Physical training methods for various parts of the body

Physical training originated from the basic skills training of ballet, dance, and gymnastics. Suitable crowd: The suitable crowd is relatively wide, especially suitable for women.

Abdomen

1. Requirements

The lower abdomen should be retracted and should not be exposed.

2. Specific practices

Abdominal tightening does not mean tightening the abdominal muscles. It should be done from the anterior superior iliac spine (the small protrusion in front of the hip bone) to the Yangguan point on the back (on the sacrum). Shrink and straighten your waist. Gently lift the ribs on both sides upward and backward, relax the abdomen, and after the posture is correct, you will often feel soreness in the waist at first.

3. Key points

Do not retract the abdomen with force.

IV. Function

(1) Tightening the abdomen can help the Dantian energy to be restrained, strengthen the internal pressure, and promote its movement throughout the body. When practicing Qigong, the emphasis is on strengthening the abdomen. If you want to strengthen the abdomen, you must exercise the whole body to ensure that the energy is sufficient in the abdomen. However, abdominal tightening is also an important part of it. If you do not tighten the abdomen during Qigong, there is the possibility of a big belly.

(2) Helps the Qi machine to rise and move. There is a saying in the ancient formula: The abdomen and flanks are empty and the air is clear. What is described here is part of its content.

Waist

The waist is a key part of Qigong practice, so it will be described in detail.

1. Requirements

The waist should be relaxed, the waist, lumbar vertebrae and their ligaments, and the muscles on both sides of the waist should be relaxed to gradually change the natural curvature of the waist. When standing, the waist straightens or even protrudes backward; when sitting, the waist straightens or even collapses forward. When straightening, don't hold it stiffly, but pull it up and down, as if the spinal bones are gently overlapping each other. In ancient times, it was said to be "shaped like a nine-bend ball", which refers to a relaxed spine.

2. Specific practices

Generally, practitioners can straighten their waist naturally, then slightly shrug their shoulders to make their back round and straight, and then gently lower their shoulders. However, at the same time, there should be the guidance of relaxing the waist in your mind. However, this method has little effect, so special training is required. The simplest method is now introduced for selection.

(1) Standing in the village and relaxing the waist method

Stand with the whole body relaxed and still, step on the air with both feet apart, and form a back figure (for details, please see the three-heart and three-center standing in the village for details); Squat down with your knees slightly bent, with your knees not touching your toes; retract your hips so that the groin at the base of your thighs forms an empty triangle; the Mingmen point on your waist protrudes backwards, and the tail gate droops like you are sitting but not sitting; the tips of the tail gate point toward both heels. Connect the midpoint of the isosceles triangle, and at the same time adjust the crotch and lift the perineum. The body shape of the whole body should be in accordance with the above requirements. The knees should be loosened and slightly buckled inward, the ankles should be relaxed, the feet should be flat, hold the ball in the hands or put the palms together, and place them in front of the abdomen or chest. Use abdominal breathing. When inhaling, draw your mind towards the Mingmen, take a full breath, sit down slightly, and relax your waist. You can repeat this for 3-5 breaths. Stand for half an hour at a time. This method can not only loosen the waist and hips, but is also a quick way to loosen the tail.

(2) Turn your hips to loosen your waist.

Stand upright with your whole body, feet parallel and slightly wider than shoulder width, hands on hips, squat moderately, torso and thighs at an obtuse angle, knees But pointe. Relax the hip joints, and use the tail bone as the moving point to drive the hips to draw a circle (see Xingshenzhuang for details on forward and reverse rotations). Use this to move the joints, muscles, ligaments, etc. of the waist. After practicing for a long time, the waist and hips should not only be able to turn horizontally and draw a circle, but also be able to turn the waist and hips upright to draw a circle, that is, a "vertical circle", and even a "mixed circle" that combines both horizontal and vertical movements.

(3) Squat against the wall and relax your waist method

Stand facing the wall, relax your whole body, keep your whole body in a neutral position, put your feet together, point your toes against the wall, buckle your shoulders forward, hold your chest and abdomen, Put the tip of your nose against the wall, squat down with your waist protruding, and do not tilt your head. Repeat this. Beginners who have difficulty squatting with their toes against the wall can stand a little apart and squat with their feet parallel to each other. Do one set of thirty squats each time, and squat more than one set every day. After you become proficient, you can squat with the tip of your nose away from the wall; you can further squat with your legs flat and take some time. This method can not only loosen the waist, but also treat various discomforts caused by deviations in Qigong practice. It is a secret method that has not been passed down in ancient times.

