Thousands of years ago, the ancients made a profound discovery.

Humans could experience a longer life with more radiant health, simply by mirroring the movements of nature Over the centuries.

They developed practices known as Qi Gong.

During my last 25 years of teaching these practices I've seen remarkable transformations as my students tap into their own life force energy.

This is the real fountain of youth Not hidden in some far away land but inside each one of us.

Each episode is a complete Qi Gong routine focused on one aspect of preventative health and wellness.

So try them all To discover which leaves you feeling the most nourished radiant and uplifted.

These routines are simple, gentle movements that don't require any special clothing or equipment.

All you need to do now Is stand up, get ready to move And I'll be your guide to your very own Fountain of Youth Now, in Chinese medicine, the heart is the fire element.

It's not only about the physical heart, but it's about all layers of the heart.

It's about our emotions.

In Chinese medicine, they say that the heart is the ruler of our emotions.

Emotional stress is one of the key factors to a healthy physical heart So, in this routine, we're gonna do things that help you to feel present to clear and transform emotional energy, to transform emotional stress back into vitality.

In our language, we say, I love you with all my heart.

I feel that.

He had a strong heart, or she had a strong heart, a big heart.

Heart of compassion.

Qi Gong not only helps us feel connected within ourselves but it helps us to feel connected with life all around us.

As you drop into these routines, relax your body Stretch those lines of tension.

Feel the enjoyment of movement connect to your flow feel the Qi circulating within you to create a happy, healthy heart.

Thanks for joining me.

Welcome to Qi Gong for a Healthy Heart.

In this routine, we're gonna be focusing on the heart improving circulation, and creating emotional balance.

Bring one hand to your chest, one hand to your belly.

Breathe deep from the belly up through the ribs into the chest.

Exhale long and slow from the chest back down through the ribs into the belly.

Feel the breath moving through the torso, relaxing the system and getting ready to circulate healthy energy to the heart.

Now let's do an exercise called spinal cord breathing.

Bring your hands up by your shoulders.

Look up.

Inhale.

Then round your back, exhale and tuck your tailbone under.

Inhale as you open the chest.

Exhale as you round the back.

Spinal cord breathing is designed to relax your nervous system.

When the nervous system's relaxed, the heart is at ease.

Breathe slow and deep through the nose.

Exhale as you round the back.

Inhale, open the chest.

Spinal cord breathing can be a moving meditation.

Feel the way your spine moves, how the breath is synchronized with the movement.

Bring healthy energy to the spine and to the chest.

The breath can help to ease the heart.

Inhale, open the chest.

Exhale round the back.

Movement is key to healthy energy and healthy circulation.

Feel the movement here through the spine into the ribs and the chest.

Exhale round the back.

Inhale as you open the chest, feeling your body relax, unwind, and release tension.

Let this exercise be a moving meditation where you unwind, relax, and improve circulation from the heart to the rest of the body.

Take a deep breath, exhale.

Let the arms come down to your sides.

Feel that healthy energy moving through the system.

Now bring your hands to your chest Knock up and down on the sternum.

Knocking on the sternum releases emotional stress that influences the heart.

And these are great pressure points for clearing stress releasing any tension or tightness in the chest, and improving circulation that flows through your heart.

Breathe deep.

Go ahead and exhale long and slow out through the mouth.

Activate the Qi.

Go up and down on your sternum and breathe into it.

All these points here on the sternum in the chest are good for releasing emotional stress.

When we have stress, it tends to tighten up this area.

Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth as a way to let go of any tension, tightness, or stress.

Breathe.

Knocking on the body is a way to activate Qi.

Qi is life force energy.

When life force energy circulates the body responds by being healthy content and at peace bring your hands down to your sides and feel the Qi that you've activated.

Feel the flow of energy from your chest.

Go down the inside of your arms to your hands now... Take a stance that's wider than your shoulders and palms press together and rub the palms vigorously into each other.

This is called Igniting Inner Fire.

This exercise is great for improving circulation, releasing tension around the chest, and helping the body to stay fit and healthy.

Press your palms together and rub back and forth like you're lighting a fire.

These pressure points in the palms of the hands.

Go to the heart meridian.

Meridian means energy pathway.

Press those palms together.

And now shift the weight and let the elbow come up.

Shift the weight to the other side.

Letting the elbow rise and you go back and forth, press the palms together as you shift the weight turn the head over the opposite shoulder.

This exercise is a great workout.

Strengthening the legs, helping you feel connected to the earth.

Grounded, balanced, and secure.

Come back to the center.

Inhale, open the chest.

Exhale, palms touch.

