Cloud Hands (18 Movements)
Audio File
Instructions
Begin with feet together and one hand resting inside the other, palms up, in front of the body. Draw a deep breath into the abdomen; as you exhale, step out to the left to shoulder-width; spread the hands apart, rotating the palms to face down.
Relax and place both hands at a comfortable distance in front of the abdomen as if holding a ball, the right hand 6-10 inches above the left and the palms facing each other. Make sure that the lower (lumbar) spine isn’t arched, but straight (imagine having a small weight suspended from the tailbone, pulling the back into alignment).
There’s no particular breathing pattern for this qigong, though you can coordinate your breath with the movements if that feels good. Always keep your breathing smooth and even.
Turn your waist to the right (you always turn in the direction of the top elbow), keeping the pelvis and knees in line with the feet. As you near the terminus of your turn, roll the ball 180 degrees between your hands by dropping the right elbow down and circling the right hand underneath as the left hand rises to a position above the right. The palms are always facing each other and stay equidistant throughout.
As the left arm comes to the top, draw your waist back to the left and keep turning until facing the left side. The hands stay in their same positions with palms facing as they traverse the body and only begin to roll and change places as you near the end of your turns.
As the right arm rolls to the top, twist the waist back to the right side.
Continue this motion for as long as feels good, twisting towards your top elbow and then rolling the hands at the end of your turn and reversing direction. Try to keep the motion fluid, never stopping the waist to roll the hands, but working the rolling into the twisting momentum. Think about the connection between your palms throughout, and feel how the waist controls all of the movement.
Close the exercise by inhaling and sweeping the arms up and out from the sides of the body until the hands hover just above the head, palms down. Exhale and slowly draw both hands down and towards the Dantian (the body’s energy storehouse), located one and a half inches below the navel. Align the palms and place both hands, palms-inward, over the Dantian as you take one more deep breath into the abdomen.
Step the left foot in towards the right to finish.
Modifications
Can be performed while seated in a chair, preferably with feet firmly on the ground.
Contraindications
N/A
Parts of Body Benefited
Torso
Shoulders
Nervous system