Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Ending Exercise

How important are the steps in the ending exercise? I found that doing the neck exercises hurt my neck. What exactly do these exercises do?

Hi,
They are important to do. Read the manual, it explains the purpose of the end exercises.
Regarding the neck: The neck is an important area. As we get older it is an area which can be injured more easily or just wear out, sooner than other joints or pivotal areas of movement. Similar to knees and back, only more delicate. It also relates to the C7 area on the top of the spine, which holds alot of day to day stress. If the movement hurts , or is uncomfortable, reduce the size of the circles. Focus on smooth, smaller circles. Even if they are quite small. Work in your comfort range. As long as you are making circles... With improvement, you can increase the size or extent of the movement as improvement is made. Perhaps work with sword fingers and putting healing energy into the C7 and throat chakra area. You can work from the front and just work on the backside through the front , or connect that area horizontally (throat and C7), and feel a nice horizontal energy connection, energizing both front and back points. Also focus on the tops of your shoulders. There are imnportant energy points there to. Think of really relaxing those points so you aren't holding tension in the shoulders.

Thanks gallen.

The one thing I was thinking about with these particular neck movement is something my martial arts teacher told me a few years ago. I used to do jujitsu when I was in school and we used to warm up by rolling the neck. I then moved on to ninjutsu in 1994, and the instructor told us not to roll the neck because it wears down the joint between the head and the spine.

Hi again.
There is a difference between rolling the neck, in regards to it as an external/mechanical joint that will wear out with movement, and "opening up" a joint and moving qi through it. There also can be a difference in circling your neck, and making a circular movement with your neck. A circular movement can be very sophisticated and masterful. It can be experienced or performed at different levels that don't warrant comparison. Having qi flowing through the movement, making the movement smooth and continuous, and opening the neck. These are the criteria that make it a healthy and vital movement. Work within a comfort range, and pay attention to what you are doing. It isn't a hollow movement. Your neck will get less and less flexible with age if you don't take care of it. There is also a greater chance of injury , in moving your neck when you are older, if you haven't taken care of keeping it open and flexible.