Five Element Qigong - Earth
Audio File
Instructions
Begin this practice by standing with your feet hips-width apart.
Step the feet together.
Step the left foot out, both arms swing out toward the left foot, palms facing up, then the right hand turns palm down as the left hand stays palm up and leads a deep twist over toward the right side of the body.
Then bend at the hips into a deep squat as you come back to center and the left arm sweeps down toward the earth and out as you come up from the squat and bring both arms palms facing down at shoulder height and gently lower them to your sides and bring feet together.
Step the right foot out, both arms swing out toward the right foot, palms facing up, then the left hand turns palm down as the right hand stays palm up and leads a deep twist over toward the left side of the body.
Bend at the hips into a deep squat as you come back to center and the right arm sweeps down toward the earth and out as you come up from the squat and bring both arms palms facing down at shoulder height and gently lower them to your sides and bring feet together.
In this practice, you’re working with the spleen.
Do this 5-10 more times, keeping the breath and movement slow and steady. As you do the movements, think about breathing in steadiness, sincerity, and sympathy (sign of balance in the earth element) and exhaling out obsession and worry (sign of imbalance in the earth element).
Before moving onto the metal element, perform a clearing movement by stepping the feet hips-width distance apart or wider, bending the arms to 90 degrees sweeping them out from the centerline of the body and up to a little higher than shoulder height and then bringing the hands toward the centerline of the body, palms facing down as you slowly lower them, releasing anything you need to on the way down. Finishing this clearing movement by allowing the hands, one over the other, to rest on the Dan Tian, located in the lower abdomen.
Modifications
N/A
Contraindications
Type of pose
Standing
Parts of Body Benefited
Other poses that cultivate:
Other strategies from: