It is important before you begin your Qigong practice, to properly warm up the body, using a variety of warm-up exercises. The warm-up should last two to ten minutes. Sometimes I do a light jog, jump rope or even just jog in place until I feel my body starting to warm up. If you don’t warmup properly, you risk injury as the joints and muscles are cold, thus the fascia is tighter. Below is a great Qigong exercise that I frequently use to warm up. This is also one of the most common Medical Qigong exercises taught in China as it is easy to do, safe and has a very positive effect on your health.
Shake by gently bouncing the body and pushing into the ground. You can also lightly jump off the ground.
It is one of the most common practices taught in Medical Qigong because it is easier to practice than running, especially if you have knee injuries or weak knees. It is a good warm up and it also shakes the organs, which allows them to move more freely in the body, thus it is good to do before Organ Qigong.
After shaking for 5 to 10 minutes, stop and hold a “ball of Qi” between your palms. Begin to breathe in and expand the ball and breathe out as you compress the ball.
Upon completion, allow the palms to settle by your side and practice Ting Jing. This practice makes it easy to feel Skin Qi.
After this you can begin a light, dynamic stretching routine. I recommend that you refer to the book and use Meridian Qigong to prepare your body for the Five Element Qigong. Meridian Qigong exercises can be found in the Meridian Qigong book or in my online course entitled White Tiger Qigong Immersion Series.