Draw the Bow (8 Pieces of Brocade)
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.
Step the left foot out farther so that the feet are wider than shoulder-width and knees are slightly bent (whatever distance is comfortable for you).
Hands rest with palms up in front of pelvis. As you inhale, the hands rise together up the center of the body to the chest (backs of the hands touching) as you sink a little deeper into your stance; then turn the waist to one side so that the hands approach that shoulder.
As you twist, keep the knees facing forward and do not turn the pelvis, which would pull the knees out of alignment with the feet.
As you exhale, draw the bow: the arm on whatever side you’re facing stretches out straight in that direction, parallel to the floor and in line with the body. Fingers are up and palm faces out. Your eyes stay on this hand.
The opposite hand simultaneously forms a fist around an imagined bow string and draws back across the chest until it rests near its shoulder. Make sure the shoulder stays down away from the ear and that the elbow of this arm is in a straight line with the opposite arm and not pointed behind your back.
As you inhale, relax both arms and untwist to face the front, hands coming close together in front of the chest, palms down.
As you exhale, slowly rise up to standing while the hands gradually drop down and then rest at the sides.
On the next inhale, repeat the steps above to draw the bow in the other direction.
Keep repeating to each side as long as feels good (recommended 3-5 repetitions per side).
After your last return to the center, exhale and separate the hands, allowing them to drift, palms-down, to rest at the sides of the body..
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
The upper-body portion of this exercise can be performed while seated in a chair, feet in contact with the ground and knees at a right angle.
To protect the neck and shoulders, you can also angle both arms down towards the ground rather than holding them up straight and parallel to the ground.
Contraindications
Consult with your medical professional if you have scoliosis or a history of spinal trauma or injury.
Parts of Body Benefited
Back
Torso
Legs