From: robinson@cogsci.Berkeley.EDU (Michael Robinson)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: qi - any simple exercises?
Date: 18 Dec 1992 22:26:06 GMT
Organization: Institute of Cognitive Studies, U.C. Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: cogsci.berkeley.edu

In article <mcdevitt.724674635@taupe> mcdevitt@rtsg.mot.com (Aidan McDevitt) writes:
>I was wondering if there are any simple exercises by which one
>could build up qi in the body to the point of being able to feel it.

Yes.

>If you know of any that an averagely fit person could do, please post it.

Unfortunately, it would require at least a video, and ideally individual
instruction.

However, I can describe a less effective exercise which may or may not work
for you:

  1. Find a warm, quiet place without distractions.
  2. Do your usual warm-up and stretching routine (if you don't have one,
     consult a good general exercise book).  Make sure you are warmed up
     and your joints are loose.
  3. Stand with your feet parallel, shoulder width apart.  Bend your knees
     slightly.  Let your arms hang by your side.  Relax as much as possible,
     paying particular attention to you shoulders.
  4. When you are comfortably relaxed, slowly inhale with a long, thin
     continuous breath that comes from your diaphragm.  As you do this,
     slowly raise your arms in front of you (as if they were being suspended
     by the wrists) to shoulder level.
  5. Slowly exhale with a long, thin continuous breath that comes from 
     your diaphragm.  As you do this, slowly lower your arms to your side.
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 two more times.
  7. Repeat step 4.  Rather than lowering your arms, however, form them 
     into a large rounded circle in front of you at shoulder level (palms
     facing you) as you slowly exhale.  Your arms and shoulders must be
     relaxed.
  8. Slowly inhale and exhale three times.
  9. Slowly inhale.  As you do this, slowly bring your hands in toward
     your upper chest.
 10. Slowly exhale.  As you do this, slowly extend your hands back out
     to form a circle again.
 11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 two more times.
 12. Slowly inhale.  As you do this, slowly expand your arms out toward
     the sides (keeping them slightly rounded), palms foward.  Feel the
     expansion in your upper chest.  Relax the shoulders.
 13. Slowly exhale.  As you do this, slowly contract your arms back into
     a circle again.
 14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 two more times.
 15. Repeat step 8.
 16. Slowly inhale.  As you do this, return to the "hanging wrists" 
     posture.  Slowly exhale and return your arms to your sides.  (This
     step is the reverse of step 7.)
 17. Repeat steps 4 and 5 three times.
 18. Raise your hands over your head, fingers pointing toward the ceiling.
     Vigorously rotate your wrists in and out (sort of a gospel choir
     looking move).
 19. Slowly lower your hands, palms facing, 6 to 8 inches apart, to the
     level of your lower abdomen.
 20. Slowly rotate your palms around each other in a circle, palms facing,
     6 to 8 inches apart.  Relax (in order) your neck, shoulders, arms
     and hands.  Feel between your hands.

You should breath at the slowest rate you can continuously maintain without
straining (no hesitations at the beginning or speeding up at the end). The
trick is to unify the arm motion and breathing into a single, seamless 
action.  Take your time.

You may get better results if you repeat steps 7 through 17 several times.

Relax.

You should observe (in increasing order of ch'i strength):

   1. Mottled hands
   2. Warm, tingly sensations in the palms
   3. A "repelling magnets" feeling between the palms (for most people,
      this is the level at which they become convinced)
   4. An "outside-the-body" feeling of mechanically linked motion in the
      arms.

Most healthy, athletic people should get to at least number 2.  I would 
guess that among readers of this group, 50% or so should get to number 3
in the first few tries.  A few long-time T'ai Chi or Aikido practitioners 
may be able to get to level 4.  I presume there are higher levels, but
I can't speak from personal experience.

No warranties expressed or implied.

Relax.

-- 
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  Michael Robinson                          UUCP:   ucbvax!cogsci!robinson
                                        INTERNET: robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu