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PRINCIPLES OF THE
"THREE INTENTFUL ADJUSTMENTS"
by
Frank Blaney
The “Three Intentful Adjustments” in relation to Qigong and Tai Chi
movements are our posture, breathing, and mental focus.
POSTURE & BODY POSITION
--The top of the head (the crown or in Chinese, the “Bai Hui”) is
suspended as if by a string from heaven. This elongates the spinal
column and tends to tilt the chin down a bit. The neck remains
straight, but relaxed, not tensed.
--Arms do not lift up; instead think of the elbows “floating” up and
outward, away from the torso. This will leave a small ball of air in
the armpit area, approximately the size of an egg.
--Wrists are soft, slightly bent, hands and fingers are relaxed.
--Shoulders are soft, relaxed, and rounded. Imagine they are like
warm oil slipping off the top of the torso.
--The lower back should straighten out, as if flat against a wall. This
is done by slightly tilting the pelvis forward. Imagine your pelvis is a
metal bowl with milk in it and unless you “level it out” the milk will
spill. DO NOT OVEREXTEND THE PELVIS, AS THIS MAY
CAUSE UNNECCESSARY STRAIN ON THE LOWER
BACK! Follow the adage, “less is more.” On the average, the shift
is only a ½ inch to an inch. Find your own perfect position slowly
over time as you stay in your comfort zone.
--Knees are slightly bent and never extend past the foot during any
movements (this can overextend the tendons of the knees.)
--Imagine the bottom of your feet have literal “roots” that run down
deep into the ground about eight feet. This will aid in your balance.
--All movements are slow, soft, and tend to move in an orbit or in
circles. It is believed that the “Chi,” (or “Ki” in Japanese) tends to
move more powerfully in circular or orbital patterns throughout the
body.
--Periodically “check in” on your posture and relaxation. Pay
particular attention to the areas that tend to hold tension (the
abdominal area, pelvis, neck, shoulders, eyes, head and face
muscles). Purposefully relax these both before and during the
Qigong exercise practices. Even Qigong “masters” still have to do
this during their practice, so do not get frustrated while practicing
because you are not constantly in “perfect” posture. No one is. In
fact, some believe it is the contraction and expansion between our
“perfect Qigong posture” and our regular “poor posture” that aids in
the “pumping” of the Qi through the body.
--The arms, head, torso, hips, and legs should move together as a
unit in a connected way.
--It helps to occasionally remind yourself that the head should lift, the
tail bone descend, and the center (our heart, sternum, and
diaphragm) should “open.” Try to imagine these things happening
simultaneously within the space of a few breaths, then proceed with
the Qigong movements you are doing.
--All movements should be done as slow as possible, as if they are
being done underwater. Occasionally, check your “speed” to see if
you can slow your movements down even more.
BREATH
--Breathe deeply, slowly, diaphragmatically. Think of a newborn
baby. Watch their belly. Their belly raises and lowers more than
their chest. They naturally and instinctively do “Qigong breathing.”
We are trying to relearn our natural and unstressed form of breathing.
--Let the breath deepen naturally. Do not try to force the breath to
hold more than the lungs are naturally capable of. Over time your
lung capacity and ability to breath deeply and slowly will increase.
--Imagine your breath not only going into your abdomen, but even
into your lower back area. As you progress in your visualization
skills, imagine the breath coming in not only through the mouth, but
also through the top of the head, and even through the pours of the
skin. As you become more familiar with your Qigong movements,
you will be able to relax more and visualize the breath going into the
heels of your feet.
--Generally, breathe in and out through the nose.
--If you forget the prescribed or recommended pattern of the
breathing for your particular Qigong exercise, do not worry about it.
It is more important that your feel comfortable than to be worrying
about keeping up with the “inhale here, exhale here..” pattern. Let
your breath dictate the speed of your body movements, not visa
versa.
--Feel free to experiment with what breathing patterns feel good to
you. Generally (not always) movements that reach out tend to be
exhales and movements that come in towards the torso tend to be
inhales. This is true both in martial arts and Qigong.
--Notice that in your breathing pattern, the exhales tend to relax
more, and the inhales tend to “nourish.”
MENTAL FOCUS
--Do not try too hard to “get relaxed.” Simply focus on the
mundane things your body is doing, like the breathing pattern, or
gazing at the movement of your hands during an exercise. One of the
advantages of trying to get into a relaxed state with a moving
meditation (vs. a still meditation) is that our mind is allowed to focus
on something (like our breath or body movement) instead of some
nebulous “inner peace” or “stillness” or “OOOMMMM,” etc. Be
“mindful” and “in the moment” simply by checking in with what your
body is doing (the breath, the movements, the bodies sensations,
etc.).
--Do not get attached to feeling some sensation of Chi, euphoria, or
whatever. If an exhilarating experience comes, experience it and let
it go. Do not make these your goal. The benefits of Qigong are a lot
like the other good habits of our life (eating right, exercising, taking
your vitamins, getting adequate rest, etc.); you may not get an
immediate “reward” or pleasurable sensation, but rather you will get
beneficial long term rewards. Slow and steady wins the race. There
is solid scientific proof that Qigong has tremendous health benefits.
Do a little of it consistently and you will notice a positive difference
over time.
--Try to cultivate an attitude of “cheerful indifference” during Qigong
practice. Guard your mind against worrying about the past or
future. Relish, savor, and drink deep of these minutes you have
chosen to set aside for yourself and your health. Let the world and
its concerns take care of itself while you take this precious time to
replenish your storehouse of strength and spirit.
--As your Qigong movements become memorized and automatic,
experiment with visualizing the breath extending throughout the body,
both in the inhalations and exhalations. Some find this easier to do if
they imagine the breath in colors; a cool blue for the pure air you
inhale, a dirty brown or grey for the “dirty Chi” we exhale (imagine L.
A. smog!). This mental visualization of the breath and Chi extending
to the farthest reaches of our body actually helps move the Chi to
these areas. This intensifies the tissue oxygenation, metabolic
byproduct expulsion, and expands the immune systems healing
properties to all the parts of our body
