Eight Breaths: 1. Heaven and Earth

Benefits

Repeat this movement to calm the body and mind.

Breathing

Breathe in to lift and out to lower the palms.

Do and Don’t

• DO relax your arms and shoulders completely
• DO stay upright, avoid leaning forward or back as you move the arms
• DO keep the knees soft
• DON’T rise and sink, rather keep at the same height
• DON’T tense any muscles at any point during the movement

Visualisation

Feel the the slight resistance of air as hands move up and down.

Meridians

This movement activates the Pericardium meridian that starts in the chest, travels along the arm through the middle of the palm to the middle finger.

Theory

The name Heaven and Earth refers to the the basic philosophical concept in Daoism, where Heaven (tian) and Earth (di) are the major governing forces in the world and a manifestation of yin and yang. To learn more click here.