This first simple exercise was taught to me as a Kung Fu exercise. In the West, Kung Fu is often thought of as a fighting art, but it is much more. Honestly, when I first saw the exercise, it seemed far too simple to be of much value. But according to Chinese Practitioners, it is a cure all, opening every meridian and circulating Qi throughout the body. They even claim it is a cure for serious diseases like cancer and diabetes, which I don’t know about.
I have to admit that when I first did the exercise, I was amazed. I could actually feel the energy moving up my arms, through my heart, and permeating my entire body. How could something so simple be so significant? I was told to do it for about 5 minutes, 3 times daily. If I have time, 10 minutes is even better than 5.
You can watch this short video to get a feel for the exercise. Note that as the arms swing up, the palms face up and when the arms swing down, the palms face down. There are some additional points below, but most are intuitively obvious.
- Feet shoulder length apart.
- Flexible knees, slightly bent, bouncing a little at each swing (just as is comfortable).
- Relaxed upper body, feet firmly planted.
- Tongue gently touching the roof of mouth.
- If you would like, your mind can focus on any God of preference.
- Arm swings frontward only to shoulder height.
- Whole exercise should be in a relaxed state.
- In general, 30 minutes each day—can break it apart to 2-3 sessions. Even occasional sessions of a couple of minutes are beneficial.
- It has been suggested by the Chinese that if a person has cancer, they do a minimum of 2,000 times daily (but we have no way of knowing the validity of this and you should have doctor’s approval).
Always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program. This general information is not intended to diagnose any medical condition or to replace your healthcare professional.
This is the simplest exercise of the 3 part series. I do all 3 parts essentially every day. They have transformed my perspective on exercise as well as that of others here at Mount Soma, even people who I feel are in excellent, athletic, physical condition.
Thank you for sharing this.
I love the simplicity
Wow, I am intrigued. Look forward to trying this.
When Dr. Kaui first showed me this, I did it 200 times a day. It was an easy thing to do during commercials when watching tv in the evening, with the tv on mute so I could focus more easily. In addition to energy from the arms, I could feel the thigh muscles engage, so it felt a little strengthening.
Thank you for this