Lesson 67 – Opening The Gate Of Life (Mingmen) (Replay of Live Qigong Class)

Lesson 67 – Opening The Gate Of Life (Mingmen) (Replay of Live Qigong Class)

This video shows you how the Qigong exercise “Opening the Gate of Life (Mingmen)” to bring more Qi to your kidneys and help relieve pain in your lower back. It was taught by myself, Dr. Janice Tucker, the founder of the Space To Relax Programme of Qigong video lessons. These classes are free and everyone is welcome. However, if you’d like to contribute as a thank you for the class click here. 50% of donations will go to the ICU staff in my local hospital in Co. Kerry. The other 50% goes towards the upkeep of this website.

I have been teaching Qigong for two decades and am a practitioner of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. My passion is helping people just like you to develop skills, knowledge and tools to rebalance and maintain your health.

You can join my live classes on Zoom every Thursday at 4 pm Irish time. Click here to join us (lesson replays sent out by email in case you can’t make it).

Opening The Gate Of Life (Mingmen) – Introduction

The video shown on this page will illustrate the importance of the horizontal movement of the body around point Mingmen, the Gate Of Life. When we can fully mobilise this area then we create optimal conditions for the open and smooth flow of Qi, blood and fluid in the lower back and kidney area. This method will help you on two levels:

  1. Physical – improving circulation of Qi and blood around the lower back and kidney area so helping to relieve pain and stiffness in the area.
  2. Mental/emotional – calming and clearing mind chatter so that you are left with feelings of tranquility, inner silence and and a sense of being grounded.

Opening The Gate Of Life (Mingmen) – Method

  1. Standing Posture – adopt the correct standing posture. For some people this can be uncomfortable so play around with different foot positions and find the best one to suit you.
  2. Inner Shower with Vibration – use the analogy of yourself as a fizzy drink bottle, vibrating to “shake everything up” inside the body before opening the pores of your skin to release the pressure which is unwanted, waste Qi from the body and mind.
  3. Find point Mingmen in the lower back.
  4. Be sure that you are rotating horizontally around Mingmen as you turn your body from side to side, not leading with the hips or shoulders but rather the waist and lower back area.
  5. Open the Gate Of Life by increasing the amplitude of this movement with relaxed arms which will hit off the back of your body, stimulating the area around Mingmen, as you turn from side to side.
  6. Consolidate your practice with a few abdominal breaths.

Additional Video Resources

Many other live lesson replays can be found on my blog page. Take a look at some of them to find methods that you can easily combine with this one. You can use the search box on the blog page to find any topics you are interested in.

Click the image above to follow along with the Qigong class!

What Can I Do Next?

To sign up and attend the live online sessions please click here. Classes are free of charge and suitable if you’re a beginner or have more Qigong experience. Once you sign up I’ll send details to your email with links to the Zoom classes. Check your junk/spam folders for notifications. Please share this information with your family and friends as everyone is more than welcome.

If you’d like to take your practice to the next level with my structured, step-by-step Space To Relax Qigong programme of 50 video lessons accompanied by audio and PDF files with support from me every step of the way then click here.

To get my free part video series of 3 Qigong lessons which will be delivered to you by email over the course of one week please click here. In these lessons you’ll learn more about abdominal breathing, Qi movement and how to rid waste Qi. This will help you to feel more relaxed and energised.

If you are new to Qigong you’ll probably find my Ultimate Guide To Health and Wellbeing With Qigong very helpful which explains the origins and benefits of Qigong along with 10 beginner Qigong exercises to get you started.

You can also click the red “subscribe” button to join my YouTube channel. That way, you won’t miss any future Qigong lessons from me.

Click here to join our Qigong group on Facebook.

Website homepage.

Lesson 66 – Adapt Your Qigong Exercises To Your Range Of Movement (Replay of Live Qigong Class)

Lesson 66 – Adapt Your Qigong Exercises To Your Range Of Movement (Replay of Live Qigong Class)

This Qigong video on this page shows you how to adapt your Qigong exercises to your range of movement so that you need never feel uncomfortable during your Qigong practice. It was taught by myself, Dr. Janice Tucker, the founder of the Space To Relax Programme of Qigong video lessons. These classes are free and everyone is welcome. However, if you’d like to contribute as a thank you for the class click here. 50% of donations will go to the ICU staff in my local hospital in Co. Kerry. The other 50% goes towards the upkeep of this website.

I have been teaching Qigong for two decades and am a practitioner of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. My passion is helping people just like you to develop skills, knowledge and tools to rebalance and maintain your health.

You can join my live classes on Zoom every Thursday at 4 pm Irish time. Click here to join us (lesson replays sent out by email in case you can’t make it).

Adapt Your Qigong Exercises To Your Range Of Movement – Introduction

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked by students on my Space To Relax Programme of Qigong video lessons is how they can adapt the methods I show them to their individual needs. Everybody’s body is different. We are all more flexible in some areas than others. Some of us may be carrying old injuries or have a medical condition such as arthritis which limits our range of movement.

The brilliant thing about Qigong is that it can be adapted to suit anybody. Also, bear in mind that Qigong is a combination of 3 elements; movement, breath and mind, so even if you can’t move into the “ideal” position, you can still use the breath and mind to visualise and create the conditions whereby Qi can flow into these areas.

