I’ve finally made a Chi Gong video. It’s far from perfect. The original audio was too quiet so I added a voice over so you can hear the instructions better.

This is a classic example of the kind of exercises I practice in Chi Gong. I demonstrate “Heaven and Earth”, chosen for it’s ability to tame anxiety.

This exercise works by smoothing the energy field around you, which gets frazzled and disorganized when minds start spinning and hearts start racing.

By smoothing out the energy field, you bring balance back to the body. The physical state and muscle contractions associated with anxiety start to loosen and dissipate. And you begin to feel calmer.

This is a great exercise to do even if you aren’t anxious to harmonize body, mind and spirit.

Set an intention to be relaxed as possible, like floating through water. Bring ease to your movement by pretending you’re lazy and don’t really care about doing it right.

The trap of trying too hard to do it “right” is the most common mistake people make.

Chi gong practice should feel effortless and playful. Do what feels good, not right. It works much better if you have fun and enjoy it.

Take a few deep breaths before you start and aim for feeling buttery soft as you move. No stressing or straining. Practice casually with a quality of ease.

If bending down too far makes your muscles tight, only go down as far as is comfortable. Like you can’t be bothered to impress anyone. Chi Gong is probably one of the best practices in the world for recovering overachievers. Because trying to hard will tighten everything up and block the energy flow you’re trying to create.

Trying too hard here is counter intuitive because your ultimate goal is loose muscles and relaxation.

Energy is the horse and the mind is the rider

This is my favorite Chi Gong saying because it shows that it is the mind that moves energy around your body. Don’t concentrate too hard but do use imagery as you practice.

When energy moves downward a clear and calm mind is the result. So if you’re doing this to calm anxiety, imagine your fingers burrowing down deep into the ground as you move downward towards the earth. Or imagine energy pouring from your fingers like droplets of water.

Play around with it and see how it feels. When you get the hang of it you can do the exercise outside, to harmonize with nature. It will increase the healing benefits of this practice.

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