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Over a decade ago, Instructor Carole Taylor and I started this "research project". We wanted to find a way to help our students get all the amazing benefits from these "Chi energy arts" quickly and easily, without having to practice long and hard (like we did!) before seeing results. We took a three-step approach:
- We sought out well-known, high quality
Qigong/Tai Chi masters and senior instructors. We took the best
of each of their approaches and discarded what didn't work.
- Then we took what we learned and "field-tested" it. We
tested each technique with real-life students and solicted detailed
feedback from them about what worked and what didn't,
in every class and workshop we taught.
- We also did research on teaching methods. We learned about both historical approaches and contemporary teaching methods. We used our backgrounds in education (I'm a college-trained educator) to find the most effective methods of teaching. We also researched modern theories in communication and general semantics. We also took courses in the most effective methods of presentation and promotion for this program.
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WE TESTED EVERY
exercise and approach through research and student feedback to make sure it
brought immediate and direct benefits. While many Tai Chi teachers pride
themselves on teaching "traditionally," we chose not to include
anything in our program just because it was traditional. Every exercise
had to bring benefits, whether it was traditional or modern.
IF WE FOUND an exercise or approach brought direct and immediate benefits, we made it a part of the program. If an exercise or an approach didn't bring any direct benefits, or if it brought benefits too slowly, we discarded it. Then we went looking for something better to take its place. |
And you are now about to learn one of the "traditional" exercises that scored
highly with students in our research project!
This exercise, called "Opening the Spine" is one of the most beneficial exercises we teach in Level 1
of our Complete ChiFusion Course. The important ChiFusion Details below can decompress your spine, literally making yourself taller, to improve your overall spinal health.
Just read what our students have said about our course:
"As a Teacher of 25 Years Trained in China, I was Skeptical, but Now I Recommend This Course!""I came across this course, and like most people I was skeptical. Because I am already a teacher, I wondered what it was that this course could offer to help me improve my skills. Once I received my Level 1 material, I was bowled over by the amount of information. "From my experience as a teacher - and having the benefit of being taught by many prestigious
teachers and having trained in China - I have no hesitation in saying that ChiFusion™ Tai Chi and Qigong
is a very well researched and presented program. Anyone interested in either using it for themselves or
to teach would have great difficulty in finding anything better." -- Karen Green, Nottinghamshire, England
"I'm a Skeptical Engineer, But Now I Recommend This Course!""Being an Engineer by degree, I have always been a very skeptical person and started the program with some hesitation, but needed to try something to reduce the stiffness of my 64-year old body and I felt like a 64! "I am retired now and had time on my hands so try this course and now that I have finished it, all I can say is that I may look 64 but feel like when I was in my 30's!! I feel great and I will recommend this course to all my friends. "Thank you both for relieving my stress. I can really feel the energy ––– great experience. You have made a believer out me, no longer skeptical!" -- Gil Lopez, Professional Inspector
"I Was Also VERY Skeptical, But I Now Personally Stand By This Program - You Would NOT Learn This Stuff in Classes!""I can personally stand by the quality of this program. I was also very skeptical, but I could see that these guys knew their stuff. Not only that, but they were also pointing out mistakes that I was making in my tai chi practice that I can now definitively say was holding back my progress. Their information on protecting the knees alone is priceless. "As I progress through the course, I am happier and happier with my decision. At this price, this equates to roughly 10-15 group tai chi classes, where you would not learn some of the stuff offered here except in some rare cases. "Finally, one thing worth adding. I practiced for a while with a guy who was trained in tai chi but had a primary focus in white crane kung fu. The first time I felt "chi" between the palms of my hands, I relayed the experience to him and he concurred that he had the same sensations. He did not, however, "know what to do with it". This course shows you what to do with it quite effectively, and you know what, whatever "chi" REALLY is...it feels great. "Rest assured that I am not affiliated with Al, just a satisfied customer. " --Ken, writing on our ChiFusion Support Forum
Click here to read more success stories!
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So do you want to get these same great benefits? The let's get started right now!
