Back Pain Gone with QIGONG
Help Your Back Using Natural Healing Methods 2 with 10 Two full sets of routines, each with ten exercises By Art Stalbow
Back Pain Gone with QIGONG
Table of Contents Imagine ....................................................................................................................... 4 What is Qigong?........................................................................................................... 5 How Can Qigong Help with Back Pain? ......................................................................... 6 What Causes Back Pain? ............................................................................................... 6 Qigong Exercises for Relief and Prevention of Back Pain ................................................. 9 Abdominal Breathing ................................................................................................ 9 Four-Step Qigong Breathing................................................................................. 10 The Mental Aspect .................................................................................................. 11 Standing Movements .................................................................................................. 12 Set Number One 3 by 3 .......................................................................................... 13 Breathing ............................................................................................................... 13 Your Mind ............................................................................................................. 13 First Section Warm-up......................................................................................... 14 Arms Above Head ............................................................................................... 14 Arms Forward..................................................................................................... 14 Turn To Look at the Moon ................................................................................... 14 Second Section Four Main Movements Each.......................................................... 15 Start in Wuji Front-Side-Front-In.......................................................................... 15 Four Bends ......................................................................................................... 15 Thighs-Sky-Ankles-Front..................................................................................... 16 Third Section Big Stretch ..................................................................................... 17 Up and Down...................................................................................................... 17 Front Stance Stretch ............................................................................................ 17 Front Lean.......................................................................................................... 18 Set Number Two Distal Points ................................................................................ 19 Kidneys Taps ......................................................................................................... 20 Kua Circles ............................................................................................................ 21 Elephant Takes Water ............................................................................................. 22 Snake Wraps Around Tree Limb .............................................................................. 24 Up Easy Down Hard ............................................................................................... 24 Side Stretch To Ground ........................................................................................... 25 Side Swim.............................................................................................................. 26 Elbow to Knee........................................................................................................ 27 Up Down ............................................................................................................... 27 Qi to Brain ............................................................................................................. 28 Closing Thoughts ..................................................................................................... 29 2 www.weebooklets.com
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The information contained herein is not to be misconstrued as medical advice. If you have a medical situation, physical or psychological, please see your health-care provider prior to engaging in Qigong practice.
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Imagine Imagine being pain-free. Imagine having the mobility to do pretty much what you need to do or want to do. You can help your back using the ancient healing techniques found it Qigong. The gentle movements and breathing used in Qigong can help your body to activate its own magnificent healing capabilities. And it is completely natural and drug-free. It will take some effort on your part, but it will be worth it. The effort will be mostly mental, though there will be nice, gentle movements to do. Be patient. It might have taken a while for the ailment to manifest itself. It could take some time to eliminate it. As you do the movements contained in this ebooklet, keep in mind that you should not hurt yourself. Listen to your body. If the message is “pain”, stop what you are dong. We will describe a number of Qigong movements for you. If you don’t feel that a certain exercise is for you right now, don’t worry. There will be others that you can use. Take good care of YOU. 4 www.weebooklets.com
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What is Qigong? Qigong is an ancient Asian healing modality. Developed over many centuries, Qigong uses gentle movements, proper breathing techniques, and the incredible power of one’s mind to promote healing. The QI in Qigong is a term with many meanings. For our purposes, think of Qi as the internal energy that flows through your body. If the energy flows correctly, you will be healthy and vibrant. When the Qi is blocked or stagnate, ailments can occur. Gong can mean effort, work, or cultivation. Thus, one of the meanings of Qigong is “energy work”. You are working with the energy of your body.
Qigong exercises can help move the Qi, your internal energy, in such a way as to help promote pain reduction or pain elimination. Qigong is not only curative, it can be preventative. One does Qigong to promote health, in addition to using it to cure various ailments. 5 www.weebooklets.com
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How Can Qigong Help with Back Pain? Qigong can help eradicate of back pain in a number of ways. The movements will be good for your bones, muscles and connective tissue. The breathing will help to oxygenate your cells so that they can do their work properly. The mental aspects can help you prevent the situation from happening again. Thus you can eliminate back pain from your life entirely, rather than temporarily putting it aside. The exercises are so pleasant, that they might become part of your daily routine to the point where the back pain has become a thing of the past.