In the video below, we use two Qigong methods as an illustration of how to adapt Qigong to your needs. You can do this for any method, just listen to your body and go with the flow!

Adapt Your Qigong Exercises To Your Range Of Movement – Method

  1. Standing Posture – adopt the correct standing posture. For some people this can be uncomfortable so play around with different foot positions and find the best one to suit you.
  2. Supporting Heaven Exercise – watch my illustration of the full range of arm movements and then the adaptations of the arm and neck position. Use your judgement to move sufficiently to feel a stretch but not so much that you create any discomfort. Adapt the postion of your head, arms and shoulders to suit your range of movement.

Additional Video Resources

Many other live lesson replays can be found on my blog page. Take a look at some of them to find methods that you can easily combine with this one. You can use the search box on the blog page to find any topics you are interested in.

Click the image above to follow along with the Qigong class!

What Can I Do Next?

To sign up and attend the live online sessions please click here. Classes are free of charge and suitable if you’re a beginner or have more Qigong experience. Once you sign up I’ll send details to your email with links to the Zoom classes. Check your junk/spam folders for notifications. Please share this information with your family and friends as everyone is more than welcome.

If you’d like to take your practice to the next level with my structured, step-by-step Space To Relax Qigong programme of 50 video lessons accompanied by audio and PDF files with support from me every step of the way then click here.

To get my free part video series of 3 Qigong lessons which will be delivered to you by email over the course of one week please click here. In these lessons you’ll learn more about abdominal breathing, Qi movement and how to rid waste Qi. This will help you to feel more relaxed and energised.

If you are new to Qigong you’ll probably find my Ultimate Guide To Health and Wellbeing With Qigong very helpful which explains the origins and benefits of Qigong along with 10 beginner Qigong exercises to get you started.

You can also click the red “subscribe” button to join my YouTube channel. That way, you won’t miss any future Qigong lessons from me.

Click here to join our Qigong group on Facebook.

Website homepage.

Qigong Standing Posture

Qigong Standing Posture

This video from Dr Janice Tucker at Space To Relax explains the correct Qigong standing posture. To get the most benefit from Qigong practice you need to stand such that the Qi flows in an unimpeded and unobstructed way around the body.

Janice Tucker is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong, and the founder of the Space To Relax online programme of Qigong video lessons.

Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button above so you don’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you found it informative.

By making small adjustments in your Qigong standing posture you can make a world of difference to the flow of Qi around your body. When your Qi is flowing freely your health has the potential to skyrocket!

The following extract is taken from Lesson 2 of the Space To Relax Programme of online Qigong video lessons. This is a shortened version of the lesson explaining the correct Qigong stance.

Exercise – The Correct Qigong Standing Posture

1. The Position Of Your Feet

Your feet are important in giving you a stable grounding for Qigong practice. Look down and your feet and check that they are parallel and shoulder width distance apart. Your toes should not be pointing outwards or inwards.

2. The Knees

Your knees should be very slightly bent. There should be softness in your knees so that the knee joints are not locked.

3. Hips and Lower Back Area

To check this place one hand in the small of your back and one on your lower abdomen. Then make a hollow in your lower back so that it is curved by sticking the buttocks out. Feel how the vertebrae in the lower back feel squashed or compressed. Your lower back will feel tight.
Next tilt your pelvis forward by tucking the buttocks under. You will feel the lower back flatten and the whole area open up. You will feel as though there is space in this area. This openness allows the Qi to flow up and down the spine much more freely.

4. Shoulders and Arms

Your shoulders should be loose and relaxed. Your hands hang down from the shoulders by the sides of the body.

5. Head and Neck

Your neck, like your lower back, is an important area in which to maintain space and openness in order to allow for the free flow of Qi. Make sure that your head is not tilted too far forwards or too far back. Imagine the top of your head is being pulled up by a string. This creates length in the back of the neck. At the same time tuck the chin in very slightly. As you do this you will feel the back of your neck extending and opening up.

Summary

These adjustments will promote the free flow of Qi up and down your spine and in to your head.

The Qigong standing posture should be relaxed. Once you are in this position practice Abdominal Breathing in order to allow your Qi to begin to flow freely around your body.

Your Qigong standing posture is the basis of many standing Qigong exercises. Once you can stand correctly you will notice huge differences in the Qi flow around your body. Your energy will quickly feel as though it is supercharged as the Qi zooms around your body in an unimpeded way! 🙂 This is turn leads you to gain much more energy, clarity, calmness and focus.

More Information

If you’d like to learn more about the Qigong standing posture and and learn some more exercises that you can practice from this Qigong standing posture then head over to my Space To Relax homepage. Here you can sign up to receive three free video lessons which will be delivered to you by e-mail. By practising these simple 5 minute lessons you will get a flavour of the Qigong benefits of feeling much calmer and at the same time more energetic.

If you head over to my free group on Facebook, “Space To Relax Free Group” you can leave any questions for me there and I’ll be happy to answer them. Also you can leave a comment in the comments box next to this video.

Please don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red “Subscribe” button above so you don’t miss my regular videos which are full of useful health enhancing tips. Also please give this video a “Like” if you learned much more about the Qigong standing posture by reading this article.

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