Qi Gong - Taoism for the Overweight

[effilang]

Hello Guys,

 

I have a buddy who is 6'7 470lbs and on medication for allergies.

 

He is currently not living a very healthy life and out of care i introduced him to Qi Gong - Meditation and sent him some material to read up on, so he can open his mind to all the things of our universe.

 

It's seems like his situation would prompt a more delicate approach perhaps?

 

Can you guys recommend some practices for him.

Where should he start from?

 

I have initiated him on SFQ and Stillness Meditation for the LDT.

 

I would really like him to start taking care of himself.

He has never done anything like this before and as you can tell is out of shape.

 

How do you recommend he starts out?

 

Love

[Sahaj Nath]

i'm very surprised that no one offered any advice on this. VERY surprised.

 

forget about the LDT. he's not anywhere near a state where that's gonna do him any good. so the first thing you should do is take that back, IMO.

 

he needs to learn how to breath. that's the first thing. probably the most important thing he (or anyone, for that matter) could learn. spring forest qigong encourages reverse breathing. i wouldn't recommend reverse breathing for someone his size, in his state of health. good ol' belly breathing, complete breathing, filling from the bottom up, and exhaling naturally, is what i would recommend. if he's willing to meditate, he should mind his posture, relax his body as best as he can, and just follow his breath. and a lot of obese people do mouth breathing. he needs to mindfully breath through his nose.

 

spring forest exercises are RELATIVELY simple, but that type of regimen might be intimidating for someone like him. deep breathing and some/any movement is what matters most. "pulling down the heavens" is where i would start. visualizing heavenly energy pouring through the body from head to toe. smiling from the heart.

 

any stretching that feels good is stretching that he should do. 5-10 minutes of stretching. any stretching.

 

if his knees are decent, he should shake/bounce for 5 min. or the duration of 1 song. he doesn't need to shake very hard, and he feet don't need to leave the ground.

 

 

i'm a big guy myself, and i've worked with a number of obese people. gotta start small. gotta keep it simple as possible. the best practices are whichever ones he'd be willing to do everyday. period.

 

but above ALL ELSE, proper breathing is paramount. immediate benefits.

 

 

 

1.) 5-10 minutes of stretching, just to feel good. legs, arms, twisting at the waist.

 

2.) 5 minutes of bouncing/shaking, freestyle. if it's too hard, free form dancing.

 

3.) inner smile/pulling down the heavens WITH proper deep breathing. 9 reps. (or a higher multiple of 3)

 

4.) if he's up for it, seated meditation, just inner smile and following the breath. deep breathing.

 

that's it. it could make a world of difference in a very short time. if he can do this consistently, it's a great place to build from.

 

 

feel free to PM me if you have questions or want more ideas.

[Sloppy Zhang]

Yang Chengfu got to be pretty heavy when old, and the Yang style that he started to teach was really low impact and really protective of the knee joints when stepping/turning.

 

Maybe if he can get in contact with a yang style teacher, learn a short form or something, and do that as long as he feel comfortable, gradually doing more repetitions until finally up to the yang long form, it would probably do a lot as far as understanding his center of gravity, weight distribution, and moving in an efficient manner, as well as getting him some mild form of exercise.

[effilang]

Thanks so much guys.

 

I will send the info to him.

 

If anyone else has experience with larger folks when it comes to Qi Gong, please share, i would really like for him to be able to get started.

 

Much appreciated

Edited February 27, 2010 by effilang

[Mal]

I was almost 130 kg when I started learning the traditional Yang long form with my Sifu. It got me to a weight range and level of fitness where I had much more energy, so I was able to do more exercises. IMHO Tai Chi can make you quite healthy, but not drastically reduce your weight.

 

My Dad is heavier then me ( and older ) and found the pace of progress of the big Tai Chi class learning the long form too fast for him. It became unmotivating for him watching everyone else progress faster. The class is only for 3 months once a year. So it's at a fast pace to learn the entire form to a level where you at least have something you can practice by yourself. Last attempt at it he couldn't stand up for the entire class and would have to sit down 1/2 way through. Of course he did better than those who just gave up and he did keep trying over 3 years but IMHO not enough practice away from class to get any benefits.

