which qigong after heart failure?

[Jin Gang Dao Dui]

My mother (70) has been diagnosed with Heart Failure. She spent over a week at the hospital being monitored and is taking medication. She got electroshocks to stabilize her pulse, has leakage in one chamber and has general weak heart activity.

I am trying to help her change her diet and I was thinking about teaching her some simple Qigong exercises to make her do some gentle exercise as she hasn't done any "sports" since her childhood. She does move when she does householding chores and works in the garden, which includes chopping wood for the wood stove and often rides her bicycle when she goes shopping. But never does movement for sports, leisure, fun or to relax.

I only have a couple of days left to teach her something as on Tuesday I should return to Spain and attend my school (Mother lives in Belgium).

What would be the best set of exercises for her to begin with considering her condition?

Something like
+arm swings
+Ba duan jin
+Five animals
+.... ?

[Peacedog]

Spring Forest Chi Gung by Chun Yi Lin has done alot for medical patients I've worked with over the years.

His work is available here: http://www.springforestqigong.com/

This is a very soft system and can be learned from the level 1 DVD. You just follow along.

http://www.springforestqigong.com/index ... als-course

The seminars provide alot of information not contained in the DVDs. It is a low cost (about $40) and easy way to learn the material.

[Doc Stier]

Simple Pa-Kua Chuan circle walking has produced excellent recovery results among my patients in that age group. Even a minute or two to each side once or twice per day is very beneficial.

[yeniseri]

It appears that she has been cleared for physical activity based on the above mentioned. If not verify with family MD.

Best exercise to do is a little tricky but increasing her physical activity level so walking is excellent. Changing the dietary intake is a great suggestion as you state but based on heart chamber dysfunction, weak heart, etc be careful of contraindications. People with cardiovascular and circulatory abnormalities should not over a certain degree or range, or assume lowered body positions, which has the potential to cause greater problems. Use of CV drugs can induce postural hypotention that when lowered postured are assumed, dizziness and loss of balance are next so they should be monitored. I would recheck with medical professional to see the range of activities that can be participated in without due injury to the subject.

[Franklin]

My dad had some heart health issues along with some other things

I taught him Wuji standing
he really liked it
and practices about 30-45 minutes everyday for some years now...


I knew he did not have the desire to learn something complicated
and if he did - he probably would not keep the practice up

so I taught him wuji standing

he started to feel some things happening
and now he is hooked...


Franklin

[Jin Gang Dao Dui]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and words of caution.

[Bob]

Medical Qigong for the Heart: Part I By Lisa VanOstrand, DMQ
http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/ ... p?id=32909

Acupuncture Today
July, 2014, Vol. 15, Issue 07

Medical Qigong for the Heart: Part I

By Lisa VanOstrand, DMQ

Editor's Note: This is part 1 of a 3 part series that will focus on how medical qi gong can benefit the physical, mental-emotional and spiritual aspects of the heart.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. Coronary heart disease, in just the United States alone, costs close to 109 billion dollars a year.

The earliest qi gong came from the Chinese observing the movement of animals. By imitating the movement of a bird flapping its wings, we can bring enormous health benefits to the heart. All Medical qi gong has three aspects: posture, breath and intentionality.

Posture

The bird flaps its wing qi gong should be done in both a vertical plane as well as a horizontal plane. In qi gong, all movements are very relaxed, so there should no tension in the arms and the elbows and wrists should be loose. Make sure that your shoulders stay relaxed.

In the vertical plane, start from a normal standing position with arms by the side. Then stretch up, circling the arms out to the side with palms facing down to above the head. Hands do not touch. The sternum should rise and lift the chest as the arms move up. As the arms move down, the sternum compresses and the chest hollows. We want full body participation, so as the arms come back down and the sternum compresses also bend the knees. The knees straighten as you stretch back up again to repeat the exercise.


qigong - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark
In the horizontal plane, the arms are placed in front of the torso at heart level with elbows bent and palms facing down. As the arms move out to the side, the sternum lifts, the knees bend. As the arms reach the sides of the body, rotate the palms to face upward. As your arms return to the starting position, the sternum compresses inward to hollow the chest, and the knees straighten.

Hands do not touch when returning to the starting position. Lifting and compressing the sternum will massage the heart and will result in increased blood circulation to the organs. Although this posture is done in the Daoist 5 yin organ series for the lung, it also has tremendous benefit for the heart. The heart and lungs are neighbors, so all upper body movement that expand the muscles of the chest will also open the lungs and help oxygenate the body. The pumping action of the bending and straightening of the knees and the rising and falling of the thoracic region benefit lymphatic circulation.

Breath

This is a regulating qi gong, so the breath should be equal on the inhale and exhale. Inhale deeply on each movement where the sternum rises and exhale on each movement as the sternum falls.

