Love that name for a qi gong exercise. Recently I took up qi gong again, a very gentle yet powerful, ancient Chinese practice that is thousands of years old and is so much more than exercise. I love exercise forms that do more than just get you to move your body. Qi gong promotes wellness by moving the qi or life energy in your body around to circulate it more freely and unblock energy channels along the way. It is a very slow practice that doesn't look like anything much when you observe it from the outside. Yet it turns out to be incredibly complex. Qi gong requires intense mental focus because it entails the coordination of many aspects, such as eye movement, breath, different body parts, awareness of postures and precise positions. And because the movements are so slow and repetitive it also promotes endurance.

Qi gong works well for me as a meditation in motion, and that is what it is often called, because I don't have much patience with sitting meditation. With qi gong I am so busy focusing on the various aspects of my body that I am never bored, no matter how many repetitions of the same exercise, and I cannot not be totally in the moment.

I admire our teacher who, on top of doing the exercises with us, talks us through them in a slow, meditative voice, all the while noticing when someone locks their knees, hunches their shoulders, or cringes their face. Then she gently makes us aware of how to improve the posture by a nod of the head, a movement of her eyes, a constructive comment or a prodding question. Powerful! What movement practice do you enjoy and why?