3. Function

The waist is the outer palace of the kidneys. The kidneys contain Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang, which are transformed into Yuan Qi, which is injected into the sea of ??Qi to nourish the whole body. The waist is an important pillar supporting the human body. Therefore, practitioners pay special attention to it. Loosening the waist can make the waist flexible. It must be able to turn not only flat circles, but also vertical circles and swirling circles. On the one hand, this can enhance the function of the kidneys and make people full of vitality. This is what the ancients meant when they said that the source of fate is in the waist gap. On the other hand, relaxing the waist can allow qi and blood to circulate, thereby ensuring the function of controlling the activities of the whole body. The ancients said that "force originates from the feet, dominates the waist, and is shaped in the limbs". They also said that "force originates from the spine" and the waist cannot be relaxed. , cannot reach this state.

If the waist cannot be relaxed, there will be many disadvantages:

(1) The waist collapses forward (especially for those who are weak and have insufficient Dantian Qi). On the one hand, it affects the accumulation of Qi in the Dantian. On the other hand, it blocks the movement of the river carriage in the back and the rise of Qi, which can cause back pain, sluggishness, dizziness, bloating between the eyebrows, abdominal fullness, abdominal distension, etc. in mild cases, and even cause the Qi to wander and even become incapable of self-control (this is This is why Qi cannot be incorporated into the river, carriage, and road, and cannot escape from Shaoyang and Taiyang.

If the waist and body shape can be adjusted and the qi can be guided to the meridians, the qi will flow naturally).

(2) It affects the transpiration of water from Mingmen Fire. Men may experience spermatorrhea, white turbidity, and even stranguria; women may experience increased leucorrhea, irregular menstruation, and frequent urination.

(3) Those who practice kung fu (especially those who turn around frequently) may easily lose balance in the rise and fall of yin and yang, causing floating yang to rise on the face. Most of the time, the face will be full of red light without any subtlety, and may even lead to stroke and hemiplegia.

To solve the above-mentioned disadvantages, you need to focus on the practice of loosening your waist.

? Crotch

1. Requirements

Loosen the crotch. Loosening the hips has two meanings. One is to relax the hip joints; the other is to relax the sacroiliac joints (formerly known as pan-hips).

Specialized training methods for loosening the crotch include front and rear crotch loosening.

Loosen your front hips: Stand quietly with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and your toes turned out into a straight line; your hands can be on your hips, clasped together in front of your chest or raised to the left and right; bend your knees and hips to squat, with your thighs , hands, and knees should be opened as far as possible.

Relax the hip: The first action is to stand quietly, feet apart, toes clasped inward, upper body slightly forward, legs stretched straight back, hips bent, arms in front Stretch the arms, palms are level with the forehead, hold the chest and abduct it to both sides, keep the chin in, and lift the head; the second action is to squat with the knees slightly bent, turn the buttocks everted, draw in the lower abdomen, and draw an arc upward and forward with both hands at the same time. Put your palms upward like holding something, tilt your head back and look at the sky (see Xingshenzhuang).

2. Function

If the hip joint is loose, the lower limbs can be used freely. In addition, the sacroiliac joint is an immovable false joint in ordinary people. Only in women's late pregnancy can this joint be relaxed. Practitioners can open this joint through pan-hip exercises and when the Dantian Qi is sufficient. After this joint is opened, the Dantian realm can also be expanded, and the accumulation of vitality can also be increased, laying the foundation for the clearance of joints throughout the body.

Tail

1. Requirements

The first step: droop, the second step: front buckle; the third step: rotation of the tail. Only the first step is introduced here.

2. Specific practices

After loosening your hips and squatting down, in your mind, the tail end seems to be connected to a stick, propped on the ground. If you do this for a long time, the tail end will Can droop. When practicing the Vertical Tail Lu for the first time, you should pay attention to the alignment of the levator anus. Otherwise, blind drooping will easily lead to anal prolapse, hernia and other gas subsidence diseases.

Specialized methods for loosening the tail gate include four steps: hanging, spreading, buckling, and turning, which are described below:

The first step is hanging the tail gate. See the Zhanzhuang method of loosening the waist. Note that for beginners, because the degree of squatting is small, the line connecting the tail and the pointing point is a backward diagonal line. As the degree of squatting increases, the line gradually becomes vertical. Once it becomes a vertical line, it can be turned into Step two.

