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Benefits / Helpful Information > INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH FROLIC
Notes: 1. When squatting down, drop from the tailbone and keep your back as straight as possible without bending forward from the waist. 2. Feet are positioned parallel, shoulder width apart, with weight equally balanced on both feet and also between the balls and heels of the feet, except during the Gorilla "Looking at the Sky" and the Deer "Greeting" where one foot is placed forward. 3. Knees are slightly flexed during standing postures. 4. Perform all movements in a graceful, flowing manner with minimal muscle effort. 5. Breathing: smooth, diaphragmatic breathing supports all movements. The tip of the tongue is kept lightly touching the palate, inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils. 6. Eyes are softly focused and follow the lead hand or space between the hands. 7. 3 repetitions which can be increased to 5 or 8 when a longer practice is desired. 8. When you move, you're making chi or energy. When you move, this chi or energy moves in your body. It may feel tingly, hot, cold, or like nothing at all. When you rest between movements, imagine you're storing this energy as a blazing sun in your belly. Whenever you need this energy, imagine this sun glowing in your belly and sending rays of energy to your whole body.
Storing Energy between movements: Stand relaxed, knees slightly bent, breathe, and hold palms toward lower abdomen at the t'an tien (internal space two inches below the navel). Imagine you're storing energy as a blazing sun in your belly.
EAGLE HEART
Flapping Wings: Lift arms away from sides (palms up) arcing up overhead, looking up as arms rise. Turn palms forward and bend fingers as if grasping oars, lowering them while squatting. Exhale as arms rise up, inhale down to lowest position, inhale as you rise up from squatting and then exhale again as arms rise.
Taking Off: Lift arms straight out from sides, shoulder height (palms down). Then squat, lowering arms to sides of feet. Rise up, lifting arms back to shoulder height. Exhale up, inhale down.
Flying High: While rising up on the toes, lift arms out from sides (palms down), elbows bent, sternum forward, with hands arriving close to temples (palms out), imagining your a big bird flying. Wrists are loose and arms are light. Squat, bringing arms down, hands at ankles, then stand to begin again as heels lift off the ground. Exhale lifting arms from standing position, inhale while squatting.
YOGA DEER
Greeting: Lift arms forward to shoulder height, palms down, then lower them. Bend your knees, sinking down, as your arms lower and raise up, keeping just a little flex in the knees, as your arms come up. Inhale down, exhale up.
Dancing: Shifting your weight to your right leg, inhale while slowly and simultaneously lifting your left arm (hand about head height or a little above) and left leg (with knee bent so the lower leg is at a 90 degree angle to the upper leg. If this is too high, only lift your leg to a height where you can comfortably maintain your balance.). It's as if there's a string attached to your fingers and toes. They rise up and move down slowly together. Your right arm hangs at the side, palm toward the earth. Exhale as you gently replace the left foot back onto the ground (heel or sole first-not the toes). Shifting your weight to your left leg, repeat the process lifting the right hand and leg. T'an tien centered focus.
Rocking: Stand with weight on right leg, knee slightly bent, with left leg forward a little, toes raised. As you bend the left knee and shift your weight forward on to the left leg, the back right leg straightens (heel rises less than 1 inch off the ground) and the hands push down toward the waist then curve upward, palms facing out, fingers up, until they again reach face level when the weight is fully transferred to the left leg. As you bend the right knee and shift the weight back to the right leg, the arms fall back down toward the waist, the palms turn in toward the body near the bottom of the arc and then raise up to face level again. Repeat 3 repetitions, exhaling as you move forward and inhaling as you move backward. Then do 3 repetitions with the right foot forward.
BLISS BEARY BEAR
Opening The Heart: Extend arms out in front of your chest, shoulder width apart, palms facing each other. As you inhale, draw your extended arms back until they are even with the sides of your body. As your arms open up, lean very slightly forward from the waist. Then exhale, bringing your extended hands and arms toward each other in front of your body. As they close back together, lean back to the original position. Inhaling and exhaling through the center of the chest. Repeat for desired number of repetitions and then flow into the next movement.
