Fang Song Gong (Relaxation Qigong Exercise)

As one of the static form of Qigong, the Relaxation Qigong Exercise boasts the effects of harmonizing qi and blood, regulating the visceral functions, strengthening the body resistance and preventing diseases. Described below are the detailed methods for practice.

• The Postures
  

Any of the lying, sitting and standing postures can be adopted, among which the supine lying and the plain sitting postures are more frequently assumed. No matter whichever posture is taken for the exercise, it is first and foremost necessary to make sure that the mood must be set quiet and calm.

• The Breathing Method

Usually, the orthodromic abdominal respiration is adopted. When inhaling, attention is focused on the part or parts of the body that one intends to relax; and when exhaling, murmur silently the word song relax to induce the relaxation.

• The Mind Concentrating Method

Mostly, the mind is concentrated on Dantian, although Yongquan (KI1) Jing-Well Point (KI 1), Zusanli (ST36) He-Sea Point (ST 36) and Minmen (DU 4) are also the possible choices. Or, the mind may be concentrated on certain surrounding natural scenery. Make sure that the mind-concentration is done after being relaxed.

• The Relaxation Methods

The following methods are usually adopted for the Relaxation Qigong Exercise, namely, the three-route relaxation technique, the sectionalized relaxation technique, the localized relaxation technique, and the whole-body relaxation technique.
A. The Three-Route Relaxation Technique:
The three routes refer to the following imaginary lines that begin at the head and end at the feet, running downwards respectively along bilateral, anterior and posterior sides of the body.
a) The first route: relax downwards bilaterally from both sides of the head → both sides of the neck → both shoulders → both upper arms → both elbow joints → both forearms → both wrist joints → the ten fingers of both hands. And, finally concentrate the mind on the middle fingers of both hands for 1-2 minutes (see Fig. 2-5).

b) The second route: relax downwards along the anterior side of the body from the face → the neck → the chest → the abdomen → both thighs → both knees → both shanks → both insteps → the ten toes of both feet. And, finally concentrate the mind on the big toes of both feet for 1-2 minutes (see Fig. 2-6).

c) The third route: relax downwards along the posterior side of the body from the occiput → the posterior side of the neck → the upper back → the lower back → the posterior side of both thighs → both popliteal fossae → the posterior side of both shanks → both heels → both soles. And, finally concentrate the mind on Yongquan point (KI 1) for 3-5 minutes (see Fig. 2-7).

B. The Sectionalized Relaxation Technique:
Divide the body transversely from the head to the feet into several sections and relax them one by one in a downward direction. The usual sequence is from the head → the upper limbs → the chest → the abdomen → the lower limbs. The mind is focused on the section to be relaxed and then murmur silently the word song relax 2-3 times before shifting the mind-concentration to the next section. Repeat the above procedure 2-3 times.
C. The Localized Relaxation Technique:
After the whole body is relaxed, try to further relax a certain diseased region or the part of the body still having muscular tension. For instance, the patients with glaucoma may first think of relaxing the left eye twenty times, then the right eye twenty times, and finally both eyes together once again twenty times.
D. The Whole-Body Relaxation Technique:
Regard the entire body as a whole, and relax it from up downwards in a smooth and continuous way induced by thinking of the running water; or repeatedly relax it simultaneously along the three routes as described in (4) A of this section.
Advice
The Relaxation Qigong Exercise should be done at least for half an hour by repeating the above relaxation methods several times. After that, keep silent for a moment before ending the exercise, which can be followed by performing the other kinds of Qigong.