The second step is to pan the buttocks. In the upper pose, the upper body does not move, the two femoral heads at the hip joints are pushed outward and backward, the knees are slightly buckled in and drawn in, the inner thighs are relaxed and drawn back, and the buttocks are protruded to the back (do not tilt up) to stretch them out. The lumbosacral joints loosen the sacroiliac joints behind the hips, thereby stretching the hips backward and outward, and loosening the sacroiliac joints.

The third step is to fasten the tail. As the degree of panting and squatting increases, the tailbone gradually moves behind the pointing point. The tailbone changes from a drooping shape to a front button shape. The pointing point can gradually move forward from the midpoint of the equilateral triangle to the line connecting the two feet. At the midpoint, the body continues to squat until the thighs are horizontal.

The fourth step is to turn the tail (circle the tail). Continuing with the upper pose, point your toes slightly outward, swing your tail in an arc forward and backward, swing left and right in an arc, and finally make a circular motion with your tail. This method is similar to the waist-shaking and crotch-shaping action of the aforementioned hip-turning and waist-loosening method, but is actually different. Although turning the hips and loosening the waist also requires the coccyx as the moving point to drive the pelvis to rotate, it mainly uses force to promote the movement. This is the pneumatic movement of Dantian, and the rotation is only at the tail end. The ancients compared the rotation of the tail gate to a bell hammer and a pendulum. One is to show its seriousness; the other is to keep it confidential. It should be noted that this is what happens after the waist and hips are fully loosened: the tail can move freely and flexibly, and the Qi mechanism is full and smooth without stagnation. It has reached the state where the whole body is a family and the mind and Qi are unified. It cannot be confused with the use of thoughts to mobilize some membranous energy from the beginning.

The above-mentioned four-step training method of Matsuo Lu has different emphasis on Matsuo Lu due to the different requirements of each practice. Generally speaking, practicing Tai Chi, Xingyi and other internal martial arts requires hanging the tail; practicing Shaolin Quan requires widening the hips, that is, loosening the back and hips; practicing Baguazhang requires shrinking the hips and leaning on the hips. Why are the requirements different? Because Tail Lu has different functions in different forms. The drooping of the tail makes it easier for the Qi machine to return to the Dantian. When exerting force outwards, it is easier to call out force from the Dantian, which is also easy for beginners to do. Tai Chi teaches Tai Chi push hands. If the tail is drooping, it will be difficult to push. Therefore, the tail is required to be drooped. After the tail is drooped and the Dantian Qi is sufficient, it is necessary to open the back hips so that the sacroiliac joints can move. This is done by panting the hips. The sacroiliac joint behind the pelvis is a false joint and generally does not move. When practicing Qigong, you need to activate this area so that the pelvis and sacroiliac joints can move. If you loosen the pubic symphysis and spread the buttocks, the range of movement will be wider, and the Dantian Qi will be more abundant. If you exert force Hitting someone will give you greater strength. Therefore, Shaolin boxing practice emphasizes panting the buttocks. Baguazhang pays attention to lightness and nimbleness. Just extending the buttocks is not enough. The tail should be buckled forward. The tail gate is buckled forward, which not only seals the bottom of the sea to refine the Qi, but also regulates the Qi and makes the movements agile. Therefore, the practice of Baguazhang requires the tail to be buckled forward, that is, the buttocks are retracted and leaned against the hips.

Different techniques such as Tai Chi, Shaolin Boxing, and Baguazhang seem to have different requirements for the tail lü. In fact, they are also the requirements for practicing the loose tail lü at different stages, from hanging the tail lü, panting the buttocks, and buckling the tail lü to Turn the tail gate until the tail gate can draw a circle, move freely and flexibly, and the qi movement will be round and flexible, able to follow your own command, and you will reach the state where the whole body is a family and the mind and qi are unified. However, when practicing, you must start from the vertical tail area and proceed step by step. Haste makes waste. If the requirements of a certain stage are limited and regarded as a whole or as the only correct posture, it is a partial generalization.

In addition, there is a saying that "the tail gate is like a bell hammer" and "the tail gate is like a pendulum". In fact, the tail of the fourth step can move, swing, and turn. Once you know how to turn, you can mobilize the energy of the whole body. Wherever the tail is moved, the energy will rush there. It is like a big bell. It will not ring automatically. How can it ring? Pull the bell hammer and hit it. The bell will ring. Ringed. The tail gate is like a bell hammer. As soon as the tail gate leans towards that side, the qi will immediately go there. To generate Qi in Dantian, use Tailu to stimulate it, and send Qi to all parts of the body. But this is still the primary stage of regulating qi and exerting power. When the kung fu is high, the Dantian is everywhere, and there is no need to adjust it from the Dantian.