What Causes Back Pain? Back pain, especially lower back pain, will afflict 9 out of 10 adults sometime in their life. Many have reoccurring incidents of back pain. There are a number of reasons why you might have back pain. Poor posture. Weak abdominals. Did you lift something the wrong way? Did you twist your back in a strange way? It could be aging. As you age, bones loss some strength, and muscles lose flexibility.
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It could be something else. The answer might be two or three feet away from your lower back. Your brain. Think about the power of your mind. Have you ever seen a touching movie for the 20th time? You know exactly what is going to happen, yet you still shed a tear at the end. Even though they are just actors on the screen, and what is happening isn’t real, your mind can cause you to be sad, and create a physical reaction – the tears. Or picture yourself driving alone in your car. A song comes on the radio that reminds you of someone from your past. Depending on your relationship with that person, you could start to feel happy, melancholy, or even angry. As with the movie, you might even shed a tear or two. Even though you are only hearing sound waves coming from the radio, your mind can help produce definite physical feelings or reactions. There is a school of thought that says that your back pain is totally caused by your thoughts. One theory is that financial problems are manifested in the lower back area. Why? Many of us carry money in our pockets with are near the hip/lower back area. Some of us carry money in purses that might be held close to the hip area. This area is the center of our body, and a source of physical support. In our society, money is an important means of financial support. 7 www.weebooklets.com
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You might think this makes some sense, or you might believe that this is just too far out there. Either way, in addition to trying to remember what you might have done physically to prompt a back pain, consider the stress, whether it be financial, personal, job or school related, that might also contribute to back problems. Of course, for most of us, the most important thing is getting rid of the pain now regardless of the causes. That is one of the main purposes of this ebooklet. However, knowing what might have led to the back pain in the first place might help to prevent it from happening again.
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Qigong Exercises for Relief and Prevention of Back Pain There are three main parts to Qigong exercises: •The Movements •Breathing •Your mind Abdominal Breathing Most of this ebooklet will be devoted to the movements. We will get into the movements in a few pages. Right now, a brief introduction to proper abdominal breathing is in order. As you are reading this, you can practice the breathing methods. Eventually, you will be able to coordinate the movements with the breathing. However, as you are learning the movements don’t burden yourself with trying to do too much. You can easily learn the steps involved in the breathing techniques. Spend most of your time learning the movements. Later you can add the mental component. Here is a simple four-step breathing method you can practice throughout the day, even when you aren’t doing your Qigong.
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Four-Step Qigong Breathing 1. Inhale slowly, deeply, smoothly, evenly, calmly through the nose. 2. Pause. 3. Exhale slowly, deeply, smoothly, evenly, calmly through the mouth. Make the exhale a bit longer than the inhale. 4. Pause. As you inhale, permit your belly area to expand outward. On the exhale, gently bring the belly area back in to the normal position. Be sure to add the pauses to your breathing. They will help to regulate your breaths, as well as adding a little rest for your system. A few words of caution: Take it easy with your new breathing. Many people aren’t used to good, deep, breathing. It is possible to become a bit light-headed at first, so proceed slowly and easily. Listen to your body.
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The Mental Aspect Here is a little bit of information for you about the mental aspect of Qigong training. Though it is intangible, the thought process can be a powerful component of your healing. Once you feel proficient with the movements and the breathing, you can add the mental side of Qigong to your routines. In its simplest form, all you would do is to put your mind on the area of your body that needs help. If you feel that your lower back is the place of most pain, as you do your movements and breathing, think about your lower back. Put your thoughts there. ‘See’ your lower back. ‘See’ and ‘feel’ the bones, muscles, connecting tissues. ‘See’ the healing energy flowing there. ‘See’ and ‘feel’ the pain slowing dissipating. It will take some practice on your part to add the mental side of Qigong. It is rather alien to our Western culture. However, you should find that it is not only effective, but also interesting and enlightening. You will be working on a true body-mind healing for yourself.
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Standing Movements These Qigong exercises done standing. The basic standing position is called Wuji. Spend some time getting comfortable with this position, as it will form the physical foundation for most of the movements. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Your toes can point straight ahead or slightly outward. Bend your knees slightly. Have your knees over your feet, pushed slightly to the outside. Don’t let your knees come toward each other. Sink your buttocks downward, almost as if you were getting ready to sit down. Your shoulders should be rounded forward. Don’t stand erect as if you were a soldier at attention. Let your chin drop down a little bit. Open your mouth slightly to reduce tension on your jaw. Your eyes can be closed or open. If you decide to keep your eyes open, open them about halfway, as if you were drifting off to sleep. Feel your head as being very light, as if it was being gently pulled upward by a silk cord. Your arms may simply hang at your sides. Think of your feet as roots of a tree, sinking deep within the earth. Think of your head as being in the heavens, receiving celestial energy.
