Practices to generate heat and circulation?

[Kira]

Hello everyone

 

I love Qi Gong but have recently began to feel that I am very in my comfort zone with the practices I do

 

I have a generally sedentary lifestyle, a strong meditation practice .. and also the inclination to become cold and stagnant.. In an Ayurvedic diagnosis my consitution is said to be dominant Kapha

 

Lately going to classes the beginning section is always gentle. For example breathing into the dantien in standing meditation... and I am feeling my body become restless, agitated, because I need to move. Too many hours of being immobile is now requiring this of me, even though before I would take enjoyment being very still

 

I was wondering what styles or what practices you recommend that generate heat and circulation effectively. Do you have any experiences with this?

Thank you!

Edited August 17, 2022 by Kira

[Kojiro]

exercise of almost any kind, or just walking should help

[Kira]

1 hour ago, Kojiro said:

exercise of almost any kind, or just walking should help

Actually walking even for an hour at a steady pace doesn't really warm me, even in summer. Heart rate goes up but my body is really a walking refrigerator... I also tried Shining skull breath from yoga but that feels like turning on an air condition in my face instead of heating my body, which is what it's said to do

 

Qi gong is my main physical exercise, and it does warm me up, just takes a long while. Here I am looking for more effective and quickening practices

[Dainin]

The beginning of a qigong session is usually more quiescent as you mindfully adjust the breath, posture, and mind to enter into a relaxed state. This is part of what distinguishes qigong from just doing basic exercise. That said, some qigong methods that I find quite heating are Yi Jin Jing, Five Animal Frolics, and Swimming Dragon Qigong. Since you are aware of Ayurveda, you probably know the yogic Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar), a classic method for generating body heat. You can find YouTube videos of all of these.

[mcoolio]

Your qigong practice should, eventually, if good, progress towards you having a good circulation going on in your system.

 

Of course, in the beginning, the circulation you get going during your practice will wear of quickly, but the longer you practice, the longer it will stay. This can take a few years.

 

Now there is one thing that I think is very important for a good qigong practice and this is the jibengong exercises.

 

These are just the simple warmup exercices that you encounter in a typical kungfu class. Simple but very important in building a strong qigong/meditation body.

 

Here is a nice vid:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TklfnrVo11Y

 

If you go to a qigong class, and they never showed you these kind of exercises, then you have to either ask your teacher for it, or look elsewhere for it. Ideally you have a set of 30+ different exercises that cover the whole body. And everyday you pick a few of these and do these for at least 30m total.

 

 The reality is that a qigong practice without a strong jibengong practice as a foundation, will probably lead to nothing, or in the best case, you will progress very slow in your qigong practice. Same goes for your meditation practice, you need a strong body. Today with our western lifestyle, we need jibengong more then ever.

Edited August 17, 2022 by mcoolio

[mcoolio]

BTW: Don't worry that the vid above is for martial art, martial art and qigong is very similar

 

Here are 2 more video's from Mike Martello (RIP):

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUPpEYZZA48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVDnt-41Ssg

Edited August 17, 2022 by mcoolio

[johndoe2012]

After practicing power yoga for approximately 5 months two times a week my coldness in hands and feet are gone.

 

Best going to class I find as it helps you push through when otherwise you want to give up. 

 

For me it is just exercise, nothing esoteric, but helpful. 

[Master Logray]

On 8/17/2022 at 10:20 PM, Kira said:

Hello everyone

 

I love Qi Gong but have recently began to feel that I am very in my comfort zone with the practices I do

 

I have a generally sedentary lifestyle, a strong meditation practice .. and also the inclination to become cold and stagnant.. In an Ayurvedic diagnosis my consitution is said to be dominant Kapha

 

.....

I was wondering what styles or what practices you recommend that generate heat and circulation effectively. Do you have any experiences with this?

Thank you!

 

Some basic info is necessary before others can advise like your location.  If you stay in Alaska or in Singapore, the answers would be very different.  At least tell us about the temperature range of your location.