Creating Space in Your Body
Improve Posture, Release Tension + Reduce Stress Many events in life close people down in some way or another, especially because, in this age of technology, time pressures and repetitive micro-tasks have become the norm. They can leave your body, mind and energy feeling condensed and hard at the end of a day. Learning how to make space in your physical body is an excellent tool for reversing the cycle of compounding tension, so you can relax, empty your mind and become present to the here and now. How-to Exercises for Making Space in Your...
read moreTai Chi + Qigong Exercise for a Healthy Spine
Poor posture and repetitive movement using improper body alignments have resulted in back, neck and shoulder pain that has become a pandemic in the West. It’s not only affecting adults, but our youth as well. The symptoms are caused by prolonged sitting, usually starring at computer or television screens, and recurring micro-movements operating keywords, remote controls, clicks on the mouse and more. With each passing year, we are only becoming more reliant on technology, so although prevention is key, the solution (at least in part)...
read moreFixing Imbalances in the Body with Qigong, Tai Chi + Bagua
A few months back I posted some how-to videos to help you balance your body in your qigong, tai chi and bagua practice, which I elaborated on in a course I offered on Tai Chi Circling Hands and Gods Qigong in Crete last year (see below). 3 Steps to Addressing Imbalances in the Body First of all, many people are unaware of just how imbalanced their body may be. It could be that one side (left-right) or one half (upper or lower) of the body is more bound, less flexible or has a limited range of motion, or is generally less comfortable than the...
read moreGuided Breathing Practice
The following 10-minute breathing practice was recorded while on retreat in Crete earlier this year. It’s an easy breathing practice, particularly good for beginners to the Energy Arts System, that covers some of the primary points you want to focus on when you come to sit. To learn more about the theory that underliesLongevity Breathing techniques, click here. Happy practising, Paul To learn more about Paul’s next Longevity Breathing course in Kentish Town, click here! © 2011 Paul Cavel—All rights reserved. Links are...
read moreChi Balancing in Qigong, Bagua & Tai Chi
Balancing Exercises Video Lesson 8 All internal exercise ultimately intends to get chi flowing in your body. In fact, one reason external alignments are a main focus in the beginning is to help optimise fluid (such as blood) and chi flow. So now that you have the basics of balancing your outer casing in your form, we’ll look at two primary flows in the body: ascending and descending chi. Descending chi is responsible for: Relaxing the nerves Softening the tissues Releasing the stress and tension out of the body and into the...
read moreBalancing the Upper & Lower Body in Qigong, Bagua & Tai Chi
Balancing Exercises Video Lesson 7 So far we’ve been practising exercises for balancing the left and right sides of the body with a focus on the legs, the arms and the turning of the body. Now we’ll look at balancing the upper and lower body in qigong, bagua and tai chi. The lower body is much more capable of developing and cultivating blood and chi flow than the lower body. However, most people focus more heavily on their arms than the legs because they’re used to using their arms to carry out everyday tasks, especially when...
read moreBagua Balancing Exercises: Balancing the Legs, Part 2
Balancing Exercises Video Lesson 6 Now that you’ve reviewed the basics of balancing the legs, let’s look at how to balance the legs whilst in a forward-weighted stance. Many practitioners find that when assuming tai chi or other postures where the front leg carries the body’s weight, that the legs, especially the knees, become compressed. You definitely don’t want to programme this position into your body memory because, over time, you will cause more harm than good. So start by focusing on keeping your spine erect....
read moreBagua Exercises: Balancing the Legs
Balancing Exercises Video Lesson 5 In the last lessons, we’ve balanced the arms in symmetrical and asymmetrical postures as well as while turning the body. Now we will look at balancing the legs. The three primary points to balancing the legs are: Keeping the pelvis level. Maintaining an even stretch through both legs. Not compressing the knees. Start by aligning the knees, move up to leveling the pelvis and then sink the tailbone. Stretch the knees without allowing the body to go down in height. The spine must stay erect. When you...
read moreBagua Exercises: Balancing Asymmetrical Postures
Balancing Exercises Video Lesson 4 In the least lesson, we looked at balancing non-symmetrical movement in tai chi. Now we’ll apply the same principles to asymmetrical bagua postures with the goal of equalising the body’s halves, creating even stretches and maintaining the left-right balance. 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. © 2011 Paul Cavel—All rights...
read moreTai Chi Exercises: Balancing Non-symmetrical Movement
Balancing Exercises Video Lesson 3 The last two lessons covered methods for balancing symmetrical movement, but many times in bagua and tai chi, the form calls for non-symmetrical movement. Even when one side of the body does not mirror the other, you still seek to create stability and continuity between both halves. In this lesson, I’ll take the ji movement (“to press forward”) of tai chi to look at how we can find symmetry in non-symmetrical exercise. Happy practising, Paul Any physical and/or energetic exercise can carry...
read moreTurning Exercises in Qigong, Bagua & Tai Chi
Balancing Exercises Video Lesson 2 In this lesson, we continue our balancing exercises by looking at turning in the internal energy arts. Turning is a component of most qigong sets and all bagua and tai chi styles. So stabilising and equalising your turn (and weight shift into either leg) is a fundamental prerequisite to achieving a truly internal practice and the benefits that come from it. Many internal arts practitioners have greater flexibility and range of motion on one side of their body and they reinforce this imbalance by playing up...
read moreBalancing Exercises in Tai Chi, Qigong & Bagua
Balancing Exercises Video Lesson 1 In this video lesson, I’ll give you some balancing exercises for your qigong, bagua or tai chi practice. Keeping both sides of your body equally strong is important to maintaining optimal health and well-being. 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. © 2011 Paul Cavel—All rights reserved. Copying or distributing any ...
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Walking Fast whilst Remaining Sung
July 2010 Walking Tip Most internal arts practices are non-aerobic exercise. They can make you healthy, but you won’t get the aerobic workout you would from Western exercise programmes. Walking fast—using the techniques I’ve been describing for the last three months—combines internal power generation with aerobic exercise. It can upgrade your internal systems and make you super fit! Fast Walking: Preparation Is Key One of the challenges with walking fast is that it brings up a lot of energy and blood into the head. Any stress or...
read moreBalance Your Body
Balance in Qigong, Bagua & Tai Chi Balancing the body is a continuous process as that which is more or less closed now may become more or less open later. This is especially true when you actively engage in the process of unbinding your body. As you focus on any bound place or part of your body and become successful in opening it up, you’ll notice how it becomes looser and relatively more flexible than other body parts. In qigong, bagua and tai chi there are many postures where one hand/arm is on top of or in front of the other; for...
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