Appearance, Sound, Breathing, Spirit and Verve of Health Qigong • Liu Zi Jue
The Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue is a set of Qigong exercises with the characteristics of being easy to learn, remarkable efficacy, unique style and strong Qigong features. It is mainly dealing with the inhaling and exhaling breathing, and at the same time coordinating with six unique pronunciation methods of Xu, He, Hu, Si, Chui, and Xi. In addition, it is supported by corresponding movements and mental ideas to adjust the five primary systems of human beings such as the liver, heart, spleen, lung and kidney as well as San Jiao and the vital energy’s function. By means of these above-mentioned principles, it can achieve the purpose of softening tendon & strengthening bone, improving organs, adjusting physical health and rehabilitation.
With the gradual popularity of Health Qigong, the Liu Zi Jue has won favor by the ever-increasing number of people. However, due to the simple actions of Liu Zi Jue, and every movement should be repeated 3-6 times, beginners as well as those practitioners that are unfamiliar with it can not help but think it a little bit of boring. In fact, as long as practitioners can gradually improve from the five aspects of appearance, sound, breathing, spirit and verve, they will gradually appreciate the wealth of essence and its serene charm. Naturally, when demonstrating Liu Zi Jue, the skilled practitioners can convey the integration of appearance, breathing, spirit and verve with the unique Qigong features.
Appearance- postural movements
With regard to the postural movements, it is necessary to be generous stretch, slow and soft, adept and natural, serene and smooth like floating clouds and flowing water, with harmonious ambience between human beings and breathing flow, which fully reflect the radiant charm of the unique tranquility and gentle beauty.
It is required that all the actions and movements especially elbow and knee should be relaxed as much as possible. In particular, it is prohibitive to violate the fundamental requirements for expiratory and respiratory functions as well as the even, small, gentle, flexible and long characteristics of pronunciation.
It is required that the connections between individual action, the cohesion of the rhythm of breathing and even the conversion of ideas when practicing should regard the navel as the focus. From this perspective, it is conspicuously showed in the demonstration of specific actions, which all require both hands should keep the same height with the navel, especially the “Lao Gong Acupoints” of the palms should be at the same height with the navel.
Sound—Pronunciation, shape, breathing and vocalizing
The pronunciation, shape and breathing are the Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue unique practicing methods as well as the core, difficulties and key points needed to be specially paid attention when practicing Liu Zi Jue. According to the verification and research by the experts in the fields of Qigong, Chinese traditional medicine, phonology and other related literature, it has been proved that the six characters of Xu, He, Hu, Si, Chui and Xi all have the radical of Kou, which means a specific state of pronunciation. For instance, taking the character of Xu Zi Jue as example, when we just finished a very stressful job, we would instinctively pronounce Xu in order to ease the depressed mood and feel relaxed and relieved. While if under this occasion, we only read the character Xu in the way of Putonghua or Pinyin pronunciation, it is difficult to achieve the health effects of fitness, because only in a particular state and exclusive pronunciation, shape and breathing can play the particular role, so as the Lu Zi Jue. It is specially needed to note that it is far from enough just relying on the Putonghua and Pinyin to pronounce Liu Zi Jue. It is necessary to find the particular shape and breathing in the particular state. Only in this way can we achieve the purpose of health preserving and care.
The steps for learning pronunciation, shape and breathing are as following. In the first place, it is necessary to use pronunciation-correcting method to achieve the initial purpose of standardizing mouth, and then use the standardizing shape of mouth to control the expiratory and respiratory breathing. According to the differences between the thickness, degree and phonation places, it is necessary to adjust the corresponding the body organs involving with phonation.
With regard to the degree of phonation, for beginners, it is advised to practice out loud at first and then whispered. After skilled practice, it is natural to gradually change into a low voice practice. After practicing long time and mastering in proficiency, you can switch into the phase of “silent” practice with only breathing but without any phonation and gradually achieve to the level of ancient people as “silent voice means vocalizing, and vocalizing equates with silent voice.” At the phase of practicing vocalizing, the essentials for phonation are low, vibrated, and penetrated, which is just like the temple bell and drum.
Breathing—the expiratory and respiratory functions
The basic requirements in terms of breathing are: even, fine, gentle, and long. At the same time, it is necessary to comply with the step-by-step principle and should not pursue deliberately and mechanically.
Natural breathing: apart from respiratory phonation method, the Liu Zi Jue mainly employs the natural breathing methods using nasal breathing. In other words, the overwhelming time of practicing the whole set of Liu Zi Jue, it is required to use the nasal breathing method. Otherwise, it is easy to generate the polypnea caused by tension, which should pay special attention to avoid.
3, Reverse abdominal breathing: it is a way of breathing that when expiratory breathing, it is necessary to slightly draw the abdomen, while respiratory breathing, it is necessary to naturally protrude. The Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue regularly employs the reverse abdominal breathing method with nasal inhaling and mouth exhaling. The reasons for employing this special breathing method are that when respiratory breathing, the innate vital energy rises to the chest through lower abdomen, while at the same time the acquired vital energy from the nature is been inhaled to chest by nasal, which can incorporate the innate and acquired vital energy in body. When expiratory breathing, the flatus discharged can exhale out of the body, and the vital energy full of nutrition can be absorbed into the Dantian. It is not only beneficial to interact the essence of vital energy and enhance the health preserving and care but also positive to avoid thirsty, dizziness, fatigue caused by incorrect pronunciation. It is also a traditional theory on improving the body immunity as well as enhancing the heart and kidney functions.
Spirit-the spiritual idea
It is necessary to concentrate on practicing and avoid drowsy lethargy and absent-mindedness.
. The focus should be on the coordination between action, breathing and phonation.
It is prohibitive to over emphasize the spiritual ideas but rather it is advised to maintain balance and natural manner. Otherwise, with the too strong spiritual idea, it is impossible to achieve the requirement of relax and natural.
It is required to maintain relax and natural manner. After the actions achieve the norms, it is advisable to pay less attention to the movements of limbs. If you pay too much attention to movements of limbs, it may lead to rigid movement and irregular and short breathing and other relevant problems.
Verve—the verve of Qigong
1. It is required to highly integrate the appearance, sound, breathing, spirit and verve when practicing. It is better to match the appropriate music to enhance the integration of emotion.
. The Health Qigong is a quiet and comfortable way to keep fitness. Therefore, when practicing, it is positive to exert every effort to experience the atmosphere of serene, joy and warm.
Health Qigong is a way of exercise with the characteristics of compatible dynamic and static. Although there is the charming of feminine and gentleness, we should pay attention to the interactive dynamic and static features.
If you can achieve the status of highly integration of appearance, sound, breathing, spirit and verve when practicing, it is naturally to demonstrate unique and elegant charming for both individual as well as the Health Qigong. As far as the practitioner is concerned, it is beneficial to enhance the health from outside facial appearance to the internal organs.
Zhang Mingliang
Reference:
Appearance, Sound, Breathing, Spirit and Verve of Health Qigong • Liu Zi Jue Chinese Health QiGong Association
Books:
Liu Zi Jue: Six Sounds Approach to Qigong Breathing Exercises (Chinese Health Qigong Associat)
by The Chinese Health Qigong Association
ISBN 1848190069
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