"Hu" Walking Exercise for Weight Loss (Part 1): Preparation and Breathing Coordination for Forward Steps

The specific practice method for the "Hu" character walking and weight loss exercise is as follows:

I. Forward Method

The best place to practice this exercise is on a tree-lined path in a park, on a track in an athletic field, on a sidewalk by a river, or on the side of a road where there are no motor vehicles.

To begin practicing, relax your limbs and joints, and use both hands to pat your body, starting from the Baihui acupoint on the top of your head, passing through your neck, chest and back, along your lower abdomen, and gradually down to your ankles. Pat from top to bottom 2 to 3 times.

Using abdominal breathing, exhale slowly and inhale deeply 2-3 times, then do high knee running in place for about 2-3 minutes.

Then, calm your mind and enter the preparatory stance of standing meditation.

(I) Preparatory stance

There are nine key points to note regarding preparatory stance training:

1. Peace of mind.

The mind needs to be relaxed and calmed, eliminating all distracting thoughts.

The key is: don't fight against distracting thoughts, but accept them all, the more the better, and the distracting thoughts will disappear on their own.

Maintaining a calm and peaceful mind is very important, as it promotes the circulation of Qi and blood throughout the body.

2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Stand with your feet parallel, shoulder-width apart.

Slightly bend your knees and relax your knee joints, but make sure your knees don't go past your toes.

Relax your hips and form a circle.

The key to relaxing the waist is to use your mind to relax the Mingmen acupoint, allowing the Qi to gradually converge towards the Dantian, and placing the body's center of gravity between the legs.

3. Gently close your eyes.

First, look straight ahead into the distance, then slowly close your eyes slightly. As the sunlight gradually gathers, focus your gaze on the tip of your nose, and then inhale deeply into the acupoint at the root of your nose.

4. Gently press the tip of your tongue against the inside of your upper gum.

Remember not to use force.

Ancient Qigong practitioners called this "building the magpie bridge," with the aim of connecting the Qi of the Ren and Du meridians.

Gently close your upper and lower lips, without using force.

5. Open up Baihui (GV20).

Make the Baihui acupoint point point straight up to the sky, like a hanging bell, located on the central axis of the body.

If you do this, your head posture will be correct. Otherwise, you will have incorrect postures such as tilting forward, backward, to the left, or to the right, which will make your neck stiff and uncomfortable.

Then, use your mind to relax the Baihui acupoint, and it will naturally relax.

6. Shoulders relaxed and elbows dropped, armpits loose and wrists relaxed.

Relax the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints, and place your hands naturally in front of your lower abdomen or beside your hips to promote the smooth flow of qi and blood.

7. Chest in, back straight.

Slightly tuck your chest in, don't stick it out; use your mind to guide the Du meridian on your back, so that your spine slowly straightens. This is the meaning of "tucking the chest and straightening the back".

The worst thing you can do is hunch over; instead, while keeping your chest down, straighten your back in a relaxed posture.

8. Loosen your waist.

The waist is the axis of the body.

Loosening the waist requires relaxing the lumbar spine below the Mingmen point. If the waist is not relaxed, the Qi cannot sink to the Dantian.

"The source of life's meaning lies in the waist," which shows the importance of relaxing the waist.

9. Tuck in your abdomen.

Do not let your lower abdomen protrude outwards; instead, use your mind to draw it inwards.

Note that you should use intention, not force. If you use force, the flow of Qi will be obstructed and will not be smooth.

(II) Coordination of stepping, arm swinging and breathing

After completing the preparatory stance, begin the forward stepping motion.

At this moment, slowly open your eyes, and as you lift your right toes, slowly raise both hands with palms facing down, until they are level with the Tanzhong acupoint.

When stepping out, let your heel land first, with your foot upright but not tightly, and your knee slightly bent. Don't take too big a step, half a step is ideal. You can adjust this according to your own physical strength later.

Step out with your right foot, landing on your heel. Shift your weight to your right foot, then land on the ball of your foot. Repeat this process with your left foot, taking the second step each time.

Keep your feet in a straight line, pay attention to relaxing your waist and rounding your hips, and focus your mind on your lower abdomen (Dantian).

When taking a step, the key is to be "soft." The power should come from the waist and flow down from the hips. The step should be as light, soft, and silent as a cat's walk.

The hand-swinging guiding movements of this exercise are derived from the hand movements of Guo Lin Qigong Breathing Method.

The swinging of the hands should be coordinated with the stepping. When stepping with the left foot, the left heel should land first. The right hand should be in front of the Tanzhong acupoint, about 10 centimeters away from the Tanzhong acupoint. At this time, the left hand should be on the left hip, about 17 to 27 centimeters away from the left hip. The inner Laogong points of both hands should be aligned with the navel of the abdomen.

As you flatten your left foot, gradually shift your weight to your left foot, swing your left hand toward your dantian (lower abdomen), and move your right hand from in front of your shin point toward your right hip.

