POWER ANIMAL FROLICS, T'ai Chi / Yoga / Qigong For Children

Flame-The Fear Eating Dragon

Flame Awakens And Shudders
Squat as low as comfortable, feet spread shoulder width or a little more with the knees going outward. Lower you head, as if it's tucked into your chest and you're a sleeping dragon. Start to shake and wake up. Then lift up out of the squat with your arms dangling at your sides as you do. Rise all the way up, keeping a little bend in the knees. Keep shaking and begin slow bobbing up and down with your feet resting on the floor-do not dig your heels in, allowing them to be mobile and lift off the ground. With mouth slightly open, allow your breath to flow easily from and to the core (t'an tien). Relax every joint in your body and allow the bobbing to slightly increase in speed and intensity gradually. Let your chi smoothly flow through your entire body. Come to a slow, smooth stop.

Dragon Circles
Legs are about shoulder width or a little more apart with a slight bend in the knees, toes pointing slightly outwards. Bend forward very slightly simultaneously bending your knees. Your left hand is in the front center of your body where your legs meet your torso and your right hand is in the back center of your body opposite the left hand in front. Slowly begin rotating your body to the left, shifting a little more weight to your left leg. As you do this, your left hand draws up the center of your body to just below the breasts and then moves in a circular motion to the left side under your breasts, past your arm and side, and over to the center of your back. It then drops down toward your tailbone, circles under your left buttocks, circles your left thigh, and back around to the front. Simultaneously, your right hand is moving around to the front from the back, circling your right buttocks and thigh, and coming front center between your parted legs where the left hand started. Each hand is tracing a circle at the same time! Then you rotate your body to the right, shifting a little more weight to your right leg, while you keep tracing the circles. Your eyes follow whichever hand is moving down your back and around your buttocks and thigh. Keep alternating from side to side, bending the knees as needed, and trace dragon circles. Flow! Bring your hands to your t'an tien (lower abdomen) when you are finished.

Roaring
Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Hands dangle at your sides with palms facing forward. Bend your body gradually forward from the waist. As you do, bend your elbows, moving them backward, thus leading hands backward as well. Knees bend gently to accommodate your body's flowing motion. As you keep slowly bending forward, your hands circle to the sides then to the front of your body as your palms gradually turn towards the ground. When your hands are all the way out in front of your body, palms toward the earth, you slowly start to rise back up from the waist. As you do, pull your hands back in towards your waist. When you are completely back up, let out a dragon roar. Keep repeating this flowing sequence. Your body and knees keep gently bending and unbending in varying degree, in smooth, slow motion forward and backward snaking movements. Imagine you have a tail sweeping backward then forward between your legs. Keep your mouth slightly open allowing spontaneous deep, emphatic exhalations and inhalations and roaring when all the way up. Bring your hands to your t'an tien (lower abdomen) when you are finished.

Dancing On Water
Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width, hands dangling at your sides with palms facing toward your body. Slide your right hand gradually upward along the right side of your body, then extend it outward to the right, about shoulder height, as your body sways towards the right. Bringing your right hand gracefully back in toward the side of your body, simultaneously slide your left hand up the left side of your body then extend that left hand outward to the left as your body sways to the left. Shifting the weight from side to side, feel like your sashaying or dancing on the water. The swaying from side to side of the body is being led by the extending of the hands together with appropriate foot/ankle movements. Bring your hands to your t'an tien (lower abdomen) when you are finished.

Playing With A Ball Of Energy
Stand with your feet slightly narrower than shoulder width apart. Your hands hold a big imaginary ball of energy in front of your body with your left palm on top (facing down) and your right palm (facing up) supporting the bottom of the energy ball. Keep looking at your energy ball during the entire movement. Bend forward slightly, simultaneously bending your knees. Gracefully rotate your body towards the right by turning your left toes in towards your right instep. The right toes stay facing forward. As you rotate all the way around to the right as far as you can comfortably go, bend your knees sinking lower and lower and carry the energy ball around to the back with you. When you can't go any further, flip the energy ball over with both palms reversing hand positions. Leading the movement with the energy ball, slowly rise up and rotate slowly to the left. Your left toes turn back to center. Then as you come across the center of your body with the energy ball and continue turning to the left, your right toes turn in towards your left instep. Repeat the movement from side to side. Bring your hands to your t'an tien (lower abdomen) when you are finished.

Dragon Swaying Back To Rest
Stand with your feet fairly close together. Arms dangle down at the front center of your body with your palms touching each other, fingers pointing down to the earth. Slowly bring your joined palms upward toward the chest (fingers staying down as long as comfortable), then point your fingers upward as you lift your hands above your head toward the sky. Shifting your weight from leg to leg, sway from side to side and sway your palms from side to side too. As you sway from side to side, systematically draw your hands across your body, lower and lower. When your hands won't go any further to one side, turn them over and start back the other way. As you go lower and lower, spread your legs wider and wider and bend your waist more and more to accommodate the movement. Sway as many as nine times before lowering back down in to a squatting rest position. Drop your head and rest.