 

He has bad knees and for example can't balance on one leg. Even Yang style footwork can be challenging to build up too for many, but you can make it easier. I tried doing that and standing beside him in high stances with easy footwork. But I'm needed in that class to help demonstrate so it was difficult for me to do that consistently.

 

So I tried some standing chi gongs I know instead to take away the weight shifting movement of Tai Chi. (pretty much like what Hundun suggested) Anyhow no luck with the chi gongs, again not enough consistent practice IMHO.

 

I'm thinking of seeing if he will have ago at this

I'm attracted to the teachers energy in that youtube.

 

I wish your friend the best of luck. I hope he finds something so enjoyable that he will look forward to practicing every day (IMHO that's the key) It's a battle to move when you are heavy and getting started is very hard. I would love to get any questions feedback. My Dad is a sad story of loss of movement over time, but if it helps for me it was.

 

I'm so fat I'm going to die early (motivation 2002)

I'll stop practicing music and really focus on Tai Chi (I've tried several teachers over my life)

Tai Chi got me to where I could do Kung Fu (turns out my Sifu taught that too. Didn't think I could ever do Kung Fu , childhood dream, just wanted to spend more time around Sifu.)

Wanting to get fitter for Kung Fu that got me attempting combat conditioning.

Meanwhile Tai Chi led to doing more meditation.

Wanting a meditation teacher led to local Buddhism, Tao bums eventually kunlun then KAP (Like finding my Sifu finding Santi made an enormous difference in my life)

Also ended up going to a warrior diet / fast five lifestyle.

 

I'm still fat 110kg but so much more alive

 

(Hundun nice to see you around again)

[markern]

Dr Wang Yan is one of the worlds most recognized medical qigong experts. She teaches a qigong for weight loss that apparently is amazing. She is a celebrity of sorts in the netherlands for helping the fattest man in the country loose a shitload of weight just through breathing;

 

Sit and Breathe Away Fat Weight Loss Qigong Workshop –weight loss of 6-22 pounds in first week. Guaranteed or free follow up instruction to correct what you may be doing incorrectly.

 

http://www.qigonginstitute.org/listing/teachers/W_Yan.html

 

She brags a lot about the results from certain of her qigongs but is equally blunt about other things she teaches having more moderate results or only working some times or over the very long term. It is only about 5 of her 200 qigongs that she claims exceptional results from. That makes me believe her. I liked her workshop and my meditation teacher cooperates with her and is very pleased with her. Look at her CV, her credentials are almost unsurpassed

 

Eventually you probably want to have him do something to balance his thyroid/throat chakra as it is highly responsible for overweight.

 

Long term the inner smile should be superb in that it will make him love his body which will help in taking care of it. In addition it can be done very specifically for each organ, gland, the intestines etc. and he probably has some work cut out for him in that department.

 

Secret smile could also be a good option. The inner smile confronts him much more with smileing and loving his body. The secret smile is more general in that sense but in amny ways more powerfull. I think THE priority should be to find something that he likes and wants to continue to do. Soemthing that makes him feel damn good probably has the best shot at that.

Edited February 28, 2010 by markern

[Aetherous]

I really think going with a personal trainer and nutritionist is the way to go with someone who is so overweight. The first priority should be to get the fat off and get a better lifestyle. After that, then qigong can be good. If they don't get the fat off, then qigong might make them feel good sometimes, but in all honesty it will be worthless.

 

Also, consider that the person themselves has to WANT to change...then DECIDE to follow through with it no matter what. It's rare that someone who has gotten to that condition has the fortitude to stick with something good for them, but who knows.

 

Just recognize that your efforts to help may not work.

[mYTHmAKER]

First of all your friend has to want to change.

It gets easier after that.

For weight issues check out http://www.drfuhrman.com/weightloss/default.aspx

[Mal]

[Dainin]

I remember coming across this a while back:

 

The Dragon's Way Weight-Loss and Wellness Program

 

There is a book and dvd if you scroll down.

 

I haven't done the program and can't comment on it's effectiveness.

[MBZ]

How about standing in Wuji? Start with 3min daily and add a min a week or something along those lines.

 

BLESSINGS!!!