10.1 Manual - 8 Trigram - Dragon Ball

2 8 T r i gr a m O r ga n Q i g on g I n struction s 3
Dragon Ball Qigong is often a favorite of my students. They love the smooth,
flowing feeling of the Dragon Ball. I love that too, but I also love the mas-
Dragon Ball sage I feel in my internal organs from it. When done properly, the Dragon Ball
consists of a smooth, flowing movement, with deep arm twists that go all the
way into the hands, but this is not perceptible to the beginner. It is the best
Qigong to finish with as it smooths out all the Qi in the organs and is a nice
finishing touch to your Qigong. The movement of this exercise combines the
twisting of the other exercises with the undulation of the Wave Qigong. Al-
though the undulation is not as noticeable as in the Wave, it is there.
Benefits
Instructions:
After all the previous Organ
Qigong exercises, this Qi-
gong serves to smooth out the
Qi in all the organs. You can
also notice the results of your
previous Qigong exercises in
this one; if you do it before the
other exercises, you will notice
how stiff you are compared to
when doing it after. All of the
internal organs are balanced
and brought into place and
massaged through this Qigong
Dragon Ball is done in horse stance so the feet are wider than shoulder width
apart. Horse stance is a crucial part of more advanced Bagua practices. You
begin the form without the waist turning to get you to rotate the joints prop-
erly. At first, you rotate the ball, going forward with the hands in front of the
body, with the ball being a medium size.
4 8 T r i gr a m O r ga n Q i g on g I n struction s 5
Rotate the hands and arms in a circle, moving in the centerline of the body.
After a bit, you vary the size of the ball, making the ball get smaller and then
larger in a fluid motion.
Tips: It is very important that the center of your palms face each other. The
meshing of the turning of your waist, hips and joints is absolutely critical in
doing this exercise. Breathing is relaxed and natural. Doing this exercise be-
fore your spine and organs are sufficiently warm can create pulls and pushes
The rotation of the waist is what leads the rotation of your hands. Keep your
along the spine that might be harmful, hence it comes last in the 8 Trigram
hands, shoulders and hips moving together, moving your hips in an elongated
sequence. The duration of this exercise should last until the energy in the or-
figure 8 pattern. Keep your Zhong Ding stable. Once you are able to rotate to
gans feels smooth and the core of the body feels loose and soft.
the front, turn your waist to the side and rotate to the side. Shift your weight
between your legs as your waist turns. At no point do your joints lock, and
there is a constant curving of your hands.
Benefits:
Anatomy
After all the previous Organ Qigong exer-

cises, this Qigong serves to smooth out the
Qi in all the organs. You can also notice the
results of your previous Qigong exercis-
es in this one; if you do it before the other
exercises, you will notice how stiff you are
compared to when doing it after. All of the
Visualize the ball expanding and shrinking in size, while at the same time ro-
internal organs are balanced and brought
tating steadily along its longitudinal line, as it moves at a constant speed
into place and massaged through this Qi-
from point A to point B and back. Concentrate on the pulsation of this sphere,
gong.
expanding and shrinking its uniform shape; you can spiral it as well.
6 8 T r i gr a m O r ga n Q i g on g I n struction s
Fascia
This works out the Spiral Line as well as the Superficial Front and Back Arm
Lines through the twisting and rotation. Try to get more shoulder rotation in
the exercise to encourage more movement in this region. The fascia in the
spine is loosened up really nicely with all the rotation and undulation.
19
Chinese Medicine
This wrings out all the meridians in the arms, coordinating with the massag-
ing of the internal organs. The Qi and blood flow in the internal organs are
smoothed out. It can also balance the Yin and Yang in the body; faster move-
ments will be more Yang while slower movements, in contrast, will be more
Yin.
This is also a very good movement to circulate the Qi throughout the organs
and find out whether you missed any sticking or stagnant points. Additionally,
it opens up the joints and spine.
As you get better and better, your range of motion will increase as well as
suppleness.
19
Reprinted from Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists, 3E, Thomas Mey-
ers, 2014, with permission from Elsevier

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2 8 T r i gr a m O r ga n Q i g on g I n struction s 3

After all the previous Organ Qigong exer-

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