the energy in the face and brain down through the body to the ground.

Now you are ready to do your Circle Walking, bagua, qigong or other internal arts practice.

Practice Moderation

Start with five minutes a day and increase over three to six months to 20-30 minutes a day. If ever you feel too much pressure, reduce the amount you do until you find what is comfortable for your body, your nerves and your mind.

In the beginning you may find five minutes too much, so practice for only two or three minutes. You may find five minutes really easy and can do 10 or 15 minutes. Be very careful not to push yourself or rush because with these internal exercises if you push yourself to your maximum limit in the beginning, you are likely to encounter internal resistance. The result is that many people subsequently cannot do their regular practice. This is why the Chinese say “less is more”.

If you do less now–that which is easy for you–and continue to practice for months and years, over time you will be capable of practising a lot more. Build your practice up slowly, going from five minutes a day to six or seven minutes after a week and so on. This way you are able to absorb the time extension with ease. You are also adhering to the 70% rule. Only do 70% of what you are capable of in any one training session and you will never hit internal resistance. You will likely find that this principle is so easy to understand yet so difficult to practice and is therefore a major key to long-term, sustainable training.

Happy practising,
Paul

Any physical and/or energetic exercise can carry risks. Do not attempt these exercises if you have any physical, emotional or mental conditions that may make you susceptible to injury.

© 2010 Paul Cavel—All rights reserved. Links are appreciated, but copying or distributing any portion of this article without written consent is prohibited.