The one minute video above is a clip from last Friday's dojo session with my advanced neigong students. In it, I walk us through some of the internal mechanics of the 'Bear Bumping' exercise from the Five Animal Frolics Qigong. (the full-length, practice-along video of the bear qigong can be found here!)
It should be obvious why the ancients felt this exercise in grounding was beneficial for your 'Earth Element' meridians. They taught that when we feel stable and supported in this way, we develop an inner sense of trust or settledness.
In the session, I show how the qigong movement is modeled after physically bumping into something (or someone!). The imagined external resistance is used to produce a sense of one's own solidity and basic presence - very much like the meditation instruction to "Sit Like a Mountain." We become mountain-like - sensing our sheer being, on the spot, connected to the planet by the force of gravity. The mind and body are blessed with a unique form of deep restoration!
This is also the principle behind the health promoting aspects of the 'Iron Body Qigong' that I'll be teaching on April 1st. Iron Body qigong uses posture, visualization, and even tapping ones own body to strongly enhance your sense of rooted, solid PRESENCE.
In ancient times it was used to help martial artists to withstand the rigors of training and combat, but health practitioners and mystics down through the centuries began to apply the same movements to their practice too - with potent effects.