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Set Number One
3 by 3
This set will consist of nine sections. The first section has three movements to help you warm up. The second section has three routines, each of which has four main movements. The third section consists of larger, upward movements. Each movement will be explained, usually for one side of your body. Remember to do the movements for both sides, even if you feel the pain on only one side. Balance! To start, do each Standing or Sitting movement three times. If you feel The movements in Set that you can do more, increase the Number One are done in a standing position, repetitions to six. Breathing Once you know the movements, try to coordinate your deep, abdominal breathing with the movements. Basically, exhale on the exertion. Inhale prior to exertion. Remember those pauses!
Wuji. However, they all can be done in a sitting position as well. You will find that most of the movements are almost exactly the same, whether done standing or sitting. The last three movements will have to be altered a bit on your part if you do them sitting, but most of the benefits will still be there.
Your Mind If you are comfortable with the movements and the breathing, place your mind on your lower back, especially on the inhale.
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First Section Warm-up Stand in Wuji. Arms Above Head Gently raise your arms to above your head, at about shoulder width. Palms face front. Your hands can be in loose fists. Bring hands back to starting position. Arms Forward Gently raise hands to just below your shoulders. Hands in loose fists. Send your arms forward until the elbows are almost straight. Allow a very slight bend in the elbow. Bring hands back to starting position. Turn To Look at the Moon Bring hands to above head as you did in #1. Turn your torso to the left. Turn your head and look up and back high over your left shoulder. Reach high up to the left with your right hand. You can go up on your right toes. You might feel a stretch on your right side. Slowly come back to the starting position. Repeat to the right. 14 www.weebooklets.com
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Second Section Four Main Movements Each Start in Wuji Front-Side-Front-In Bring your hands to shoulder level, palms facing forward or in loose fists. Let your hands go forward as they did in Warm-up #2. Keep your hands there, and then turn your torso to the left, as far as it will go, comfortably. Your arms now are still in front of your shoulders, but to the left side of your body. Turn back to the front. Bring your hands back in to the shoulders. Repeat going to the right. Four Bends Bring hands to just in front of the shoulders. Option: for this routine, you can interlace your fingers and place your hands on the back of your head. Lean back a few degrees. Let your eyes and head start the backwards movement. Go back only a little bit to start. Be aware of your body’s capabilities and needs. Come back to straight. Next, bend forward. Come back to straight. Next. Lean to the left, letting your left elbow lead the way. Come back to straight. Next, lean to the right, letting your right elbow lead the way. Come back to straight.
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Thighs-Sky-Ankles-Front Bring your arms in front of you as you did in Warm-up #2. Let them drop to your thighs. Keeping the arms straight, but not locked at the elbow, raise your arms to above your head. Palms will be facing forward, or be in loose fists. Bending your knees, and keeping your arms straight, slowly reach down to your ankles, or as far as you can go down while being pain-free. Unroll your spine as you stand up, bringing your hands to the starting position. Again, coordinate the breathing and the mental aspects to strengthen the effectiveness of the routines.
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Third Section
Big Stretch
Up and Down Bring hands to shoulder, palms facing forward or in loose fists. Bring hands to above head as you did in Arms Above Head. As you do that, do a knee bend, moving downwards as if you were about to sit. Both movements, hands up and lower body down, are done together. Your mind is on your lower back. Front Stance Stretch This movement uses a Front Stance. Start in Wuji, then bring your left leg forward and out to the left. Bend your left knee. Your left heel will be well forward of your right toes. Your weight is evenly distributed between right and left legs. Bring your hands above your head as you did in Up and Down previously. As you do that, lean forward so that almost all of your weight is on your left foot, and you are on your right toes. Your mind is on your lower back.