This exercise is called Heart to the Sky.

Inhale as you open the chest.

Exhale, palms touch, and you sink the chest back.

Feel the movement through the chest and the upper back making space between the shoulder blades.

Inhale, open the chest, exhale, palms touch Sink the chest to make space between the shoulder blades.

Breathe into the chest and feel The Qi circulating in the heart center.

Qi signifies healthy energy flowing to all parts of your body.

Now bring your feet back to shoulder width and start to bounce into the legs.

Let this shaking go out through the arms, wrists, and hands.

Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth with a long sigh.

Inhale through the nose.

Exhale with a long sigh out through the mouth.

Then bring your arms up, shoulder height, continue shaking.

Pump the arms.

Release any old energy, any stress, let it go through the movement.

Inhale deep through the nose.

Exhale out through the mouth with a long sigh.

Hands down to the sides pump, releasing old energy down to the earth letting it become recycled.

Then stop the shaking.

Stand with your feet shoulder width.

Feel the Qi moving through your body.

Here, notice how the body feels.

Next, we're gonna gather heart Qi.

By having one arm come across thechest, make a light loose fist, and bring it back to your hip, hand comes across the chest and back to the hip.

As you bring the hand in, inhale, and as you exhale, float that hand out and around.

Bring the hand in, exhale and move the hand out across the chest.

Gather healthy energy to the heart.

Remember the heart meridian, The energy pathway goes from the chest into the hand.

When you come across the chest and make that light loose fist We're gathering healthy energy, improving circulation as it flows through the body Qi improves the physiology.

First, energy moves, then the body follows.

Hands down to your sides.

Float both hands up to your chest arms come out, flick the fingers And let the hands come down In Qi Gong, we let go of stress, tension, and tightness to make space for new energy.

Turn the hands away, palms open.

Give a little shake or a flick of the wrists and send old energy to the earth.

Inhale as you come up.

Exhale out to the sides.

Flick the wrists.

Float the arms down.

Inhale, squeeze the hands, gather old energy, shake it off, send old energy down to the earth to be recycled.

And then we bring new energy up.

Exhale out to the sides.

Again, we're pumping the energy through the hands.

To facilitate the circulation and the work that the heart has to do Exhale, you float the hands out, flick the wrists deep breath...

When you flick the wrists, it's like the leaves falling out of the tree Going down to the earth, creating compost, so that new energy rises up through the trunk and out through the branches.

Inhale... coming up, squeeze the hands, flick out through the wrists down to the earth.

Keep it going.

Find your flow.

Using the hands to create this additional pump that benefits the heart and improves circulation.

Inhale up.

Exhale, arms out to the sides.

Let your breath and your body work together.

Your heart is a miraculous organ.

Not only is it a pump and circulates blood through the body but it's also the seat of emotional energy.

Whatever emotional energy that we feel filters in and through the heart.

this exercise releases emotional stress and creates a physical, healthy heart and emotional balance.

With your hands down to your sides, just relax.

Take a deep breath, notice how your body feels And now we're gonna do a movement called Grasping the Bird's Tail.

Remember, I'm doing your mirror image.

Open the arms chest height, and out through the shoulders.

Then bring the arms together, your right hand points to your left elbow.

Then inhale and open the arms and now your left hand will point to the right elbow.

When you close the arms, you're staying protected.

When you open the arms, you're taking life in.

Inhale, open the arms and bring in the experiences that you want in life.

Exhale, stay protected from negative energy, opening the chest and closing the chest.

The Qi in life moves like a pump.

It's rhythmic, it expands, it contracts.

The heartbeat is a short rhythm.

The heart and the breath are rhythmic expressions of energy of the life force.

Feel your whole body in the expression of the energy in the flow of the energy that's all around you.

Inhale, open the chest.

Exhale, bring the arms towards each other.

Inhale, open the arms.

Exhale, staying protected from negative energy.

Remember, emotional stress affects the physical heart greatly.

When you open and close like this It helps to release stress and tension in the chest transforms the emotions back into purified energy and creates this healthy flow of Qi Through the heart, though the chest and though the rest of the body And when the hands close, you stay protected against negative, negative energy from other people.

or the stress that's all around us.

Hands come down to the sides, relax, Take a deep breath And then Coming Home to the Heart.

You're gonna bring the back of the hands towards each other.

And inhale as you come into the chest, exhale, the arms float out.

In this exercise, imagine that you're swimming through water.

In Qi Gong we wanna move the body like water.

Feel the flow of energy move through you.

Water is both relaxing and powerful.

Just like the ocean.

If you run your fingers through the warm water.

