Today's Qigong exercise is The Liver Merdian Stretch. The Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi and blood in the body. The Liver organ is paired with the Gallbladder and both are part of the Wood element. Anger is the emotion associated with the Liver. If you are someone who is angry or irritable often and have trouble letting go of the daily irritations of life; there may be an imbalance of the Liver energy.
When we are stressed, we tend to shorten the breath. The breath will generally be held in the upper chest rather than allowing the lungs to expand to their full capacity. With this type of breathing the diaphragm and intercostal muscles have limited mobility which equals limited breath. This stretch lengthens the intercostal muscles which need to expand in order to accommodate deeper inhalations. When we breath deeply, the body relaxes as well as the mind and we manage stress better.
This simple exercise can be done standing, seated or even supine (on your back). Listen to your body and only stretch within your comfort zone. Do 10-20 repetitions and you will change the way that you feel.
Enjoy!
30 сен 2018
