Collect Qi

Starting position is the shoulder to hip width qigong stance. Inhale first and raise your arms up in front of your chest. Exhaling now stretch both arms to the sides away from you. The palms of your hands are up and you make a pushing movement away from your chest. When the arms are stretched, turn your palms upward and with the inhale now begin to bring your two arms above your head.

Once at the top, exhale and lower your hands down in front of your midline until you reach your knees. Once there, inhale to begin a new cycle and raise your hands back up to your chest.

From there, push your hands away to your sides again and begin the next repetition of this movement.

Is it possible to focus only on the movement first and only then on the breathing?

Yes, this is possible in principle and also useful. Qi Gong is meant to relax and if the simultaneous concentration on breathing and the new movement creates a feeling of being overwhelmed, it is better to practice these two things separately.

Can I do the exercise faster because I can't breathe so slowly?

Yes, of course, this is possible and also important. Even though I always point out a conscious and slow execution of the movements, it should never degenerate into "stress". You should never feel like you have too much or too little air. If you feel that you can't breathe as slowly as I show in the video, then feel free to use the Adapt movements to your personal breathing rhythm.

The palms of the hands do not point outward when the arms are stretched.

The back is not straight when bending forward.

The legs remain extended throughout the movement and do not bend with the exhalation.

The feet are not parallel.

If possible, exercise again and again in front of a mirror or with the Record smartphone and then study this video for errors.

This exercise lives from the intense sensing of the body during execution.

Do also regularly exercises from the "Silent Qi Gong", like the "Little Heavenly Circuit". This helps you a lot to refine your sense of smell.

What can you do if the exercise is too difficult?

From my experience, this exercise is easy to perform for everyone. It does not require any special flexibility in any part of the body. It is important to study again and again the correct arm and body movement and to analyze this also by video self-control.

• 5 Elements Qi Gong
• 5 elements sequence (short version)
• Qi Gong course for beginners and slightly advanced students
• Gong Course: The 8 Brocades
• Qi Gong Course: - The 18 Figures of Harmony