White Crane Loosens Wings (4 Seasons)
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.
Form your forearms and hands into “wings” by keeping the hands flat and fingers extended and touching. The line from the elbow to the fingertips is straight.
Inhale and place both hands palms-upward on either side of the waist.
As you begin to exhale, rotate the hands in place so that the palms still face upwards but the fingers point behind you as your elbows revolve outward.
On the same exhale, the hands then drift down as you lean gently forward from the waist, the backs of the knuckles meeting in front of the pelvis/lower torso.
Inhale as you turn the palms face-up and draw them back to their starting position on either side of your waist as you stand up straight.
Exhale and repeat the first motion, and then inhale again back up. Repeat as long as feels good.
Keep shoulders relaxed and down from the ears as you loosen your wings. Let gravity create a light traction in your arms and shoulders as they hang and extend. Do not bend too far forward when you drop your hands in front.
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
If you are protecting your lower back or lumbar spine, bend forward only as far as is comfortable, or not at all. Or you can sink down in your stance rather than bend forward.
Contraindications
N/A
Parts of Body Benefited
Upper back
Shoulders
Arms
Other poses that cultivate: