There are a lot of ways to practice qigong efficiently, but what if, I'm a beginner? What should I do first? How can I study well? All these questions will be addressed in this post. We have Elly, one of our Certified 5 Element Qigong instructors that will give us effective checkpoints to watch. We will be discussing the meridian qigong and its benefits. This post will be a Beginner's Guide to Meridian Qigong. This will guide us step by step on how to do the Meridian Qigong practice.
What are Meridians?
Meridians are channels that run throughout the whole body. Look at it as like roads inside our bodies. Like a superhighway that interconnects roads and pathways both big and small. Therefore, when the "Meridian Road" is open and no blockages around, then "qi" can flow swiftly through. In Chinese terms, Meridian is called Jingluo (經 絡, jing-low), which means “channel”. The 2nd character, 絡, means “net-like”. So meridian is "net-like" channels where qi flows. In our Meridian qigong class, it is highly recommended for you to practice the Meridian Qigong before each session. Each Meridian form has its own purpose and benefits. The meridian qigong is a very good way to start your qigong practice. Warming up to the forms first before starting your actual practice is good whether you are a beginner or advanced qigong practitioner.
Can we feel meridians as a beginner?
Since energy works like electricity around the body. It is impossible to see the energy flow within the body. However, we can feel the energy go through the meridians in the body. Yes! we can feel it! For example, pressing acupressure points like laogong in the palm, bai hui at the top of the head, or hegu in the web of the hand. These are points that even a Meridian Qigong beginners can feel.
How to use this Meridian Qigong Beginner's guide?
There are three things you need to learn and be aware of before diving deep into this guide. Since we are driving deep to Meridian superhighway it is important to focus on the basics.
- The Proper delivery of the forms and posture
- The Meridian Principles - how meridian works
- Know your Meridian Forms
Proper Body Posture and Forms Delivery
The correct form is the foundation of any Qigong practice is to start with the basic stances. Each Qigong lesson starts with learning all the small details first. We then keep practicing and mastering all the details until we get the proper positioning and movement. Without the proper posture, we cannot open the proper meridian channels. Therefore, Qi energy cannot flow smoothly. As a result, we cannot enter into a flow state, and moving on to Qi visualization before adjusting the form first, can result in energy stagnation. So, take each process patiently.
Meridian Qigong Beginner's guide in Posture Adjustment
Don’t try to grasp all the technicalities at once but rather focus on each posture aspect one at a time. Start with adjusting the lower body and then gradually move up. Practice until you achieve the state and perfected the posture adjustment already. Then, you can move to the second stage which mastering the connection of Heaven and Earth.
Whatever Qigong form your practice, the feet should be stable on the ground. The sacrum naturally drops to the earth and the Crown Point rise to the sky leaving you with a naturally straight and aligned spine. Such alignment is the fundamental posture of Qigong practice. This is how you connect Heaven and Earth. Therefore, is vital to start working with the energy (qi) first before practicing Qigong at a deeper level. It may seem hard to do at the beginning, but step by step you will be able to grasp one detail at a time.
The Meridian Principles
In one of our Innercircle Masterclasses, Tevia talked about the principles of Meridians. In his class, he talks about the importance of these principles and how to learn them.
- Continuous movement/breath
- Wringing out (pulping)
- Rhythm
Tevia said that every movement should be continuous, and it should always have a wringing-out. This will allow our body to have a maximum extension. Then learn to relax into that state. This will help soften the fascia and then we can go deeper into the movement. Next, we have a Rhythm. Every movement has to have a rhythm. This can be slow or fast depending on your need. It is even encouraged to play around with your rhythm as you practice. So, as we practice qigong we are going to twist and turn with a rhythmic flow and along the flow is the breathing. This will release blocked "roads" and allow a free-flowing qi around the body and down to the organs.
Begin by Knowing your Meridian forms
There are a lot of Meridian forms to choose from. Each form acts upon different organs. This means that we have specific forms that can target specific organs. Here we will just point out some forms that can greatly help with blockages. This is particularly good also for people who work all day in the office or in front of the computer.
- Girdle vessel - This is good for lumbar area. This can help reduce pain related to sciatica, back pain and abdominal distention.
- Heavenly Pillar - This has 4 forms, and each has different focus area. This is good with activating meridians in the arms and hands. This good with upper back pain, headaches, digestive disturbances and releasing tension around the spine and shoulders.
- Wrist and Ankle Flossing - This is good with untangling the nerves around the wrist and ankles.
- Separating Heaven and Earth - This form stimulates the peristaltic action in the intestines as well as gently massages the bladder, spleen and liver.
- Eagle Spread its Wings - This activates the muscles on the back (latissimus dorsi) as well as the massages the liver and spleen.
Overall, the Meridians hold the key to Qi circulation around the body. So, if you want to be pain-free, mastering the meridians should help you remove stagnation, replenish new Qi and restore movement.
