| Preparation
| Warm-up Exercises | 1
| 2 | 3
| 4 | 5
Warm-Up
3: Hip Strengthening
|
|
Exercise 3 |
Click
image to view movie (it will open
in a new window).
|
In this
exercise, your palms channel energy through the hip joint
while slow rotation gives the joint a gentle massage.
- Stand with feet apart, in line with hips.
Place your palms flat, fingers down, lightly on hip joints.
Relax hands and fingers. Relax abdomen and shoulders. Take
a few steps forward and back. If your palms are over the
joint, you will feel it move.
- Slowly and gently, swing the right hip
out to the right and circle it to the back, ending where
you began. (The circle will be small, and flat on the front
side.)
- Repeat with the left hip.
Checking Yourself:
- Feet apart, toes even.
- Weight evenly balanced.
- Palms on hip joints.
- Knees slightly bent.
- Swing right, circle back.
- Swing left, circle back.
Breathe
slowly and smoothly. Sometimes students concentrate so hard
on doing a movement that they forget to breathe. Smooth, regular
breathing is an essential part of Ch'i Kung.
As the joint grows more flexible you feel
or hear a popping in the hip joint as you circle it. This
is a sign of flexibility. Don't, however, force the joint.
Always circle gently and slowly.
Do twelve circles each way until you have
done two dozen altogether.
|
