Master Liu Deming’ s Zi Ran Men Wuxing Qigong
Master Liu
Five Elements Qigong
1.) Ascending and Descending
2.) Opening and Closing
3.) Lung Cleansing (Metal Element)
4.) Kidney Strengthening (Water Element)
5.) Liver Harmonizing (Wood Element)
6.) Heart Nourishing (Fire Element)
7.) Spleen Cultivation (Earth Element)
8.) Distribution Method (Triple Burner)
9.) Encircling Method (Microcosmic Orbit)
1.) Ascending and Descending
A.) Method: When you breathe in, lift the arms as high as the shoulders. When you breathe out, bend the knees slightly and at the same time lower your arms to the front of the abdomen.
B.) Imagery: During practice…Imagine that the center of your palms are sucking up a ball as you breathe in. You should feel as though your palms are pushing a ball slowly toward earth as you breathe out.
2.) Opening and Closing
A.) Method: When you breathe in, your arms move out laterally and your knees straighten, when you breathe out, your arms close as you bend your knees slightly.
B.) Imagery: During practice…You should imagine that you are holding a big ball. When you inhale, you take purified qi from the dantien and this qi is forcing the ball to expand. When you exhale, it is as if you are squeezing the qi out of the ball.
3.) Lung Cleansing
A.) Method: Continuing from the last movement…Twist your hands outwards and turn the palms upwards when you breathe in the arms should draw two half circles from the side to the top of the head. Exhaling, bend the knees as you describe two semicircles ending in front of your abdomen with palms facing up.
B.) Imagery: During practice…When you inhale, you should use your mind to receive the purified qi from the medial order of the thumbs along the arms and into the lungs. When you exhale, you should relax your chest and shoulders and use your mind to expel the turbulent qi from your lungs.
C.) The Lung meridian: runs from upper part of the chest and descends along the medial aspect of the arm, ending at the medial side on the tip of the thumb.
4.) Kidney Strengthening
A.) Method: Moving right on from the last movement… While exhaling, slowly turn your body to the left, and stretch downwards. Then slightly bend your knees, before again stretching your body upwards and inhaling. Then turn to the right and repeat on the other side.
B.) Imagery: During practice…When you inhale, use you mind to feel that the pure qi is entering from the yongquan points at the soles of the feet and traveling along the kidney meridian and finally reaching your kidneys. When you exhale, you should stretch and expand your upper body as much as possible, you should also relax your shoulders and back and open up your waist. Use your mind to expel the turbulent qi from your kidneys.
C.) The Kidney meridian: starts from the yangquan at the bottom of the foot and ascends up the medial aspects of the leg, and then penetrates kidney and bladder organs. It runs upward over the abdomen and chest.
5.) Liver Harmonizing
A.) Method: Continuing from the last movement… while inhaling and twist towards the center and raise your arms above your head. Touching both hands together while exhaling, lower your hands down to the center of your chest. Lifting your arms while inhaling and stretching up as far as possible. Now exhaling, arms describing a semicircle coming to rest in front of your abdomen with palms facing up.
B.) Imagery: During practice…You should imagine that pure qi is ascending along the liver meridian. Imagine your rising hands are lifting a load; your mind is guiding the laogong points. When exhaling, relax the entire body and sink your qi to the dantien area. When inhaling as you stretch up, un-blocking of your liver qi will occur.
C.) The Liver meridian: starts from the lateral aspect of the big toes and runs over the dorsal side of the feet, it then travels along the medial aspect of the lower leg and thigh, past the external genitalia and goes up the abdomen and up to the diaphragm.
6.) Heart Nourishing
A.) Method: Continuing from the last movement…When inhaling, twist your hands outward and upward toward your chest. Now exhaling twist your hands out laterally at the same time straightening your knees as well as your arms. Now inhaling, twist your hands inward towards your face.
B.) Imagery: During practice…When you are inhaling, you should direct your awareness to the tips of the little fingers, and use your mind to bring the pure qi from the tips of those fingers along the posterior border of the medial aspect of your arms to the chest. When you are exhaling, you should focus your mind to the lao gong points in the middle of the palms and imagine that the turbulent qi and excessive heart-fire is expelled through the pericardium meridian.
C.) The Heart meridian: starts from the axilla and passes along the medial border of the entire arm, then it crosses the wrist and palm, and then it terminates at the end of the little finger.
7.) Spleen Cultivation
A.) Method: Continuing from the last movement…While exhaling and twisting your body to the right, extend both arms. While inhaling and twisting your body back to the center, raise you arms above your head. Hands stretching out while bending forward, and now inhaling standing up and bringing forward your right arm, alternating exhaling and inhaling with both arms in the shape of a hook. Repeat on the left side.
B.) Imagery: During practice…When you are exhaling you should imagine that the damp qi is cleared from the mouth. While inhaling you should imagine that the pure qi is entering from the medial aspect of the big toe and travels upward along the medial aspect of the leg and thigh following the spleen meridian and finally reaching the spleen.
C.) The Spleen meridian: runs from the medial side of the big toe, along the side of the foot, and then ascends along the entire length of the leg and thigh and enters the abdominal cavity at the spleen.
8.) Distribution Method (Triple Burner)
A.) Method: Continuing on from the last movement… Arms stretched up and palms facing down. While exhaling and bending your knees, both hands press down without touching the ground. Rotating your wrists, turning your palms and lifting your arms upwards while you inhale. While exhaling, lifting your arms, rotating your hands to above your head, rotating your wrists while inhaling and palms facing down.
B.) Imagery: During practice…When we are rotating our hands our minds should focus on the lao gong point imaging you are drawing the qi from the earth. When we are breathing in we should be imagining that the pure qi is entering the yong quan point, when we are breathing out we should be imagining turbulent qi eliminated from the mouth. When we are breathing in again we should be imagining that our hands are taking in the heavenly qi.
C.) The Triple Warmer meridian: begins at the tip of the ring finger it then ascends along the back of the hands and arms arriving at the shoulder region. Then goes to the back of the ears and to the front and finally reaching the outer end of the eyebrow.
9.) Encircling Method (Microcosmic Orbit)
A.) Method: Continuing on from the last movement… Your arms are describing a rotating movement as you inhale. Now turn your hands forward and push out with your hands as you exhale. Now inhaling, rotate your palms up and lower your hands, describing two semicircles each coming to rest above your head with palms facing down. Exhaling and bending your knees slightly, lower your hands to the front of your abdomen.
Commentary on # 9A.) While making the upward and outward circle the inhalation works best if you use a reverse breath. After the large circle and pushing down at the dantien and exhaling, hold the transverse abdominal muscle inward then inhale. Hold and/or pull the abdomen inward while inhaling and then exhale and relax the abdomen as you push the hands outward.
B.) Imagery: During practice…When inhaling the mind should concentrate its qi at the lao gong point. When exhaling you should imagine the qi sinking to the dantien area. When lifting hands and describing semicircles, imagine the qi is rising from the dantien along the governor meridian to the bai hui point. When exhaling and pushing hands down you should imagine the qi descending from the bai hui point to the dantien.
C.) The Du and the Ren meridians: both originate from the hui yin point at the perineum. From there the Tu meridian ascends along the interior spinal column where it enters brain and goes on further to the vertex and winds along the forehead along the nose, lip and finally to the upper gum. There the Ren meridian connects and goes down the front center-line of the torso connecting back again at the perineum.
From: Master Liu Deming”s “Five Element Qi Gong“ DVD From Zi Ran Men Kung Fu Academy
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Qigong on Maui 