Qi Posture Exercise 3

Adjust your balance

With a good posture you are always in good balance, too, without having to work on it. You are centered — but more about that later. So, by testing your balance you get a method to perfect your posture, which is what the following exercise is about.

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       It should be done with a light mood, almost indifference, so that you avoid getting tense by thinking too much about details in your posture. Do not try to adjust your body in order to find a perfect equilibrium. Just play with the movements of the exercise, so that the body by itself makes the necessary adjustments. Your conscious mind should not be involved in it. The best is if you are not even aware of the process. So, don't give it much thought.

       It is suitable to do this exercise in connection to the first posture exercise, especially as long as you feel that it improves your sense of standing steady. Balance is primarily being able to rest in your posture. When your posture is good, you can feel that all parts of your body have fallen into place, so that you do not need an intricate system of tense muscles to keep them there. It is a natural equilibrium, where the whole body is in balance. It is not stiff at all, but has a soft flexibility that keeps your sense of balance even when you move.

How to do it

1. Stand straight, with your arms by your sides and the feet at shoulder distance, just like in the previous exercises. Your legs should be slightly bent, which makes them more flexible and springy.

2. Get up on your toes, without changing your posture in any other way. Keep your arms by the sides. Stay in that position for a few seconds — just enough not to start swaying or losing your balance. If you lose your balance — do not try to correct your position, but go directly to the next movement.

3. Sink down on the soles of your feet again, still with the same posture. Do not change your vertical angle, for example by leaning back more than when you stood on your toes. Otherwise you will put too much weight on your heels, and your knees will have a tendency to lock in a backward position. That makes the whole body stiff and clumsy. Instead, keep your angle, which is probably leaning slightly forward. Check if something has happened to your posture. If your body is in natural balance, your posture has not changed in the least.

4. Repeat the exercise. Once is never, twice is always. Actually, this exercise can be repeated as much as you like, like pure calisthenics. Still, remember to halt a little while, both when you are on your toes and when you are down, so that you can feel what happens to your posture. It is the short pause on your toes that actually corrects your posture, minutely — but you do better not to think about it.

       As I have said above, this exercise makes the most sense if done in combination with the first one, but it can be done by itself as well. It is even a decent replacement for the first exercise, when you are unable to do that one. You may be in a place where you are reluctant to lie down on the floor. This exercise, too, helps to correct your posture, although to a lesser degree than the first one.

       You can also test your balance by doing this exercise once, then take a few regular steps forward, stop, and do the exercise again. When you walk, the body posture tends to fall back to old habits, so you might discover that it is like starting over. A balanced posture leads to a better way of walking. This you learn and establish by mixing walking with this exercise of balance. So, do not hesitate to try it as much as you like.

       When you find no difference in your posture, whether you are on your toes or not — then this exercise is no longer necessary for you. But until then you do well to repeat the exercise as much as you do the first one, or maybe even more frequently, since it is so easy to do wherever you are. You can even do it a little at the same time as you stand and converse with other people, and they will not find your behavior that very peculiar.

Qi Posture Exercises

Here is a set of simple exercises by which to improve your posture. That's essential in order to increase your qi energy flow. I recommend that you do them in the given order, when you try them out. Once you've become familiar with them, you can do them in any order you please. Trust your instincts.

• Qi Posture Introduction

• Find the right posture

• Correct your shoulders

• Adjust your balance

• Stretch your posture

• Sit

• Meditate

  
  

Qi Energy Exercises

Qi Exercise Settings

Qi Energy Breathing

Qi Posture

Qi Relaxation

Qi Extension

Qi Centering

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