I am grateful for this forum and for your willingness to share what you learn and experience with others.
In my first steps of trying to learn the "how" of Qigong, I've had a couple of questions:
1) Just where on the roof of your mouth do you put your tongue? Just behind the teeth or up in the rounded part?
2) When you lean over your elbows in Harmony of Universal Energy, are you supposed to keep your knee straight? Mine wants to bend into the lean...
3) My breathing feels so shallow when I pull my spine up really straight - Is this the way it is supposed to be or will it deepen in time?
4) I can't breathe as slowly as the Sitting Meditation Om's and Mo's - can I sneak in an extra little inhalation and exhalation in between? I know I'm supposed to be relaxed, but my body tenses up as I keep trying to inhale past my lungs being full...
5) I do a series of stretches and mat exercises every morning and would like to do them after my Qigong - or do I need to wait a period of time?
6) Most "exercise" programs say to drink a lot of water before during and after exercise, and I'm getting the impression that I shouldn't do this with Qigong. Or is it that it just shouldn't be cold?
7) Would it hurt my Qi energy to take a warm shower afterwards? Or how about if I take my shower when I first get up and then do Qigong?
8) After 2 hours of doing Qigong and the meditation and my stretching and my exercises (whew) on an empty stomach, I'm hungry - are there any recommendations as to when you should eat breakfast? Should I avoid cold foods (protein shake, etc.)?
I'm not trying to be uptight and anal about all this, but just want to retain the good benefits I recieve by knowing ahead of time what will help it rather than hinder it.
It would also be interesting to read how others have fit this into their days and what you do when, etc.
Thank you, all, for your wisdom!
Love and kindness,
Valentine