It's soft and gentle, but stand in a wave and you feel its power.

These flows activate the power within your body The power to heal...

The power to enjoy life's experiences.

Exhale, as you float the arms out.

Inhale as you come in, relax into that waterlike flow.

As you cultivate energy to the heart.

Feel your chest.

The flow of energy, smooth.

Your body relaxed and your mind calm and at peace.

Exhale as you float the hands out.

Inhale, as you bring the hands in, breath, body and Qi all work together to create a healing effect within your system.

Relax, bring your arms to your chest.

The heels of your hands touch, but the fingers are apart.

This is called the Lotus Blossom.

Breathe slow and deep through your nose as if you're smelling the fragrance of a beautiful flower.

Feel joy, happiness, compassion.

And deep relaxation blossoming in your heart.

Let your mind and body connect with the intention of creating healthy energy in your heart.

Bring now both hands in front of your chest.

Shift the weight slightly left and right.

One hand comes across the chest.

The other is underneath.

Take your left hand down come across the chest with your right hand.

This movement is called Cloudy Hands.

Cloudy hands represents the lightness...

The relaxation...

The feeling of being carefree through the chest.

Shift the weight... One hand comes across the chest, the other's underneath.

Shifting the weight left and right helps to pump the energy through the body.

And you guide and direct the energy through the heart meridian It goes from the chest down the inside of the arm to the palms of the hands.

Let this movement be effortless, flowing and fluid.

Keep the top of your head lifted towards the sky But feel your feet connected to the earth.

Shift the weight left and right.

Relax your shoulders and let the energy flow.

Use the imagery of water to help your body move more fluidly with effortless power.

Bring your hands down.

Palms face towards each other And feel the Qi in between your palms.

Feel it as golden light.

Notice that you can feel energy in your hands but also feel energy between your hands.

Next, bring your hands up over your head.

Touch the first finger and the thumbs as you come down.

Bring your hands by your heart.

Push forward.

Circle up to the chest and repeat.

Hands come up over the head.

Connect to the universe.

Hands come down, connect to the earth.

Send positive energy from your heart out into the world like golden light.

Then let the energy blossom in your chest.

This is called the Lotus Flow.

Cultivating loving kindness and compassion.

Bring the hands up to the heart center.

Send positive energy out.

Feel the connection from the universe flow down through you into the earth.

Send positive energy out from our heart center, then bring positive energy back to the chest.

The Lotus Flow is a way in which we can cultivate wisdom from life's experiences... Let go of stress or negativity And have positive intentions that we send out into the world.

When we send out positive intentions, the heart opens like a lotus flower, staying healthy, positive, and relaxed.

Now, drop the hands, bring one hand up to the side and down the midline of the body.

Then do the same thing with the other hand.

Inhale and exhale as you come down.. Inhale, circle the arm around, let it float down the midline to your center.

This exercise keeps your mind, heart, and body in balance.

Thoughts stay positive and in the moment Heart relaxed and in alignment with joy and happiness.

Your body energized, full of positive, healthy energy.

Inhale as you circle the arm around.

Exhale as you come down.

Let the breath, the movement, and the flow all work together.

Bring that hand around, gathering Qi Gathering beautiful energy from the sky, the environment and nature.

Feel connected within yourself.

And with nature all around you.

Breathe slow and deep.

Feel the energy in your heart like warm golden sunlight.

Keep now your left hand by your chest, your right hand underneath.

Hold that position.

Breathe into it.

The Taoist prayer position.

Feel that hand by your heart expressing positive energy.

The hand at your belly is an anchor.

Helping you to feel grounded, connected, and in the moment.

And then we'll switch hands.

Bring the other hand to the heart center.

Feel your heart center, golden and warm.

Feel that connection between your heart and your body.

Taking some nice, slow, deep breaths.

Feel that golden glow radiating through the heart center.

Feel how this routine has cleared stress recharged and replenished your energy system and helped to calm and create peace within your mind.

The sunset is the time of day where yin and yang are in balance.

Now bring both hands to your heart and prayer position.

Take a deep breath and feel gratitude, appreciation for your healthy heart, for the experiences of life and for your practice.

Gratitude helps to open the heart.

And create health in your circulatory system.

Take some deep breaths.

Keep your mind focused on the things you appreciate about your life About the friends, the family... the little things that you get to enjoy each and every day.

Stay focused on what you appreciate.

Breathe into it, and allow that to grow.

Allow that health and vitality to spread through your whole system.

Feel the healthy energy in your heart.

Take a deep breath.

Take that feeling of health and vitality with you into the rest of your day.

Enjoy.