An introduction to Crane Qigong for Autumn

In the Northern Hemisphere it's Autumn, and in the tradition of the 'Five Animal Frolics', that means it's time to practice the Crane Qigong.

Literally it's the "Bird" qigong, but "Crane" sounds cooler and less generic!  What "Bird" is meant to signify is the regal, soaring quality, and spreading ones wings (literally and figuratively).

This inner wing spreading, it turns out, is the pith of the method of the Bird Qigong in the 5 Animal Frolics.

Various schools differ on what *precise* movements constitute the authentic Bird Frolic, but what we can know for sure is that cultivating expansiveness and a sense of soaring puts us in harmony with the Autumn season and its Metal Element. 

The Metal element, in Chinese medicine, is all about Surrender - as signified by its meridians: the Lung and Large Intestine.  It's the surrender of exhaling a big sigh, and it's even the relaxation of finally getting to go "number 2"!

The video above shows some examples of Crane/Bird movements contained in Taiji and other internal martial arts.  you might want to try them out, or just freestyle with the sense of Expanding and Surrendering! 

If you'd like to take up a more serious study of Traditional Tai Chi, make sure you get signed up for my Autumn semester that starts TOMORROW!  It's both in person and available online for distance learning!

Finally, if you want more medical qigong practice for Autumn, I've just uploaded the ENTIRE COURSE of Seasonal Qigong Therapy for Autumn to my youtube channel for free!  I made it a few years ago, and the video quality could use an upgrade, but the content is quite rich!  I hope you'll enjoy it and even drop a comment to tell me if you have any questions!