Daily Routine

[shaolin_mike]

Hey all,
I've got two questions about the chi kung routine that (i'm trying) to keep to daily:-
I basically do the stretching exercises found in Sifu's books every day and also lifting the sky twice a day followed by induced chi flow, standing meditation, then the points massage.
my question does it matter which order i do them in? i normally do the stretching before lifting the sky.. am i making a mistake should i be doing it after?

My other question is regarding the time of day that i do the excercises. Now that summer is here i dont have a routine anymore, my schedule has become very erratic so i catch a half hour of chi kung whenever i can. sometimes i do this close to mealtime as its the only free time i have, sometimes i practice at midday when its hot outside but i practice indoors with the windows open. do you think i am going to cause some long term harm this way or progress much slower than if i kept a strict routine?

thx in advance to anyone who takes time out of their busy life to reply

[Brendan_OT]

Hi Mike,

While my seniors might have better answers for you, this would be my understanding:

Stretching before or after LTS - I think either way is fine, but before might be a little better, just because a you'll probably be a bit more relaxed when you start LTS. The one thing to watch out for is if you find yourself *less* flexible after LTS/induced chi flow. I believe that'd be a sure sign that you're not practicing correctly. When you're done with any qi gong exercise, your body should feel rejuvenated and energized. You shouldn't be "badly" sore anywhere or have any tight muscles. If you do, review how you're practicing and make sure that you're relaxed the whole time and that you're smiling from the heart.

Routine - It's better to have one than not, but not having one isn't inherently bad as long as you're practicing every day. Practicing close to mealtime isn't a bad thing, as long as you're not starving with your stomach rumbling and distracting you during your practice. If you practice after eating, as long as you're not stuffed and sleepy, I think it's OK, too. I usually try to wait at least an hour after eating before I practice, regardless of how much I ate.

I don't think practicing at noontime is terrible unless you're doing it very often. Your results will not be as good as practicing near dawn or midnight, but you're not going to be going backwards as long as you're practicing correctly. But you should make an active effort to find a time earlier or later. I've found that I don't need to, say, practice every day at 10 pm or 6 am or anything like that. I just make sure that I'm as close to dawn or midnight as possible given everything else in my life. Scheduling qi gong time shouldn't be something to worry about. As long as you're practicing sometime every day, you're already doing better than most people who try it!

Again, I'm only speaking from what I understand from Sifu's teaching and writing, and discussions I've had with my peers and seniors. Those with more knowledge may correct me if I've made any misrepresentations here.

cheers,

Brendan

[Fredi]

To stretch or not to stretch ..

I don't think you need to stretch before doing chi kung. Chi kung gently stretches ligaments, muscles and strengthens joints.

Recent research could be interpreted to mean that stretching actually causes injuries in certain cases.

http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/stretching-exercises.html

I'm not sure if it was Antonius, but I think somebody said in a forum message that stretching causes micro-tears in the muscles.

[Darryl]

Originally posted by Brendan_OT
I don't think practicing at noontime is terrible unless you're doing it very often.

Practicing at noon is OK (note: OK, not good or something to accept as 'one of those things') every now and again, but it certainly shouldn't be part of your routine. Avoiding between 11am - 3pm is something mentioned in all Sifu's books and at every course. Going slightly over or starting slightly earlier is nothing to worry about, but it is certainly not something to ignore on a regular basis. It is more to do with radiation than with temperature.

As to stretching, the Art of Flexible Legs is Chi Kung. It is not just stretching, or gentle stretches, or exercise to loosen you off. My students go from the patterns straight into chi flow, as do I. There is another thread that discusses (physical) stretching before or after practice, with points raised for both before and after. My personal opinion is stretch, then flow. If you are doing physical stretching (as opposed to internal stretches like the Art of Flexible Legs) then performing Lifting The Sky a few times afterwards (then enjoying a short chi flow) will help you achieve your flexibility objectives faster. If you are focusing more on your Chi Kung development, then a short stretching program before your main practice would be a different way to go.

As always, having defined your Aims and Objectives will allow you to gain the best benefits from your training in the shortest period of time.

[shaolin_mike]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Darryl
[B]It is more to do with radiation than with temperature.[B]

hmm ok but will the radiation affect me if i am indoors and the sun is not reaching me?

oh and as far as stretching im doing the excercises given in sifu's books so yeh im doing the art of flexible legs not some random stretching. when im doing them i try stay relaxed and treat it like a yoga exercise and i hold each stretch for about 15 seconds. so far i think its working cos i feel more relaxed in general and am a lot less moody.

[Darryl]

Respect your art

Hi Mike,

In answer to both your queries I have one simple piece of advice - Don't try to be smarter than past masters. If you are rationalising as to why you can ignore advice regarding when to train and then not following the instructions for how to do a particular pattern, you are not going to get the best results of your practice and are far more likely to injure yourself over time.

Chi Kung is simple, but people make it complicated. Why overcomplicate a simple, direct and (extremely) effective art?

[shaolin_mike]

hey darryl sorry if it sounded like i was disrespecting the art because i really wasnt trying to.
the only reason i sometimes practice during those hours is because i wake up rather late in summer so its a choice between practicing at an unfavourable time or skipping my morning session completely which i wouldnt especially like to do.

[Darryl]

To train or not to train

Hi Mike,

Sometimes it's better not to train than to train. While this has the potential to be abused, it's also a vital part of a beginners practice. As per your example, you would benefit more (overall) from getting up earlier to train or going to bed earlier, or getting a better quality of sleep. However, depending on how high a priority your training is will define how much you are willing to change in your life.

I haven't taken any offence at your comments, I find it unfortunate that some people with a genuine and sincere desire to learn are without an immediate 'correction'. Once you get that initial 'correction' and the opportunity to learn, face to face, so many questions disappear. It's not that they are not good questions, just that once the breakthrough happens, they are irrelevant questions. Some people get this straight away, others may have some cleansing to do first. Regardless of when it happens, once it happens it will bring a smile to the face of anyone you have talked to beforehand - regardless of what you asked.