“No is a complete sentence” — Nikki Myers, founder of Yoga of 12-Step Recovery
You can’t light a candle with an extinguished match. Likewise, you are of little use to the world if you expend all of your life energy, your qi, neglecting to keep your inner flame lit.
In addition to conserving yoru qi, you need to allow it to flow freely through your chakras. OCD knots up your qi to keep it from flowing freely.
Qigong has practices to help you collect, circulate, direct and conserve qi. All are important to your well-being and to your ability to heal the world.
One way to conserve qi is to learn how to say, “no.” If it doesn’t feel right, say no. If you are feeling depleted, say no. You don’t have to explain or make excuses. As Nikki Myers says, no is a complete sentence.
Another method is a qigong movement called cloud hands.
Cloud Hands
- Simply stand or sit comfortably straight. Twist upper torso the left and position your right hand with palm facing your eyes and left hand with palm facing your belly, as if you were hugging a small tree.
- Stare at you right palm as you slowly twist past center to the right.
- Now turned to the right, gently switch your hands so that the left palm is facing your eys and the right is facing your belly. As the hands pass by one another, the upper hand that is moving down briefly turns to face the lower hand which is on its way up. At that point focus your gaze into the distance.
- Now repeat, turning back to the left, watching your upper (left) palm.
- Repeat this slow movement as much as you like, breathing slowly and deeply. Allow yourself to let thought drift away.
Here is a video demonstrating cloud hands, or “clouds over water”:
If you conserve your qi and allow it to flow, you can be a beacon of divine light and love, shining brightly in the world.