Looking At The Sun: Squat, palms one foot apart in front of abdomen. Rise while turning left, lifting arms, then squat returning forward and rise while turning right, lifting arms. Look at "the moon" between your palms and inhale left, exhale right-t'an tien centered focus.
Reaching For The Sun: Lift left arm, palm up, across the body to head height. Then lower arm, palm down, back to side. Follow your hand with your gaze. Lift right arm, palm up, across the body to head height. Then lower arm, palm down, back to side. Follow your hand with your gaze. Inhale up, exhale down, alternating arms.
T'AI CHI TIGER
Pushing Pests Away: Hands palms up at hips. Push left palm forward across the body (fingertips up), then return palm up to hip. Repeat with right palm. Exhale out, inhale back, alternating sides with focus on the palms as they move out and in.
Tiger Boxing: Palms up at hips, fingers curl softly around thumbs. Left hand rotates over, palm down, punching forward across the body, then returns palm up. Squeeze fist lightly while punching, release while drawing back. Repeat with right hand. Exhale out, inhale in, alternating sides-t'an tien centered focus.
T'ai Chi Archer: Stand with feet spread wide, comfortable bend in the knees, toes forward or turned slightly out (horseback riding stance). Start with left hand on the left hip and sweep the right hand across the heart from right to left with fingers open. Follow the right hand with your eyes. As the right hand reaches to the far left, bring your left hand up to meet it. The right hand and arm then pull back across the chest with fingers curled in, elbow bent, like you're pulling a bow string back. The left hand pushes straight out from the shoulder, index finger up and thumb out to the side forming an "L", and other three fingers curled down toward palm. The eyes move from following the right hand across the chest to following the left hand straight out. Stare at tip of the index finger a few seconds and then reverse the movement. The right hand drops down to the right hip as the left hand sweeps across the heart and continue as above.
CHI CHI CHIMP
Tree Swaying: Shift weight to the left leg and bring your left arm up in a circular motion until the left palm is facing down directly above and close to the top of the head. The right arm lifts up to the side and extends out at shoulder level, palm facing up. The head turns to look out over the extended right fingers. Then shift the weight back to the right leg. As you do, the head gradually turns to the left side and the hands reverse position so the left arm extends out at shoulder level, palm facing up, and the right hand comes up over and near the top of the head, palm facing down. The feeling is of a tree gently swaying in the breeze from side to side. To complete the move after the desired number of repetitions, keep the left hand above the head as the weight shifts back to the right leg, bring the right hand up to meet it, and bring them both slowly down the centerline of the body, fingers facing each other, until they return to the Resting Pose position. Inhale left, exhale right-t'an tien centered focus.
Looking For Friends: Bring your left hand, palm facing out, in front of your forehead. Your right hand rests palm down in front of the t'an tien about 2 inches below the navel. Inhale focusing on the top hand and very slowly turn your waist to the left keeping your weight equal on both legs. Reverse your hands so the right hand, palm facing out, is in front of your forehead and your left hand rests palm down in front of the t'an tien. As the hands reverse, the palms face each other. Once the hands are reversed, slowly turn your waist to the right, keeping your weight equal on both legs. Exhale to the right focusing on the lower hand. Reverse your hands and repeat.
Pushing and Pulling: Palms face close to the chest (back of left hand closest) and separate as arms extend away from sides (palms down, eyes follow left hand), then return hands, left palm up, right palm pushing sideways bringing palms close together at mid chest. (3 repetitions). Perform in reverse. (3 repetitions). Inhale separating arms, exhale returning to chest-t'an tien centered focus.
FLAME-THE FEAR EATING DRAGON
Waving: Legs are about shoulder width or a little more apart with a slight bend in the knees. Extend arms out from left side, palms forward and hands close together, lifting them, arcing overhead, and bringing them down the right side completing a full circle. As the hands come across the front of the body in their lowest arc of the circle, the palms are facing down. 3 repetitions and then reverse with the palms starting up to the right. Inhale the top half of the circle, exhale the bottom half-t'an tien centered focus.