3. Function

The coccyx is connected to the sacrum. There is a slight gap where the sacrum that buckles forward and the coccyx that bends back can move. There is an acupuncture point named Yaoshu (i.e. waist). The place where qi and blood are transferred), the tail area is very important. Both Dong Gong and Nei Jia Quan focus on loosening the waist and hips, but it is rare to talk about loosening the tail lü. However, the activity of the tail lü is related to the generation and activation of Yang Qi throughout the body. The tail gate can move Yang Qi all over the body (Zhang Ziyang's eight meridians are called Yang Wei Veins right here). If the tail gate is not loose, it will be difficult for the Qi to move smoothly. Turtles and deer live long lives, and their tails can rotate flexibly. After the tail gate is loosened, the Qi can easily circulate. Therefore, there is an ancient saying that "the Zhengshen in the tail gate penetrates the top of the head, and the Qi passes through the three passes and enters the mud ball". It should be noted that this is only the primary effect after the tail gate is loosened.

Knees

1. Requirements

Loosen your knees and buckle them inward.

2. Specific practices

The relaxation of the knees is related to whether the qi and blood in the meridians of the whole body can communicate with the feet. It is generally required to bend the knee patella naturally when standing, squat slightly and buckle inward slightly, combined with the knee slightly bent forward, relax and sink. The patella should be slightly lifted, otherwise it will appear to be hanging. The combination of knee buckle and hip pan can make the internal strength of the lower limbs spiral from outside to inside to the feet, increasing the stability of the lower body.

But to truly relax the knees, special training is required: put your feet together, put your hands on your hips, and stand quietly. Wrap your hips and lean on your hips (retract your buttocks inward, push your hips forward and close to the middle), hold your chest and abdomen, relax your knees and slowly kneel toward your feet, lean your torso back in line with your thighs, raise your collar, lower your chin Recycling, the duration is from short to long, and it will naturally loosen after a long time.

3. Function

By buckling the knees, everting the femoral head, and even combining with the pan-buttocks, the internal strength of the lower limbs spirals downward from the outside to the inside to the feet. In addition, the knee buckle is an auxiliary movement for rounding the crotch, and the patella lift is an element to keep the lower limbs agile. Qigong and martial arts books often talk about loosening the waist and loosening the hips, but rarely talk about loosening the knees. However, if the knees are not loosened, it will be difficult for Qi to penetrate the feet, and it will be difficult for the feet to play their role in martial arts. In this posture, the knees move forward and the center of gravity is placed on the knees, which increases the resistance to the circulation of Qi and blood, causing Qi to accumulate in the knees. It's like building a dam in a river to raise the water level, thus strengthening its momentum. When the knees are lifted, the resistance of the knees becomes smaller, and the accumulated Qi rushes down like a river bursting through its mouth. My ankles and even my toes felt like a warm current rushing from top to bottom. With repeated practice, the three lower limbs can be connected into one body.

Feet

1. Requirements

Both feet should be flat on the ground, and the weight of the whole body should be placed evenly on both feet, not in one place.

2. Specific practices

Most practitioners think that flattening the ground with two feet is not difficult, but they do not know that it is not easy to truly achieve "flattening" and it cannot be achieved in a day. . The method is to first adjust the whole body so that it is centered, and then gently contract the big toe and draw the air downwards. The weight of the whole body will drop from Baihui along the ears, shoulders, sides of the body, and the outer thighs to the center of the feet. Combined with the knee lift, the gravity is evenly distributed from the heels to the soles of the feet and even the five toes. If you practice this for a long time, combined with the relaxation of the ankle joint capsule, you can slowly loosen the arch of the foot and allow the sole of the foot to touch the ground. This is the real balance. shop?. This kind of flat foot will not cause "flat feet", but the elasticity of the arch of the foot will be strengthened. This is different from the "five-toed grip" of martial arts. Martial arts practitioners focus on the majestic and murderous spirit and must practice the "four tips" (the claws are the tendon tips, the tongue is the meat tips, the teeth are the bone tips, and the hair is the blood tips). No need to work hard at this. Qigong requires the two feet to be flat to achieve "force combination of the five toes and the spring" (not the five toes gripping the ground), which is one of the important signs of relaxation of the whole body. Only then can the Qi truly flow down between the feet and the ground. Only by connecting can the Qi of the whole body be penetrated. The ancients said that "strength comes from the feet", and "the real person breathes from the heels". This is exactly what he meant.

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