Gathering Qi

Chinese medicine holds that the body has three main centers that store energy. These centers are like energetic gas tanks that hold different types of energy for your daily use. The energy center in your head stores spiritual and intellectual energy. The energy center in your chest stores emotions and empathic energy. The energy center in your lower abdomen stores physical energy and is the seat of your overall vitality. The following exercise uses visualization to fill up all three energy centers so that you feel calm, balanced, and revitalized.

Gathering Qi

• Stand in wuji posture (see description below if you are unfamiliar with this posture), or sit upright in a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
• Raise your hands to forehead height, with your palms facing your forehead and your elbows either out to the sides or slightly dropped. Your palms should be about a foot away (forward) from your forehead.
• Inhale, and visualize sending or pushing qi in the form of white light or white mist into your head, while moving your forearms and hands slightly backward toward your forehead by bending your arms at the elbows.
• Exhale, pull your hands away to return to the starting position, and visualize a bright light glowing inside your head.
• Inhale, and push energy into your head like bright white light brightening a dark room.
• Exhale, and see the bright white light of energy glowing even brighter.
• Repeat up to six times.
• Now lower your hands to about a foot in front of your chest with your elbows bowed slightly outward.
• Inhale, move your hands and forearms toward your chest, and send a calming energy in the form of white light into your chest.
• Exhale, and pull your arms back about a foot in front of your chest, while visualizing a bright, calming ball of white light inside your chest.
• Repeat up to six times.
• Lower your hands to face the area just below your belly button. Inhale, and push qi into your low abdomen.
• Exhale, and pull your hands to about a foot in front of your belly. See a bright light glowing inside your belly.
• Repeat up to six times.

Wuji Posture

In Qigong, Wuji posture is the foundation for all dynamic (moving) and quiescent (static) standing exercises. This posture maximizes relaxation and the flow of qi. You begin by standing with your feet flat, with your weight distributed evenly through your feet. Your legs are separated as wide as your shoulders' distance apart and your toes should point forward. Your toes should softly grasp the ground to keep your body firmly rooted yet relaxed. Rigid or tense feet disrupt the flow of qi from the earth into the body. Your knees should be slightly bent and facing the same direction as your feet. Never bend your knees past your toes. Try to align the knees directly over your feet, if possible and comfortable. Relaxing the knee joints increases the qi and blood flow through the legs.