Dragon Circles: Legs are about shoulder width or a little more apart with a slight bend in the knees. Keep the palms toward the sky as you do this movement. Start with palms facing up at belt level, fingers forward. Extend arms up and straight out from the body a little above the head. When the arms are fully extended, start moving them out and away from each other to the sides. Then curve them in towards the top of the head, fingertips pass near each other at the center of the head. Now start moving the hands and arms forward again as far as they will reach. When they've reached as far forward as they will go, move them away from each other and down a little as they swing out and back as far as they will comfortably reach. Then turn the fingers forward, bend the elbows, and return the hands to belt level where they began. Allow the wrists and elbows to bend as needed throughout the entire movement. Repeat 3 repetitions.
Then turn and circle the fingers in toward the body and out. When they are facing out to the sides of your body, raise your arms forward and up above your head, fingertips again pass near each other at the top of the head. Keep moving your arms back as far as they will comfortably go above your head and then swing them out to the sides and around in front of your body and back down to the starting position. Allow the wrists and elbows to bend as needed throughout the entire movement. Repeat 3 repetitions.
Twisting: Legs are about shoulder width or a little more apart with a slight bend in the knees. As you twist to the left, the right arm, elbow bent, palm facing forward away from your body, pushes across your chest toward the left side. The left arm, elbow bent, facing back away from your body, pushes across your lower back toward the right side. As you twist back to the right, the arms reverse. The left arm moves up and across the front of your body, palm facing away from you, and the right arm moves down and across the lower back, palm facing away from you. Repeat several times.
Twisting and Sliding: This movement starts just like Twisting only when you've twisted as far as you can to the left, you pause, raise the left arm up to where the left hand is about shoulder high, elbow bent. As you're doing this, the right hand drops down so the palm is facing the elbow and back of the lower forearm. Then the left arm drops down as the right palm slides upward. The motion continues as the arms reverse position and you twist back to the right. The movement repeats itself when you've twisted all the way to the other side just like in Twisting above, reversing the arms so the right arm is behind the back and the left arm is chest high. Then raise the right arm, drop the left palm to the right elbow and slide. Repeat 3 times.
THUNDERILLA-THE CHI GONG GORILLA
Parting The Sky: As you squat down, hands do a scooping motion in front of the body, right hand below the left crossed at the wrists. Then rise, looking up into the sky and lifting hands overhead, separating them wide and dropping them down out to the sides, palms down. Inhale down, exhale up.
Looking At The Sky: Left foot forward, squat and bend forward with hands scooping energy from the ground, then rise up (fingertips face close together), bringing palms into chest and separating out to the sides (palms up), arching back while gazing up, then standing back up straight while lowering arms to sides. Perform 3 repetitions then place right foot forward and do 3 more repetitions. Inhale as you squat down, inhale up from the ground, exhale as arms spread out and you stand back up straight, lowering arms. Breathing focus is mid chest.
Filling With Energy: Squat with hands scooping energy from the ground, then rise (fingertips face close together) with palms up, lifting hands close to torso and up to eye level. Turn palms down (fingertips face), wrists cocked a little, lowering them to waist level, then squat and begin again. Inhale as you reach down to scoop up the energy, keep inhaling all the way up, exhale as you push your hands down to waist.
Holding Up The World: Raise your arms and turn your hands outward so that the backs of your hands are level with your cheeks. Allow your fingers to soften, curving gently and slightly apart. Your fingers are roughly at eye level-never higher than your head. Imagine that your wrists are supported by a strap that runs around the back of your neck. Your open hands hold the world. Relax all your muscles. Let eyelids come together and breathe naturally. Inhale through the nose and down into the upper and lower abdomen, exhale lightly through the mouth all the way up to the top of the head-rooting to earth with the inhalations and opening to heaven with exhalations. Stand tranquil without any thoughts.
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