Table of Contents Chapters 1. What Chi Kung Can Do For You 4 2. How to do the Exercises in the Book/DVD 6 3. Five-Minute Chi Kung Routine #1 7 4. Five-Minute Chi Kung Routine #2 10 5. Five-Minute Chi Kung Routine #3 13 6. Ten-Minute Chi Kung Routine #1 15 7. Ten-Minute Chi Kung Routine #2 18 8. Eight Pieces of Brocade 21 9. Yi Jing Ching Palm Set 29 10.Yi Jing Ching Fist Set 35 11.Yi Jing Ching Moving Set 40 Chi Kung by Sifu Ken Gullette Page 3
What Chi Kung (Qigong) Can Do For You The early history of China is built on legend and fantasy. You can t take any historical tales at face value. Many people who should know better still repeat the legend that a wandering monk created tai chi after watching insects fight. Modern historians know that tai chi can only be traced back about 350 years, where it was created in the Chen Village by a retired warrior, Chen Wangting. Tai Chi can t be traced historically prior to Chen Wangting. Considering that all tai chi styles in existence today can trace themselves back to Chen Wangting, it s logical to assume that the Chen family s tai chi is the original. The scientific theories of chi and the practice of chi kung is much older. In the early days of chi kung, the people were uneducated and superstitious. They predicted the future by heating tortoise shells and interpreting the cracks in the shells. This was between 1122 B.C. and 206 B.C., and it was during this time that chi kung was born. According to The Root of Chinese Chi Kung, by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, there was a period of religious chi kung and then after 557 A.D. -- it was discovered that chi kung could be used for martial purposes. During the past century, chi kung practice has seen the mixing of Chinese, Indian, and Japanese chi kung styles. Some outrageous beliefs have developed around chi kung. There is the empty force group that believes you can knock someone down without touching them, various groups that believe you can heal others by emitting your chi into their bodies, and many other extraordinary claims. None of these have been proven to be true, and when you take away the ability to cheat, the people making these claims have never demonstrated an ability to perform. Still, there is no shortage of people who want to believe in the supernatural. These gullible people will always hand over their hard-earned money in an always ill-fated attempt to learn special powers. In reality, chi kung is a mind-body exercise that focuses on calming the mind and body, breathing, and mental visualization. It isn t magical or mystical, and it certainly isn t supernatural. But if you use it properly, you can teach yourself to manage stress and truly calm yourself. From there, you must teach yourself to recapture the feelings of calmness you have when practicing chi kung and apply them when you encounter a stressful situation. When you learn to ease stress, you also allow your body to become more efficient and you ll see an improvement in health. This has nothing to magic or mysticism, or an invisible energy running through your body. It has everything to do with learning to calm down. Chi Kung by Sifu Ken Gullette Page 4
I began doing chi kung seriously in 1987. I noticed an improvement in health, but mostly I noticed an improvement in my ability to handle the incredible stress of being a TV news producer. Each day, as I put on live TV newscasts and was responsible for them running smoothly, one false move could have cost me my job. Many news producers develop ulcers and emotional problems. Others simply scream and get angry a lot. I became the calm in the center of the storm. When things got tense, I centered myself, put part of my mind on my dan t ien, slowed my breathing, and focused on the problem at hand. It worked, and I ve used it ever since for tense moments in relationships, driving, even standing in line or waiting in a traffic jam. As the Taoist philosophy tells us, and as we were reminded by the late, great Bruce Lee, the softest substance in the world is water. It flows through, over, and around obstacles. It seeks to return to its own level. Although it is soft, water can wear down the tallest mountain over time. It can shape the Grand Canyon. When it turns to ice, it can sink the Titanic. Water can flow and it can crash. You and I enjoy life better when like water -- go with the flow. Our relationships grow stronger, we are more respected at work, and we are able to ride the ups and downs of life easier. As Bruce Lee said, Be water, my friend. If you practice the exercises in this book and on the DVD even just 5 minutes a day, and then work hard at calming and centering the same way when you encounter a tense situation, you ll see the difference it makes. You will become like water and go with the flow. Ken Gullette January, 2010 Chi Kung by Sifu Ken Gullette Page 5
How to Do the Exercises in the Book/DVD Several principles should be followed when doing chi kung exercises. They include: 1. Calm the mind and avoid thinking about your to-do list, your bills, family problems or work. Try to calm the mind and focus on your breathing, dan t ien and use mental visualization to picture chi running through your body. When you find your mind wandering to other things in your daily life, just re-focus your mind back to your dan t ien, breathing, etc. 2. Sink your weight (or energy ) relax so that it feels as if your weight will sink through your feet into the floor or ground. Completely relax. 