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Front Lean From Wuji, step forward into a left front stance as you did in #2. Bring your hands to shoulder height, palms facing forward or in loose fist. Lean your body weight forward until you have most of your weight on your left leg, and are on the tips of your right toes. As you do that, bring your arms forward and up at about a 45° angle. Hold this position for a few moments. The next part of this is quite a challenge, so only do this if your body will permit it. Lean forward a little more until you have 100% of your weight on your left leg and your right foot is off the ground. Slowly come back to Wuji. Done correctly, there is almost a straight line from your right toes up through your body to your hands. When first trying this, your mind will be on your balance. As you get comfortable with the balance aspect, bring your mind to your lower back. Extra Section Back Rub Stand in Wuji. Bring your hands around to your lower back. Make ever-widening circles at your lower back. Then make smaller and smaller circles. Next rub in an up and down motion. Let your arms come back to your side, or keep them lightly on your lower back. Stand quietly in Wuji, eyes closed, breathing properly, with your mind on your lower back. Smile. 18 www.weebooklets.com
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Set Number Two
Distal Points
You will notice that some movements that benefit the back seem to be working areas away from the back. We must keep in mind that one area of the body is closely related to other areas. For example, you can work the abdominals in order to help the lower back. Or, you can do leg exercises which also help the lower back. There is a major acupuncture point on the hand that is used to eliminate headaches. Of course, working on the mind can influence all parts of your body. In some of these movements you will be touching, pressing and holding points on your body. Qi flows along channels called meridians. Each major organ has a meridian associated with it. Along the meridians are specific points that are used in acupuncture and acupressure. There are hundreds of these points throughout the body. These points can positively influence the flow of Qi. Since we are mostly dealing with the lower back area, you will be activating a number of points along the kidney meridian. 19 www.weebooklets.com
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Kidneys Taps This is an excellent exercise to increase your energy flow. It can be used as part of this set, but it is also a terrific warm-up. Try this prior to doing other exercises to help get the Qi and blood circulating. It is also a nice exercise to do at the beginning of the day. Stand in Wuji. Slowly and carefully, REMEMBER bend as far to your feet as you can. Never go to a point Using your fingertips, tap the insteps of of pain when doing your feet if you can reach that far. If not, your Qigong. Enjoy it. start tapping at the lowest point of your stretch. Continue tapping up your inner ankles, inner calf, inside of the knee, inner thighs, to your waist, around your waist to your lower back/kidney area. Continue gently tapping your kidneys. Pause. Take a few good, deep, abdominal breaths. Repeat the tapping.
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Kua Circles Kua is the pelvic area. This is an important area of physical support for you. A good flow of Qi in this area is important for curing or preventing lower back situations. As always, once you learn the movements and add the breathing, do your best to keep your mind engaged in the routines. Start in Wuji. You will be moving your Kua in a figure-eight type of movement. Gently move your left hip forward and a bit to the left. Next, go straight back to a point back and to the left of your starting position. Moving on a slight angle forward and right, bring your right hip forward and a bit to the right. Next, bring the right hip back to a point back and to the right of your starting position. Moving on an angle forward and to the left, bring your left hip to the front, left position that you were in the first move. Continue this circular movement for a total of nine times. Coordinate your breathing with the movements. Bring your mind to your Kua. Visualize strong, healthy bones supporting your lower back as well as you entire upper body. You are going a long way toward a life of excellent health when you build your strength and flexibility in your core. 21 www.weebooklets.com
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Elephant Takes Water and Snake Wraps Around Tree Limb These two routines can build strength and flexibility in your lower back as well as your legs. Use caution, however. These routines both call for twisting motions. If your physical situation prohibits you from doing these, use other Qigong routines until you can comfortable do these two. Take good care of YOU. Elephant Takes Water Start in Wuji. 1. Step into a left front stance as you did in Front Stance Stretch. 2. Turn your left foot to the right, about 45°. 3. Bring your right hand around to your lower back and let it rest there for this routine. If this is uncomfortable for you, simply let your right hand hang loosely at your side. Qigong should be comfortable and relaxing. 4. Turn your upper body to the left and raise your left arm high behind you. 5. In a gentle motion, turn to the right, bending at the waist, and bringing your left hand all the way down to between your legs. Touch the floor, if possible, but don't strain yourself. 6. Slowly come back up to your front stance position.
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Repeat until you have done six repetitions, if your body will permit. As always, do the other side of your body.
Position #4
Your inhale should be done as you are getting into position #4. Exhale as you are bending into position #5. Pause. Inhale as you move back up to position #4.
Position #5
Remember to place your mind in your lower back area once you have become comfortable with the movements and the coordinated breathing.
