Seated Tai Chi and QiGong -Session 2 (2019)

January 22, 2019by Daphne1

INTRO
Hi, Welcome back to another Seated Tai Chi and QiGong Session. My name’s Daphne and I’m going to share with you today some Tai Chi, QiGong and Low Impact Exercises that you can perform sitting down. So, let’s get started.

If you’ve already followed Session 1 then you’ll know the correct position to sit at in your chair. If not, check it out. Session 1 goes through in a bit more detail but we’ll recap now very quickly our correct posture on the chair. So we’re sitting at the front of the chair, perched on it, bottom on the chair, thighs not on the chair. If you can, our feet hip width apart and we’re grounding our feet. We’re planting them in that parallel stance, so feeling that floor underneath us. We’re lifting up and elongating the spine so stretching it out from top to bottom. Keeping the abs engaged so pulling belly button through to spine, chest lifted and all our joints stay loose and relaxed and soft all the way through all the session.

WARM UP
So taking that posture, calming the breathing, we’re going to turn our head to the right and back to centre and to the left, and back to centre. Chin to your chest so looking to the floor, and with care to the ceiling. Looking forward, ear to our shoulder and the other side. We’re going to do three shoulder rolls, backwards. Just stay within your own comfort zone so always listen to your own body, and the other way. Just working the top of the back, we’re rolling down and opening the chest. Exhaling on the effort of the bend. Big breath in, inhaling as we’re coming up and again. Knocking on the door, twisting from the waist, again just keeping it inside your range of motion. Two more, and one more. Moving onto the legs, we’re lifting the heel, and lifting the heel, and again. And take the foot all the way up this time. Next,big inhale, stretching right through the fingers and exhaling on the way down. And again. One more time.

EXERCISE 1
So we’re going to hold a ball. About the size of a tennis ball and we’re going to pull it apart and push it back together. Now we’re going to visualise ourselves pulling and pushing our arms through water. It helps to use the natural resistance and engage our arm muscles. So we can waft our hands or if you want to get the most out of the exercise, really feel that movement and really work those arms. So we’re going to inhale on the way out and pushing together with an exhale. And inhale, and exhale, and again. We’re going to add some footwork by placing our right heel on the floor and pushing, as if we’re pushing against a wall behind us. And then we’re going to bring our hands into that Qi Ball position and we’re going to do the inhale and exhale. So do it with the other side, so left heel out and bring it in, and open and close. And again, heel and Qi Ball. Inhale and Exhale. One more time, heel and back. Nice inhale and exhale.

EXERCISE 2
Our next move is from Tai Chi and it’s called Stroking the Horses’ Mane. So we hold a Qi Ball and we are going to imagine a horse in front of us and we’re going to stroke that horses’ mane, stroke all the way down the back of that horse and at the same time we are going to hold the mirror up and look at our palm. And then the top hand becomes the top of the ball and the bottom hand scoops underneath. So let’s do that again the other way. So stroking the horses’ mane and holding the mirror. One hand on the top and one hand on the bottom. So we’re going to develop that with a twist of the waist. So stroke the horses’ mane and turn to face the mirror and bring it in. And the other way and bring it back. Focusing on the palms, they’re our energy points, and it helps develop mind body connection, making us feel present in the movement.

EXERCISE 3
We’re going to push our hands out, as if we’ve got two walls either side of us, we’re pushing against those walls and then we’re going to bring our arms and push our palms together, really engaging those arm muscles. And once we get them to about directly in front of our face we’re going to open them out and lift the chest. Bringing them back in and pushing them out. And again, bringing them in, inhaling on the way up, nice big breath and exhaling on the way out. Final time.

EXERCISE 4
We are going to do Golden Rooster next. So we’re going to bring our foot into an empty stance so we’re lifting our foot and placing it down and at the same time we’re going to place our left hand on a tabletop next to us and right hand in golden rooster.Then we’re placing the foot down, placing the hand down and bringing our left foot forward and our left hand forward. Taking it down and I’m doing it mirror image so hopefully you can follow along and taking it down. And again, lift the foot and tap and bringing it back. And tap and down. Really focusing, keeping that posture going and keeping the breathing nice and calm.

EXERCISE 5
Our final exercise is called Twisting and Bending like Bamboo so we’re going to clasp our hands, we’re lifting them up to chest height, we’re turning them over and pushing forwards. And then we’re going to lift them high above the head. If you can, but just keep within your own range of motion. You can always do this with your hands on your hips here. Absolutely fine. So we’re bringing it up. Keeping the shoulders relaxed, we’re going to lift and turn, just to the corner and bring it back and to the other side. Then we’re going to lift high and just side bend. Not too far because we don’t want to tip over. And the other way but stretching out and bending like bamboo. And we’re going to bring our hands all the way down and then we’re going to repeat that. Bringing it up, pushing it forwards, lifting high. Twisting to the corner. Just as far as you can, listening to your own body and the other side. Reaching high and bending. And the other way. And all the way down. Let’s do that again. so bringing it up, pushing it forward, lifting it high, twisting. And again. Lifting and bending. And inhale here and exhale on the bend. And inhale and one final time. Just adjust my shirt and again lifting up, and pushing forward and high, keeping the shoulders relaxed and twist and the other way. Lifting and bending and the other side and all the way down. Let’s just shoulder roll. It’s quite a workout for your range of motion with those bends and twists. And bringing it round.

FINISH
Let’s just breath, nice and calm, breathing in and breathing out. Checking out the body. Feeling any tension and letting it relax. Thinking nice and positive, and calming the mind.


One comment

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