This is a natural breath, which means especially the upper thoracic region but also the abdomen expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale. Natural thoracic breathing will stimulate qi and blood flow to both the lungs and the heart as well as strengthen the immune system.

Intention

Let your mind focus on your heart. It is always a good idea if a qi gong exercise has a organ intentionality to have your mind focused on that particular organ while performing that exercise.

The heart's virtue is peace and order. As the emperor of our human body, what more could an emperor want for his kingdom then peace and order! If your life is currently tumultuous or you find peace difficult, then smile while performing this exercise.

According to a study reported in Association for Psychological Science, a smile can benefit your heart health. The research showed that participants who were able to have a genuine smile where both the muscles of the mouth and the eyes were involved had lower heart rates after stressful activities than participants who held their face in a neutral position or were smiling only with the mouth muscles. Resting your mind on your heart and feeling peaceful and smiling will definitely increase the health benefits of this heart-centered qi gong.

Conclusion

All three components of this medical qi gong exercise work together to create optimal heart health. This exercise can be done for 5 –10 minutes daily or for as long as it feels comfortable. If you experience any difficulties or have any health concerns, please check with your doctor prior to performing. The ease of the exercise means that it can be done by people who are elderly, overweight or even wheel-chair bound. Finally, although not scientifically proven, it has been speculated that the longevity and vitality of orchestra conductors, both physically and mentally, is due to their extensive arm waving movements done while performing.

Resources
1.Center for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/statistics.html
2.Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy Volume 4: Prescription Exercises and Meditations,
Treatment of Internal Diseases, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Gynceology, Neurology and Energetic
Psychology (pages 140-142) By Professor Jerry Alan Johnson
3. Association for Psychological Science:
www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/ ... miles.html


http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/ ... p?id=32911

Acupuncture Today
August, 2014, Vol. 15, Issue 08

Medical Qigong for the Heart: Part II

By Lisa VanOstrand, DMQ

Editor's Note: Part 1 of Medical Qigong for the Heart focused on the physical aspect of the Heart. This article focuses on the mental-emotional aspect of the Heart. Although it is important to recognize that body, mind and spirit can be separated only in theory, in experience they are different dimensions of the same human consciousness.

Chinese Medicine is rich in commentary regarding the emotions and how they affect our qi. Through understanding the directionality of qi associated with the different emotions, we can help our patients understand how long-standing or suppressed emotions can cause injury to the associated organ system. Some patients are unable to connect emotional causes to their physical conditions. Additionally, some patients may be reluctant to discuss their emotions. Patients may be able to relate to the idea of emotions as forces disturbing the directionality of qi more easily than admitting or discussing their emotional problems.

The negative emotion that affects the Heart is joy. This is a difficult concept for most Westerners to completely understand. Joy as a cause of disease is not a state of healthy contentment, but one of excessive excitement or even mania. Chapter 8 of the Ling Shu tells us that joy scatters the qi.

This can be easily connected to the heart's taxation of excessive staring. Constantly looking for happiness, through other people and through possessions, it disturbs our peace and causes our qi to scatter.

The heart is also the home of our Spirit, our Shen. Although each organ, carries its own emotional associations, ultimately all emotions affect the heart by disturbing its peace. This same idea is expressed in Chinese Medicine when we speak of the Heart as the emperor. Like a well ordered government, the heart must create peace and order for the other officials in the body. For this reason, treatment of all emotional problems must include the Heart.

One of the more popular Medical Qigong exercises that Jerry Alan Johnson, author of five Medical Qigong textbooks, taught for emotional detoxing was "Old Man Looking for his Reflection in the Tide Pool." There is a story associated with this particular qigong. The story as well as the associated qigong exercise is in the 4th Medical Qigong textbook.

One night on a full moon, an old man on the southern coast of China went looking for sea crustaceans to feed his family. Holding his lamp upward, he gazed down and saw a large beautiful pearl at the bottom of a tide pool. "Oh my!" he exclaimed as he quickly placed his lamp on a rock. "Look at the size of that pearl! With a pearl that large, I'll be able to retire! Even my family won't have to work, and we'll all live in luxury for the rest of our lives!" So, the old man stretched his hands wide and began splashing his arms in the tide pool trying to grasp the large pearl. "Sh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h!" went the water as the old man frantically grasped at nothing. Perplexed, the old man looked up. Reaching into the night sky, the old man's eyes widened as he saw the full moon. "Haaa!" exclaimed the old man, "It's the moon! whooo- o-o-o-o-o," cried the old man, "There's no money!"