Opening The Spine
As we mentioned above, in this lesson, we'll cover the Qigong pattern from the Eight Brocades known as Opening The Spine.The Benefits of Opening The Spine
Opening the Spine is one of the most beneficial practices we teach in Level 1.Physically, it helps stretch and relax the neck, back, waist, legs, and spine. Given the large number of people who have back and neck problems in today's society, this Qigong pattern is especially valuable. Opening the Spine also stretches the hamstrings and the backs of the legs.
In addition to muscular stretching, Opening the Spine - as the name suggests - helps improve mobility and functioning of the spine. Orthopedic and chiropractic science has long recognized the value of having a free, well-aligned, mobile spine. Opening the Spine may help you reduce spinal compression, improve posture, and gain awareness of the structure and function of your spinal vertebrae. As a matter of fact, this pattern is part of a larger group of Spinal Qigong that, at its highest level, may give you awareness and control over each individual vertebra in the spine.
Energetically, this pattern awakens the spinal energy and the entire nervous system. The unique breathing pattern may also energize and stimulate the kidneys, benefiting the uro-genital processes. And by grabbing the toes or touching the legs, it also helps "complete the energy circuit" between the upper and lower bodies.
How to Open The Spine
As you practice, remember to move slowly and stay relaxed. The movements should be accompanied by slow and deep breathing to increase relaxation and improve your awareness of chi energy flow.Special note: Opening the Spine is more intense than most Qigong patterns in Level 1. It is easy to overdo it and not even know you’ve overdone it – until you wake up the next morning and can’t move! For your practice sessions - both now while you are learning the movement and during the first few weeks of practice - limit yourself to no more than three repetitions per session. Also be careful if you have a weak lower back, spine or neck problems, heart or internal organ problems, or even tight leg muscles. Always apply the 70% rule, or the "40% or less" rule if you have health problems, structural weaknesses, or an injury.
Step 1: Stand in Wuji Stance.
Step 2 : Inhale and lift your palms up to chest level. This is similar to Hold The Sky, except we don't interlace our fingers. Keep the hands separate as you lift the palms to chest level.
Step 3: Now exhale, flip the hands over, and push them to the sky . Your elbows should be straight, but not locked. This is also similar to Hold The Sky, except we keep our heels on the ground.
Step 4: Pause with your hands in the air and slowly inhale.
Step 5: Exhale and bend forward as far as is comfortable. Start your bend from the lower back and let the bend "ripple" up your spine until it reaches your neck. Keep your knees straight but not locked. If it is within your 70%, place your hands on your feet or grab your big toes. If that's not within your 70%, just bend as far as is comfortable and place your hands on your legs. Exhale all the way down.
Step 6: Pause in this position and slowly inhale, especially into your lower back/kidney area.
Step 7: Exhale and rise back up. Start your rise from the lower back and let it "ripple" up your spine until it reaches your neck. You are now back at the starting position, with your hands at your side.
At the end, relax, and close your eyes. Breathe slowly and deeply, and feel how relaxed and open your body feels and how your mind seems much calmer. Do not repeat this pattern at this time. Perform your repetitions as you work on the details below.
An Important Reminder!
As you look at the above video and photos for Opening the Spine, keep in mind that instructor Carole Taylor is showing you the "textbook" ideal movement. You do not need to bend as far as Carole does! Your movements should be within 70% of your range of motion, even if that means you bend only an inch or two. That is your ideal movement.Adapt Opening the Spine to fit your own physical strengths and limitations. Concentrate on how the movement feels, not how it looks compared to Carole's. You will get more benefits if your movement "feels" the right way than if it merely looks a certain way. This concept is the basic principle of the entire ChiFusion™ approach. The ChiFusion™ Details section below will help you concentrate on getting the right feeling.
ChiFusion™ Details for Opening The Spine
The details for Opening The Spine are more important than the details for any other pattern in Level 1. Without these details, Opening The Spine is merely an external stretching exercise. With these details, it becomes an full-fledged, internal Qigong practice.Remember, practice each of these details one at a time before trying to combine them.
- Always Work From Bottom of Spine to the Top
When Opening the Spine, we always want to start at the bottom of the
spine at the tailbone and lower back, and work our way to the top of the
spine at the neck and skull.
Many people bend forward by bending their neck first, letting their head hang, and then follow in turn by folding their upper back, their mid-back, and their lower back. This motion means that the head (which is quite heavy) is pulling downward on the forward bend, putting excess stress on the spine and the back.