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Snake Wraps Around Tree Limb Start in Wuji. Move to a left front stance. Turn your left foot to the left about 45°. Turn your torso to To get the the right. Place left palm on right front downward, hip. Place the back of your right hand bending motion, on your left kidney area. Turning your use your big thigh body to the left, move downward in a muscles rather than coiling motion. Tap the outside of the your smaller back muscles. left knee with your right palm. Tap the right kidney with the back of your left palm. Slowly uncoil, moving back upward. Repeat and do both sides. Up Easy Down Hard It has been said that this simple exercise can cure one hundred illnesses. That might seem to be quite a claim, but it is a good exercise for stimulating first kidney energy point on the bottom of the foot. It also is good for sending energy along the spinal column. Therefore, maybe it can help with one hundred illnesses. Start in Wuji. Place your hands on your kidney area. Slowly rise up on to the balls of your feet. Pause. Come down medium-hard on to the soles of your feet. Repeat.
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Side Stretch To Ground Use caution with this, and all exercises. Be careful not to overextend your bent knee. If you haven’t done this movement previously, please don’t try to go down too far. You are trying to help your body to heal and be strong. This is not the time to be competitive with yourself.
Start in Wuji. Stretch left leg out to the side. Turn torso to the left. Keep most of your weight on to your right leg. Bend your right knee and go downward, as if you were about to sit. If you are flexible enough, reach your right hand to your left knee, or even further to your left ankle. Hold position for a few moments. Slowly return to Wuji. Repeat other side.
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Side Swim Start in Wuji. Turn your feet to the outside a few degrees, always remaining comfortable. Turn your torso to the left, putting about 60% of your weight on the left foot. Bring your right hand across your body to the left, palm facing down. Reach to the left with the right arm. Left foot and left arm are just about parallel. If you can, bring your left arm straight back behind your back, palm up. Arms are now parallel. Pause. Come back to Wuji. Repeat other side.
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Elbow to Knee Start in Wuji. Bring your left knee upward, as you turn your body to the left. Bring your right elbow to your left knee. Go back to Wuji. Repeat other side. Up Down 1. Start in Wuji. 2. Bring your hands in front of your You may keep your palms on the kidney abdominal area. area as you turn your 3. Bring palms to the waist and then torso to the left. If around to the lower back/kidney that is not area. Pause. comfortable, bring your hands to the 4. Turn to the left. Pause. front of your body. 5. Turn back to face the front. Pause. 6. Turn to the right Pause 7. Turn back to face the front. 8. Rise up as you did in Up On Toes. 9. Come down medium hard on to the soles of your feet. 10. Move downward, as if you were sitting, doing a knee bend. Keep your back as straight as possible without straining. Don’t go down too far. A 90° bend at the knee should be fine. 11. Pause if you can. 12. Return to Wuji.
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Qi to Brain This is more meditation than movement. You might remember that we mentioned the power of the mind in the healing process. Now that you have Qi flowing, we will concentrate the energy in the brain area. You can use this time as quiet meditation, perhaps focusing on either the reasons for the back pain, or the healing process. Stand in Wuji. Taking a good, deep Qigong breath, slowly bring your hands up to your head. Have your palms facing your head, with middle fingers almost toughing, just above the mid-point on the top of your head. Your hands should be an inch or two above your head. Hold this position for as long as you can do so with comfort. Focus your mind on your mind. Visualize a strong, healthy, flexible back as well as overall excellent health. Come back to Wuji when you are ready.
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Closing Thoughts Here are ten final reminders for you: 1. Only do what you can do without stress or strain. This is Qigong. It is to be enjoyed. 2. Pain does not equal gain in Qigong. Take it easy. 3. Do both sides. 4. Do an equal number of repetitions on both sides. 5. Once you are comfortable with the movements, coordinate the breathing. 6. Add the mental aspect to increase your healing power. 7. If you can do an entire set, do so. However, you might find a few exercises suit you very well. Focus on those for a while, and then add others as your feel able. 8. Watch your weight. Weak abdominals, or an out-ofshape belly can lead to back problems 9. Turn ‘problems’ in to ‘situations’. Turn ‘situations’ into ‘challenges’. Turn ‘challenges’ into ‘opportunities’. 10. If you have questions, feel free to send an email. We would love to help. Breathe deeply, smile, and live well. Art
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