SUMMER QIGONG!

I grew up in Colorado hearing “this weather is unusual.”  It has indeed been true this year with seemingly endless cold, rainy days. I also heard “just wait ten minutes and the weather will change.” Well, not so much. The ten minutes lasted about two months. 

But, I’m feeling confident in saying that SUMMER IS HERE!

Yesterday we practiced Summer “Qigong in a Park.” So what does that mean?

Every season is associated with an element, with a color, with an animal, with the organs and meridians of the body, with tastes, smells and emotions. 

Element: FIRE. Fire element is expansive and colorful. Think of a sunflower opening up and facing the sun. 

Organs and Meridians: HEART. And what does the heart represent? Joy, compassion and of course love. The supporting meridians during the summer include the the heart and its partner meridian the small intestine, the pericardium also known as the heart protector, and the triple heater meridian. These meridians are located in the arms. So, it’s only appropriate that we activate these meridians by spreading our wings, bringing us to: 

Animal: CRANE. There is a black crane that lives in the pond in the park where I like to practice. Watching it spread its wings is inspirational. The crane is displaying expansiveness and an open heart. Maybe it’s trying to impress a mate, which is actually one of the Crane forms: “Red headed crane delights in seeing its mate.” 

There are many wonderful YouTube videos with teachers that I admire. Yesterday we practiced forms featured in this video by Mimi Kuo Deemer. 

What do people like to do in the summer? Seek water: a pool, a lake, a stream, a pond, a sprinkler to run through. I began our practice with Swimming Dragon forms. I used to teach swimming. I’d teach techniques but then let the “kids” just play. We did that with the Dragon forms. We practiced forms and then went free-form! 

I’ve written a post about the Dragon, with videos. But here’s yet another done by my teacher Nick Loffree. Enjoy. 

Now, go run through a sprinkler. 

IMAGINING DRAGONS

The Dragon, son of Heaven, harbinger of wisdom and goodness bestows his blessings upon those who follow nature’s path.
The I Ching

Imagine Dragons. Go ahead. Close your eyes and imagine. Is the Dragon swimming? Is it flying? What colors do you see? Is it threatening or playful? How is it moving? Is it a Pop-Rock band? Dragon mythology has roots in both the East and the West. 

The Chinese Dragon is beautiful, wise and friendly. According to Chinese legend, the Dragon has deer antlers, a camel's head, a the eyes of a hare, the neck of a serpent, a crocodile belly, eagle claws, tiger paws and buffalo ears. The Dragon is powerful and valiant. The Dragon removes obstacles. The Dragon is spirited, confident, enthusiastic, intelligent and determined.

The Chinese people believe that the Dragon brings rain, good luck and prosperity. That is why even today, after thousands of years of passing down myths and traditions, the Dragon is still incorporated into everyday life, and of course celebrations.

In Western mythology the Dragon breathes fire, hunts humans, and is meant to be slain. 

Take for example the English. They too are fond of the Dragon. Dragons were spotted during eclipses, riots and earthquakes. A flock, (do they travel in flocks?) of 400 was reported in 1532. Going back a century earlier, the village of Lambton was ravaged by a Dragon. In 1669 the village of Henham claimed to have slain a Dragon. They held a fair to celebrate.

The Greeks, the Alaskan Inuits, the Babylonians and Persians all have mythological Dragon stories. 

But, back to the Chinese. Long ago the Jade Emperor was coming up with a calendar. Twelve creatures were invited to the creation of the calendar. Everyone thought the mighty Dragon would arrive first. But the dragon was late, after the Rat, Ox, Tiger and Rabbit. The Dragon was late because it had stopped to make rain for a village that was suffering from drought. The Jade Emperor was impressed but he couldn’t overlook tardiness. So, the dragon came in 5th position in the rankings. True story, maybe.

There are various forms of Dragon Qigong including Flying Dragon, Fire Dragon, and probably the most practiced form, Swimming Dragon. 

While twisting is common in other practices like yoga, the Dragon forms involve twisting, coiling and spiraling the spine with a clear intention. We are awakening the sleeping Dragon which resides at the base of the spine, at the sacrum. As it awakens it travels up the spine all the way to the Bai Hui, the crown. In yoga this is known as raising the Kundalini. The word Kundalini means coil. 

How do the Dragon forms create this trip up the spine? 

Dragon forms move the pelvis and the shoulders, thereby moving the spine forward and back, and side to side, twisting the shoulders one way, the pelvis the other. The movement is initiated either by moving the pelvis and letting the movement travel up to the crown, or initiated by moving the crown, letting the movement travel down to the sacrum. 

I'm sure your imagination is hungry by now, so I'm going to feed it with a video of Konstantin Rekk beautifully demonstrating Swimming Dragon. I'll follow it with a more instructional video. 

Swimming Dragon is a Water Form of Qigong. In part because yes, the Dragon is swimming but also because we are drawing up Qi from the Lower Dan Tian or lower abdomen. In Traditional Chinese Medicine this is the water center of the body. There is also fluidity of movement. 

We're stretching and contracting soft tissues: muscles, tendons, fascia and meridians. 

Meridians, let's review. There are 12 Principle Meridians (Lung, Heart, Large Intestine, Stomach, Spleen, Pericardium...) But new material (it'll be on the test), there are also 8 Extraordinary Meridians or Vessels. Four of them are pictured below. "Mai" means vessel or channel. Du Mai runs up the spine. Ren Mai runs down the front of the body. Chong Mai runs up in the center or the core of the body. then the sassy Dai Mai. Whoa. We’re going for a ride.

Look closely at Dai Mai, this is also called the Belt Channel. It is the only Meridian, Vessel, Channel that runs horizontally. The others run up to the crown from the sacrum or the perineum. But the Dai Mai runs from the joints of the hips, knees, and ankles. Note the circling, spiraling direction of the vessel. When Qi gets “stuck,” it’s often in the joints. We move these joints when we swim with the Dragon. 

As with many if not most of the Qigong Forms, the brain is exercised (okay, challenged) by using both the right and left Hemispheres. We may move our hands a certain way on the right while we move the pelvis the other way to the left. 

Alright, enough. Here's an instructional video that I like. There are many. 

I have to say, I've been practicing Swimming Dragon forms with willing participants. Everybody is loving it. It's fun and healthful. 

And now, because you've read this far, here's my favorite upbeat song by 

IMAGINE DRAGONS!

And for those of you thinking “this song doesn’t have anything to do with Dragons, you’re right. It doesn’t. 

ENJOY!!

And, as I told a new Qigong in a Park member today when he asked for tips for success, I have one: HAVE FUN! 

 

Oh, and maybe, just maybe… they’re real.

Be well, be happy, and follow your bliss

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”
― Joseph Campbell