Short Form 1: Opening the Form
- This movement, although relatively simple, is one of the most important in the Short Form, or any form.
- Here we settle ourselves before we start our Short Form journey.
- Once you start to move into the Heaven and Earth, take the chance to relax and feel the connection between the rising and falling in the legs and the movement in the arms.
- Heaven and Earth can be practised in its own right to relax and settle body and mind.
- Versions of it can be found in many Qigong sequences.
Additional Instructions
Stance
Place the sole of the foot flat on the ground as you step out.
Arms
Arms are soft and shoulders are relaxed.
Do and Don’t
- In the opening posture:
- DO keep your eyes half-closed, to concentrate on your mind and body and avoid external distractions
- DON’T unintentionally lift the chin when raising the head
- In Heaven and Earth:
- DO keep your spine straight, rising and falling in a straight line
- DO keep the legs relaxed throughout the movement
- DON’T lean backwards or forwards
- DON’T drop the head forwards