In our spine stretch, we do just the opposite. Look at the photos at right. As you bend forward in Photo 1, start bending at the bottom of the spine by the hips and waist. In Photo 2, work your way up to the lower back and then mid-back. In Photo 3, bend the upper back and finally the neck and head. The pattern is: lower back, mid-back, upper-back, neck and head.
We follow the same pattern for rising. In Photo 4, start straightening at the bottom of spine, by the waist and hips. In Photo 5, straighten the lower and mid-back. In Photo 6, finish by straightening the upper back and neck. At the end, let the head rise to rest on top of the spine.
So the pattern, whether bending or rising, is always lower back, mid-back, upper-back, neck and head.
Remember: you do not need to bend as far as Carole does in the photos at right. You should bend only within 70% of your range of motion, or 40% or less of your range if you are injured. Here is an example of Carole making a much smaller movement, but she is still following the "lower-middle-upper" pattern. You can still follow the "lower-middle-upper" pattern (and get all of its benefits) even if you bend only a few inches forward.
- Release the Neck and Head
In our experience, many students forget to release the neck, as shown in the first photo at right. Remember: the neck is actually part of the spine too.
So at the end of the forward bend, remember to release the neck and allow the head to relax downward, as shown in the second photo. The vertebrae in the neck should open and stretch just like the rest of the spine.
- Extending On the Way Up
When practicing Opening the Spine, it is important to use the "rising up" part of the pattern to help increase space between the spinal vertebrae.
Why? Because a majority of people have compressed spines, which can eventually cause pinched nerves, inflamed spinal discs, posture problems, and other spinal health issues. However, these problems needn’t occur, since most people have an inch or more of compressed space they can open with a proper spine stretch.
In the top drawing at right, you see a side view depicting a section of spinal vertebrae. This picture represents how our spine might look before bending forward during Opening the Spine.
The middle drawing represents what happens as we bend forward. During the bend, the back of each vertebra (the vertebral posterior next to skin on the back) open up, as shown by the arrows.
The bottom drawings depict what can happen as we rise up from the bend. The drawing on the left shows what happens when a person not trained in Qigong rises. During this person's rise, the backs of the vertebrae close back up, re-stacking themselves back into the same position they were before bending.
The drawing at right shows what happens when a ChiFusion™: practitioner rises. At the end of opening the spine, the ChiFusion™ practitioner does not re-stack the vertebrae the way they were. Instead, the practitioner rises in such a way to make the front of each vertebra (the vertebral anterior closer to the chest) open up, increasing the distance between the vertebrae.
How do you open the vertebrae on the rise and access this extra space in your spine? During the rise, lift with the front of your body, extending your torso out as well as up. It will almost feel as if you are falling forward slightly on the rise, but maintain your balance and extend outward as far as you can on your way up.
One good way to know if you've done this properly is that you will feel taller at the end of the exercise than you did before. By performing Opening the Spine properly, you will decompress your spine, literally making yourself taller, to improve your overall spinal health.
Engaging Your Mind in Opening The Spine
Once you have the movement and breathing down, add this visualization to your practice of Opening the Spine:The crane is the symbol of longevity in Qigong. Their long necks bend freely in any direction. Cranes often elongate their necks as they dip into the water to get a drink or to search for fish.
Imagine or visualize you are a crane, standing in a lake. Your spine is your long, flexible neck. As you bend forward, you elongate your crane's neck/spine to dip your head into the lake and take a cool drink of water into your mouth. As you straighten back up, you continue to extend your neck/spine into the air, and let the water trickle down your throat.
With each drink, you feel your crane's neck/spine open more and more, adding to your sense of well-being and longevity.
Practicing Opening The Spine
Please keep in mind the 70% rule when you practice. Use this rule for how far to bend forward. Also remember to keep to 40% or less if you are injured or compromised in any way, especially with back or neck injuries, heart or circulation problems, internal organ disorders, head injuries, or dizziness.Because Opening the Spine is more intense than most Qigong patterns, only do this exercise 2 or 3 times in a practice session.
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You are viewing a page from our online Tai Chi and Qigong course.
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