Can chi gung be done anytime

[travelsbyknight]

I think so.

I recently started doing "internal" sets of chi gung that are derived from ba gua, hsing i and tai chi. They're awesome and I already feel the effects on my gung fu.

I was told that the best time to do it is in the morning and outside in the fresh air. That's great and all but...what if your schedule doesn't fit? What if you live in a place with crappy air...like Manhattan? What if it's cold as heck outside? Do you risk frost bite to get the full effect/affect(I never know which one to use)?

Please clarify also when to use effect/affect. I usually have good grammar but not with those two words.

Back to chi gung. Personally, I NEVER get enough sleep at night and am really groggy in the morning. In the afternoon I am too tense/frustrated after work to do chi gung. Therefore I do my chi gung at night before bed. THis is the time I am at my most relaxed and I prefer the night because I don't like my neighbors staring at me going, "There's a chinese guy doing that jujutsu stuff." That always plays in the back of my mind when I do chi gung during the day.

I feel that chi gung should be done when YOU feel it's best because most important is the way you feel and how you're feeling your body.

Please reply with your opinions. I'm going to post this topic under some of the other discussions to catch all the hitchhiker posts. Thanks.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

I feel that chi gung should be done when YOU feel it's best because most important is the way you feel and how you're feeling your body.


i think you kinda answered you own question bud, but i understand your looking for opinions.

mornings are rough so just do what you can. its better to eat in the morning too, but you can't decide not to eat at all if you there's no way to squeeze in breakfast. well you could .. but you'd be dead before long and then the necrophiliacs might have their way with you.

[David Jamieson]

well, not while you're asleep, but yeah, you can do them anytime.

and yeah, the first thing you should do in the morning is eat. It stokes your metabolism for the day and it is the most important meal of the day.

but qigong can be done at any time unless otherwise specified. I.E if you are not feeling right to do a particular series, or if the series is preferabbly performed in the day or the night and so on.

for the most part, it's up to you and your personal preference though.

[EarthDragon]

I was taught by my shrfu that between the hours of 10 pm and 1 am is the best time.
The negitive ions in the atmosphere are the strongest then.
Facing north is also great to have mangntic pull working in your favor, never on a full stomach and always with clear mind.
It depends on the qigong you are doing but the most basic qigong is martial keep that in mind if you decide to pursue it deeper.

[PlumDragon]

Facing north is also great to have mangntic pull working in your favor, never on a full stomach and always with clear mind.
There is probably some level of tradition behind standing North, but Id like to consider this on a real basic level:

On a good day, the magnetic field created by the rotation of the Earth is on the order of a few hundred milli-gauss even near the poles, the same order of magnitude as that little sticker that you pull off your phone book and slap on the fridge. Assuming you could even prove that there is a direct relationship between magnetic field applied and circulation, this probably is not something that should effect any negligible circulation.

Furthermore, the magnetic field is aligned in one direction based on the flow of matter through the core of the Earth. Even if it did cause a non-infinitesimal effect on the body, it would only manifest as an advantage in 1 direction of flow...and a disadvantage in the other direction...You are better off inducing a current flow through a wire that is strapped around you from crotch to head and back, or gluing refrigerator magnets to qigong points as you open them up....lol

Just wanting to offer to people that not standing straight due North, in a specific direction at 9:54pm, etc etc etc does nto mean you wont get the same results. I do my qigong sets first thing in the morning, some do them at lunch, others do them at night.

My view is that its far more important to get out there and work on it, regardless of when or where, and the results will be commensurate with your level of dedication...

[EarthDragon]

plum dragon
I agree with what you said and make a valid point. but things should not be taken so literal. Certian qigong pratice is very specific, and my mention of facing north has many reasons just as a feng shui doctor will always advise your head to face north when you sleep. Does this mean that if your head doesnt face north your not healthy or getting the most out of your sleep? of course not but energy flows in patterns and if you have the choice of time and direction it is perferred to work with natural energy even if its is subtle. We cannot feel the earth roate but can feel the effects of the jet stream caused by its rotation. Perhaps I am getting to deep into my understanding and I am absolutly tradtional. I learned from a strict bejing doctor steeped in it LOL.

[PlumDragon]

E.D.
No doubt many things are more profound than the simple proverb that teaches the lesson; I can appreciate that. If you get something out of it (it being any topic in life), then all the power to you. Seriously, I dont mean to discredit anything you say and candidly, I really enjoy posts like yours above. I just wanted to speak to those less....initiated...with qigong practice and make them aware that these things arent necessary for good results. Although if their sifu tells them to do it, it certainyl wont harm anything...

;)

[EarthDragon]

plum, Indeed we are from the same scool. Much respect to you. it is nice to have someone of your caliber responding to these posts. be well...