Renew Your Qi: 3 Essential Qigong Poses for Spring Energy Flow

With the boost of 🌸Spring time energy, here are 3 poses we recommend to renew and inspire your daily practice.

Standing Side Bends help to improve flexibility, strengthen muscles, hydrate fascia and increase circulation.

Start by standing with your feet hip distance apart and your hands at your sides, palms facing your thighs. Slowly bend to left side, sliding your arm down your leg toward your knee, so your shoulder leans down and to the side. Let your right hand reach up and over your head. Hold the stretch and bring your attention to the in and out breath. Return to the starting position and repeat on other side.  

Seated Twist is a mild spinal twist that helps open the hips and stretches the chest, shoulders, and both the upper and lower back. Additionally, it revitalizes the lymphatic and heart🩷centers. It's a popular pose for alleviating tension in the neck and upper back and keeping spine supple.

Sit with your legs crossed, one leg in front of the other, and keep your back straight.

Place your left hand on your right knee and your right fingertips on the mat behind you. Inhale and sit up straight, extending your spine. Exhale and twist to the right, starting from the base of your spine. Ensure your spine is straight before twisting, and keep your gaze at eye level. Return to starting position and repeat on other side.

Standing Forward Fold improves flexibility, improves blood and qi circulation, reduces☺️stress, relief from tension in the back and hamstrings and tonifies the gallbladder and urinary bladder channels.

Stand with your feet hip-width-distance apart at the top of the yoga mat. Bring your hands and arms above your head with the palms facing each other. Reach up and slowly fold forward. Let knees be soft and Continue to lengthen through your spine. Release tension in your head and neck. Let your head and arms dangle and hold the fold. Take deep inhalations through your nose and long exhalations through the mouth to release stagnant energy. Hold for a few in and out breaths. Slowly rise on an inhale. Bring your hands to hips and slowly rise coming out of the pose vertebra-by-vertebra. Your head should be the last to rise. Return to basic stance and arrive, feeling the sensations in your whole body.

These poses compliment the rhythm and season of Spring and the impact of these changes to our body, mind and spirit. We practice stretches, twists and forward folds in qigong class throughout the year with other slow flowing movements, breathwork, tapping and stillness. Join us in class and see what all the buzz 🐝is about.