8 section brocade

[Polymorph]

Hi,
My mother has sarted to do the eight standing brocade.
She is having problems with raising in and out of the horse stances, even when doing them high up, is just doing the upper body movements enough(drawing the bow etc).
Also after doing the toe raises, 1st part and last part, even for 3 reps the tops of her feet hurt. She skips them on the 1st part but the last one is mainly toe raises, what can she do since your not supposed to omit any parts?

Thank you

[Dvivid]

Have her do only 2 or 3 repetitions of each exercise for a month. By then, she should feel comfortable add ing a rep or two. Remind her during those reps not to strain, but to try and relax during the practice.

Then, add a rep or two each following month.

Slowly and gradually develop - that's the key to correct Qigong practice.

She also could benefit from the Sitting 8 Brocades.

[Polymorph]

Thanks for the reply.
She is only doing 3 reps and even so her feet (tops) urt after the calf raises (curculation problems). I guess maybe just skip the last part.
She is going to start doing the sitting one, I just figured the standing one would help her legs, maybe its still too much.

[je murin]

I'm just writing down my experiences and thoughts.
In my opinion sitting mediation is a bit harder to perform. when someone does not have the natural muscles on his or her back and torso, the position of the body would be inappropriate, so the chi the air and the blood would stuck whicc is harmful. The same happens when we sitting in a chair, reading or computing. The difference between the two way of sitting is when you're onyour bumjust sitting causally (with loose bended back) for one hour for instance, you're not conectrating on your chi flow.
When you're doing the sitting meditation the chi flow is stronger because youre are circulating it, so the position of your body (=the way of the chi) should be open and clean. Unless the chi flow will stuck. Other thing when you making efforts to keep your back straight, you're going to strain yourself a bit... maybe you point your chin a little downward then the chi is gathering around the neck at the spine and not reaching the foreside of the body, and soon you get a nice headache But there are many ways do a practice wrong

There is plenty of useful laying practices though which are not too trying. Makes your spine and abdominal muscles stronger and capable of performing the sitting mediations (as well) correctly wthout strain.

Write if you do not agree.

Anyways just like Dvivid said. The brocades should do as well. Have patiance and develop gradually and slowly. No strain, no hurry. Breath calmly and deeply. There is about eight very good word about breathing in the 8 Brocades book I think. I always try to keep those in mind.

I hope this is of some help.

[fit155]

I had trouble, too, with the toe raises when I first started. But after 4+ weeks of practicing, they are getting easier. At first I could not do all the repetitions shown, nor could I get my heels very high off the floor. My toe raises still aren't as high as Dr. Yang's, but they are getting better and I can usually do as many repetitions as he does.

One thing your mother can do is try different footwear.

You'll notice that Dr. Yang wears some light to medium-weight athletic shoes during the practice. That might add some foot support. I prefer to do my practice barefoot or wearing socks.

Like the others have said, she should relax and do as many of each exercise as she comfortably can. She will gradually get stronger.

The Eight Pieces has been a very very positive experience for me and I am sure it will be for your mother as well.

I started out doing the sitting set and found that a great set as well. For me, the sitting set seems to take more time than the standing set. Also, if I had to compare the standing v. the sitting set, I think the sitting is/was a little more strenuous for me. But every body is different. I've gotten fantastic benefits from doing both and strive to do both sets each day. I prefer to do the sitting set in the morning and the standing set sometime later in the day. However, there are days when I only get one of them in.

As one of the moderators pointed out to me, the sitting set is meant to maintain your health, whereas the standing set improves it.

[je murin]

to fit155: do you do sitting meditation very early in the morning before eating? or just simply when you can?

[fit155]

Hi je murin,

I usually do the sitting set mid- to late-morning. (You're supposed to do the sitting set before noon if you can.) I don't eat at least an hour before practicing.

It's the standing set that I do whenever I can -- mid-afternoon, late afternoon, evening, etc.

Hope this helps.

[je murin]

thanks
and what is the lates you do any practice ?
what if we're doing the sitting meditaion in the evening ?
questions questions questions

[fit155]

Hi je murin,

I'd say 7 or 8 p.m. is the latest I practice. It all depends on how I feel.

I *think* you can do the sitting practice any time, but it's best in the morning to take advantage of the sun rising and its energy. But I'm certainly not the authority on this. Maybe some others on this forum will chime in with some info.

If you have the DVD, tune into the history section. Dr. Yang gives an overview of the history of both the standing and sitting sets.

[je murin]

I will! Cheers!