3. Put part of your mind on your dan t ien. The dan t ien is also called your Center. It s a grapefruit-sized area (or the size of your fist) located a couple of finger-widths below the navel and a couple of finger-widths inside the body. This is where ancient Chinese medicine claims that your internal energy or chi is stored. I don t believe in the literal reality of chi, but I still use it as a mental visualization tool. I often imagine chi going to my dan t ien and growing warm. 4. Do reverse breathing. This means when you inhale, your abdomen will be drawn in. When you exhale, your abdomen will push outward. Keep part of your mind on your breathing. As you inhale, imagine energy coming into your body and storing in your dan t ien. When you exhale, imagine energy going through the body and sometimes even exiting out your hands, feet, etc. 5. If you have a particular ailment or pain in part of the body, visualize energy going to that part of the body and healing it. 6. Detach from daily life daily worries by focusing on your dan t ien. Try to develop the feeling of the moment. You are here, you are well, nothing can touch you and nothing can hurt you. Rise above everything and try to feel that you are part of the same energy that created the Universe. You are one with it all with the trees, with the animals, and with your fellow humans. Try to feel a connection with all things. 7. While you re doing chi kung, even when you are focusing on breathing, the dan t ien, or energy visualization, you should strive to be aware of everything around you. If you are outside, listen to all the sounds. Listen behind you, says Chen Xiaowang. 8. In the following exercises, particularly the moving exercises, go slowly. The slower the better. Chi Kung by Sifu Ken Gullette Page 6
Five-Minute Chi Kung Routine #1 Perform each exercise for about one minute. You can do it longer if you have time. Exercise #1 Standing This is also called standing stake. Here is how to do it: 1. Step out so that your feet are shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be parallel, pointing straight ahead. 2. Relax the legs let your knees relax and flex a little. 3. Slowly raise your hands in an embrace posture, as if you re hugging a tree. 4. Relax and feel as if your weight is sinking into the ground or floor through the feet. 5. Your weight should be centered in both feet not in the heels or the balls of the feet, but in the center. You may need to lean slightly forward from the waist up to get your weight on the center of your feet. You may feel as if you re leaning slightly forward but you ll actually be straight. We re accustomed to leaning back when we think we re leaning forward, so this will correct that mistake. Your aim is a centered stance. 6. Focus on relaxing each part of the body relax the head and neck, relax the shoulders, relax the arms, relax the chest and lower back. Relax the waist and the hips. 7. Tuck the hips slightly and relax the lower back. Don t let the lower back cave inward. 8. When you inhale, imagine energy going to the dan t ien. Exhale and imagine it traveling through your arms. You can even imagine the energy making a circle back to your dan t ien. These photos show standing stake. The hands are in the embrace posture hands are open as if hugging a tree. Feet are shoulder width and pointing straight ahead. Relax every part of the body as you do this exercise. Calm the mind and focus on your dan t ien and breathing. Chi Kung by Sifu Ken Gullette Page 7
Exercise 2 Hands on Dan T ien Put your left hand on your dan t ien. Put the right hand on top of the left. According to traditional Chinese practice, women should put their right hand on the dan t ien and cover it with the left this is a superstitious belief (a difference between the sexes) that I don t believe. As you do reverse breathing, focus on the dan t ien. Inhale and imagine energy coming into the body and collecting at the dan t ien. When you exhale, imagine your energy circulating through the body or leaving the body. Keep your mind calm and don t worry about daily life. As you imagine your energy collecting in your dan t ien (also called Center ) you can try to imagine it growing warmer. Try to feel the warmth in your hands. Calm and relax every muscle in your body. Exercise 3 Hold a Soccer Ball Bring the hands out as if holding a soccer ball against your dan t ien area. As you exhale, try to feel the soccer ball between your hands and your Center. When you inhale, imagine energy coming into your body and collecting at your Center. You can also try to imagine energy coming out from your dan t ien to your hands, as if you re holding a ball of warm energy. Focus on this long enough (possibly weeks or months) and you will be able to feel the ball. Calm the mind and relax every muscle in the body. Chi Kung by Sifu Ken Gullette Page 8
Exercise #4 Hold Large Ball of Energy Hold your hands up and out and imagine you re holding a large ball of energy. Relax and imagine the feeling of a ball of energy between your hands. Try to feel the warmth and the pressure it would exert on your hands and arms. You can also imagine you re holding a large beach ball and try to feel the pressure of the ball as you slightly press inward. Through all these exercises, calm the mind, keep part of your mind on your Center and your breathing calm down. Be in the moment. Be aware of everything around you let your senses come alive to the present situation. If you re outdoors, feel the wind, listen to sounds of birds or animals or the city. In the above photo, I m feeling the wind and listening to the waves crashing to the shore. Feel that you re a part of everything. Close your eyes and as you continue to try to feel the ball of energy, also feel for the realization that you are part of all energy. You are part of whatever created the Universe. You are connected. Exercise #5 Standing Stake Return to the first posture standing stake. Maintain the calm feeling, and the feeling that you are one with all things. When you are ready, you can end the session. Don t be surprised if you feel very relaxed. We re not accustomed to fully relaxing during the day. Our lives are so busy, and we carry tension throughout the day. One of my students was a judge, and he confessed to me after several months of training that he often went back into his chambers after a trying court session and did these exercises to remain calm and stress-free. Chi Kung by Sifu Ken Gullette Page 9