"Swinging Arms" -- Could you provide more informat

[lionhearted38]

Hi --

I just got back from a long weekend and have been meaning to write for some time. Online and in one of his books, Dr. Yang discussed increasing the flow of qi in the arms (and subsequently the body, as I understood it) by swinging the arms for 20 to 30 mins daily with the legs slightly bent. He wrote that the swinging builds up the qi charge in the shoulders which defuses down the arms after a while. He wrote that it was a good cure for cancer and other problems of the arms since the qi defuses down the qi channels in the arms.

I'm more concerned about the other healing aspects of this exercise. It is easy to do, and been doing it for about a month, with a lapse of 3 consecutive days while I was away. (So I guess that means the month has to restart?) I do it for 20 mins daily, and do seem a bit calmer. It's very slight, but noticeable.

Is this exercise good for improving general health? I know that Dr. Yang isn't one to diagnose illness, etc., but is the swinging arms exercise good for moving stuck qi? Generally, how long does it take for results to be seen? (A ball park answer would be great!) I'm guessing about 100 days (3 months).

Any references you could give about this exercise or the theory about it so I could learn more would be wonderful. Many thanks, in any event!

[joeblast]

Swinging arms is an awesome exercise. One of the coolest things I saw when I went to the Bodies Revealed exhibit was the forearm of just blood vessels...amazing how the density of capillaries in creases from proximal to distal forearm, then hand, then finger, then fingertip. Where the blood goes, the qi flows

[fit155]

Lionhearted (or anyone else),

In what book does Dr. Yang discuss this exercise? I'm interested in learning more.

Thanks.

[lilman]

I know I read it before, but Im not sure in which of Dr Yang's books it is mentioned. I do know it is in Kenneth Cohen's The Way of Qigong. Thats an excellent book for begginers in Qigong.

It works just like any other Qigong, when you do the arm rocking exercise it moves Qi through your meridians in your arms and legs, and pretty much completes grand circulation. you should not focus on the exercise or moving the Qi, but just relaxe, clear your mind and do it. Joe Blast gave an excelent explanation how it moves the Qi to clear blockages in the arms and to the hands. As far as results, those can vary depending on what your looking for as far as results. If you want to be cured from cancer, I can assure you it will be more than 100 days. If you looking for a stronger flow of Qi, 100 days sounds reasonable, if combined with storing Qi in the lower dantian. If you dont store it, it either disperses or stagnates.

Another exercise I think you would be interested in comes from a book by Paul Dong titled Empty Force. Its just as simple. Stand in a high horse stance, following the Qigong posture. Hands should be chest hieght and relaxed. Imagine your in a lake up to your chest with hands gently resting on water. Then you just skim your hands on top of the water, in even horizontal circles. They move opposite of eachother, one goes in clockwise circles the other counter clockwise circles, both tarting at 12 o'clock position. Thats it. Just do about 36 in one direction, 36 in the other. Obviously the pace should be slow, towards your body on inhale away on exhale. According to the book after about 3 to 6 months, doing it just once a day, when you do this exercise it alters your magnetic field and can even repel small animals such as dogs. It may even have theraputic effects like magnets for issues like cancer, sea sickness, and arthritis. I personally havent been able to achieve anything like that cuz I stopped my Qigong exercises temporarily (accept 8 brocades) until I learn all the Taiji forms my teacher is teaching...

[yeniseri]

From the perspective of Daoist (neo-Daoist)!!! and TCM/CCM principles and conecpt, swinging arms is at once dispersing and replenishing renmai and dumai Yangqi and yinqi "selfheal" while invigorating the body (upper jiao) and warming/dissipating dampness.

I hope you are referring to more than just swinging arms in the movement but teachers may describe them differently. From my training, it is a whole body exercise rooted in feet (stable posture) waist/yao as axle/pivot to propel upper body (upper jiao) in wringing out the damp and noting the wringing/arm swinging is just the left over external movement of waist rotation and the correspondinf "kinetic energy" generated by said movements. To just swing the arms is to only utilize 10% or so of the benefits associated with this exercise.

Please do not consider this as gospel because it is said. Talk to your teacher, experiment, compare and correct as is, per your understanding.

[student57]

From my experience, the version I've been taught has the waist and legs doing the movement, while keeping your alignments is of paramount importance (kwa - shoulders nest) for allowing the maximum flow of chi. There's also a 100% weight shift from one leg to the other (the weighted leg has that side's arm at the back with the hand at the kidney area). The arms remain relaxed, with no tension, not moving left to right by themselves, only rotating. The left to right movement comes from the momentum created by your waist and legs. Also, keeping the armpits open throughout (without strain).

As practice advances you learn to have the rotation of the thighs and legs enter the core of the movement, with the muscles rotating outwards as you come to the centre - giving a sense of propelling the arms and chi outwards, then rotating inwards as you shift to the side - with the arms and chi drawing in towards the body. There's also opening and closing going on, but this is all later in the game. I didn't attempt this until I'd practised the basics 1/2 an hour (sometimes longer) every day for 2 years, and there's much more to add!

I've been told this whole set is considered by many to be the best warm up for Tai Chi there is, and from a personal perspective I really enjoy it and have found it to be of great help both physically and emotionally.

It's difficult imo, because there's so much too it, and when you think you've got it there's another component to add. When you see a high level Chi Gung practitioner doing it, it's easy to think it's simple, and it probably is to them, but when you start to break it down there's so much there. As always, the best way to progress is slowly, by not doing too much and staying within the 60-70% range of your ability, and of course by finding a good teacher.

[joeblast]

good post!

[The Hermit]

The swing arms exercise (Bai Bi Yun Dong) in the ymaa school is simply forward and backward swinging of the arms, not twisting, using the waist as a pivot.
The method is very simple. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with the tip of your tongue touching the roof of your mouth (just breath normally, not in co-ordination with the movement). Swing your arms forward until they are horizontal with the palms facing down, then swing them back. Dr Yang also teaches this exercise with walking in place, every time your arms come forward you alternatley raise one of your legs.
Dr Yang atributes this exercise with being able to cure some cancers, lower blood pressure, solve nervous disorders, and increase and equalize Qi distribution in the body.

Dr Yang 'By repeatedly swinging the arms, the nerves and qi channels in the shoulder joints are stimulated to a higher state, and this qi will flow to the areas of lower potential to complete the circuit.'

This exercise is mentioned in Dr Yangs book Qigong for Health and Martial Arts, and it is demonstrated on the Simple Qigong Exercises for Back Pain DVD, and also as a recovery piece on the White Crane Hard and Soft Qigong DVD.

[Josh Young]

I have heard this called Bejing hospital exercise.
I was taught 3 variants of this by my teacher, the first has the arms swinging loosely with a bit of push only on the back/down stroke and isn't waist powered.

The second and third variations are waist powered, one of them has the arms swinging and hitting the ming-men and the base of the neck at the back or so.

The other is faster and related to cloud hands type motion and has the arms windmilling about based upon a jerking or shaking motion of the waist.