Earth: Shake into your muscles

Learning to “shake it off” during times of stress could be as simple as practicing just that, shaking.

The traditional warm up before practicing a qi gong form is 5-15 minutes of shanking. We progressively shake deeper starting with our skin, into the muscles, tendons, bones and organs.

Let go of stress by shaking it out!

Release tensions and revive yourself naturally. The simple movement of shaking is a powerful and effective qigong technique. Qigong shaking cleans and clears blockages. You’ll feel relaxed and energized with just one session of shaking.

Qigong Shaking Introduction:

Set up in Universal Stance: Place feet hip distance apart with toes pointing slightly inwards, in partial universal or horse stance, weight slightly on the outside of the foot. Check posture: tail bone slightly tucked, chin slightly tucked, knees bent like riding a horses, feet parallel, arms hanging . Relax.

Shake body, relax and shake. Shake open the pores of the skin, Shake into the tendons, into the muscle layer, then the tendons and ligaments, connective tissue, deep into the organs, the bones, and the nervous system. You can use the sounds of the elements, the organs, color.

Notice the body and any blockages. Shake into them. Start with three minutes building up to five minutes.Become aware of your breath as you shake shake. Sound/vocalization helps release tensions and blockages. Continue shaking also lifting and dropping on your heels. Now continue shaking. Shake into your skin, your muscles, your bones, your organs. Shake free form, what into what ever feels stuck or tense. Shake like no one is watching!

Feel your body, feel the dynamism within. Settle into yourself, the space around you. Feel your breath. Find your universal self, stance (above) then let your arms float up, elbows bent slightly, arms relaxed, with a small weighted string pulling your elbows ever so slightly downward, hands in front, gathering the light energy in front of you, recognizing the the source of it all ~ the universe within. Feel beyond your skin, into the space outside yourself. Listen to the sounds around you. Feel the boundries, the edges and the boundlessness and the lack of edges. Notice your aliveness.

Notice the parts of your body that are tense or inflammed and shake it out. Be mindful of your body and focus on the areas in need of attention and stress release. Have fun with it and your body will thank you!