In a way, this is the story of our life, of how our life circumstances create these emotions which cause our qi to not flow smoothly. We think we have something and then we don't get it or we get something we don't really want. Emotions are meant to move. In discussing the emotional aspect of the disease process, it is important to remember that it is normal to experience the full range of emotions. It is only when a particular emotion is experienced over a prolonged period or with particular intensity that it becomes a source of imbalance.

Understanding the historical aspect of emotions is a subject that has been well debated. It is certainly possible that Westerners have imposed their own viewpoints on this subject. It is doubtful if the emotions of ancient Chinese living in an agrarian Confucian society would be viewed in the same context as people in a modern civilization which is unarguably egocentric.

However, I believe the universality of Chinese Medicine allows us to adapt it to modern Western perspectives.

Being at peace means being able to let go of things, having the ability to purge and release. "Old Man Looking for his Reflection in the Tide Pool" is meant to be a purging exercise, an exercise to let go of, to not be so attached. This qigong exercise is suitable for most patients - however, it is obviously important for a person with severe emotional problems to get professional help from a trained psychotherapist.

Healing sounds because of their connections to the breath, to the qi, are often used in Medical Qigong for working with emotional issues. The sounds for each of the organs except Kidney is used in this exercise. The Healing sound for the Heart is Haaa. The emotions of the Heart are anxiety and unhappiness. Although as previously mentioned, all emotions ultimately involve the heart. The healing sound for the Lungs is Shhhh. The Lungs emotions are sadness and grief. The sound Whooo although typically associated with the Earth element is meant in this exercise to be a combination healing sound for both the Liver and Spleen. The emotions associated with the Spleen are worry and obsessive thinking. The emotions for the Liver are anger and frustration.

Old Man Searching for his Reflection in the Tide Pool

As you perform the exercise, it is good to focus on a situation that causes you emotional disharmony. This allows the exercise to be uniquely tailored to each individual. Treating the individual is a hallmark of Chinese Medicine. To increase the effectiveness of releasing specific emotions, feel the emotions being released from each associated organ as you make the healing sounds. The healing sounds should be done loudly since this focus is on purging.
1.Begin the "Old Man Searching for the Reflection of the Moon at the Bottom of Tide Pool" exercise from a standing posture. Both feet are facing forward, shoulder-width apart. Inhale and imagine divine healing light filling the Lungs. While inhaling, separate and stretch both arms to the sides of the body, forming the shape of the letter "T."
2.Lean over and begin to exhale making the Shhhh sound. While exhaling, imagine toxic emotions from both Lungs flowing down each arm and pouring into the ground. Both arms should swing from one side to the other, crisscrossing each other as you continue to make the purging sound.
3.Return to an upright position while inhaling and imagining divine healing light filling the chest (especially the Heart, Liver, and Spleen areas). When inhaling, look upward and raise the hands over the head.
4.When exhaling, both hands should descend to shoulder level, making soft fists (as if embracing two sparrows). Exhale only half of your breath while focusing the mind's intention on the center of the chest, and imagine the toxic emotions releasing from the Heart while making the Haaa sound. Next, exhale the second half of your breath while imagining toxic emotions releasing from the Liver and Spleen and making the Whooo sound. While exhaling, move both hands down to the hips while keeping the fists soft.
5.Repeat the last two steps (3 and 4) three times. This equals one set. Emotions, affect the way we move our qi. Unlike the child, whose emotions move freely, as we get older we can become stuck in our emotional patterns and our view of life. As Jeffrey Yuen, an 88th generation Daoist priest and revered teacher of Chinese Medicine says, "a bitter person lives in a bitter world". "Old Man Searching for his reflection in the Tide Pool" is a powerful emotional transforming qigong exercise. This exercise can be practiced 10-15 minutes daily and can be done any time we feel emotionally challenged. Equally important, it can be done when someone is unable to convey their emotions or has emotional blockages they are unaware of.

References
1.Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy Volume 4: Prescription Exercises and Meditations, Treatment of Internal Diseases, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Gynceology, Neurology and Energetic Psychology (pages 57-59) By Professor Jerry Alan Johnson
2.Jeffrey Yuen, lecture notes


Lisa VanOstrand is a Doctor of Medical Qigong (China) and was a student and apprentice of Jerry Allan Johnson at the International Institute of Medical Qigong, former Dean of Advanced Studies at Barbara Brennan School of Healing and Certified Energy Medicine Practitioner and Core Energetic Therapist. She teaches classes in Medical Qigong and Energy Healing at various locations in the U.S. Visit www.3treasureshealing.com.

[wiesiek]

red vibrant colour and sound "HA" is associated with the heart meridian.
You may add to the standing practise:
visualisation of the pure red colour when breathing in,
-when breathing out - flushing out darker one /riding off body poisons /

adding HaHa sound on the end of the session will also add in dispersing energy blockades in the meridian