After placing your left foot flat, begin stepping with your right foot. As your right heel touches the ground, place your left hand in front of your Tanzhong acupoint and your right hand at your right hip.

As you flatten your right foot, gradually shift your weight to your right foot, swing your right hand toward your dantian (lower abdomen), and move your left hand from in front of your shin point toward your right hip.

Swinging your hand to the Tanzhong acupoint guides the Yin meridians, while swinging your hand to the hip guides the Yang meridians. Swinging your hands to the center and to the left and right can help regulate the Yin and Yang meridians.

The arm swings should be natural, with the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints all relaxed. The armpits should be hollow (as if holding an egg between them), and the arms should maintain an arc shape, not stiff. All joints of the five fingers should be relaxed and free, with the fingertips as the tip, the elbow joint as the joint, and the shoulder joint as the root. In this way, the tip → joint → root are connected in a line, and the qi and blood will flow smoothly. The yin and yang meridians can then be integrated and harmonized, achieving yin-yang balance and the goal of weight loss.

The so-called wind breathing method involves inhaling and exhaling through the nose, making a slight breathing sound during inhalation and exhalation, but not too loudly, just loud enough for you to hear.

The rhythm of the wind breathing method is two inhalations and one exhalation, that is, two short inhalations followed by one longer exhalation.

The length of two consecutive inhalations is equivalent to one beat in a musical score, and the length of one exhalation is also equivalent to one beat. Therefore, the combined length of two inhalations is roughly equal to that of one exhalation.

The inhalation sound is slightly louder than the exhalation sound.

The above breathing method can be represented as follows: "Inhale---exhale------".

Breathing should be coordinated with stepping and arm swinging.

When stepping with your left foot, coordinate with "inhale--- inhale---"; when stepping with your right foot, coordinate with "exhale---".

In addition, when turning your head, pay attention to "inhale" when your head is facing forward, and "exhale" when turning your head to the side at a 45° angle.

It should be noted that when the wind breathing method is applied to the forward movement of the "Hu" character walking exercise for weight loss, the focus of breathing should be on weight loss.

To achieve this goal, breathing must primarily involve purging.

Therefore, in specific practice, one should gradually evolve from "inhale-inhale-exhale------" to forgetting "inhale---inhale" and instead focusing one's mind on "exhale-----".

When you have practiced the forward method to a certain stage, you should relax your focus on the word "exhale" and avoid forcibly holding onto it or excessively controlling the word "exhale".

The next level is to let things flow naturally; breathing, stepping, and waving your arms should all be natural, like the willow branches swaying naturally in the wind.

Therefore, in terms of the evolution of breathing techniques, the first stage involves practicing "inhale-inhale-exhale" for about 5 minutes; the second stage involves gradually forgetting "inhale-exhale" and focusing the mind on "exhale-exhale"; and the third stage involves forgetting both inhalation and exhalation, entering a state of letting things take their natural course.

To achieve weight loss, it's also important to practice articulation and swallowing saliva.

The articulation of sounds is closely related to breathing exercises. The sound produced during articulation is powered by breath, which originates from kidney qi and is generated from lung qi.

For weight loss, the method of purging is used, and the sound should be "ha".

The length of the "ha" sound should match the exhalation. The volume and depth of the "ha" sound should be determined according to the individual's physical condition, and should be based on what feels comfortable.

Swallowing saliva refers to swallowing the gradually increasing amount of saliva that enters the mouth.

When practicing the forward walking method, if your saliva gradually increases, be careful not to spit it out casually, nor to consciously swallow it while walking (otherwise you may easily choke). You should wait until the end of the exercise to consciously swallow it.

If you have a lot of saliva in your mouth while walking, you can stop temporarily, allow your breath to gradually return to your lower abdomen (Dantian), and calmly swallow the saliva in three gulps before continuing to walk.

The production of bodily fluids during practice is a good omen. Taoists call bodily fluids "golden fluids and jade liquids," believing them to be an important material for refining essence into qi.

Modern medicine has gained new insights into the role of body fluids, believing that they have anti-cancer and health-promoting effects.

One of the wonderful uses of swallowing saliva is that it can help with weight loss.

In addition to various enzymes, body fluids also contain inorganic salts, proteins, hormones, and vitamins.

Vitamin E in it helps prevent aging, while hormones help regulate the body's physiological functions.

The practice of qigong generates body fluids, which can improve the digestive function of dieters, leading to better absorption, faster excretion, and a cleaner stomach and intestines.

Therefore, Cheng Guopeng, a famous physician in the Qing Dynasty, said: "This water of Huachi is the golden fluid of the human body. It spreads throughout the five internal organs, sprinkles throughout the six bowels, and then flows into the kidneys to become essence."

He advised people to frequently press their tongue against the roof of their mouth, hold the water from the Jade Pool in their mouth, straighten their body and relax their breathing, and mentally guide the water to the Dantian (lower abdomen). Over time, this would "open up all the meridians and begin to circulate blood (note: meaning that the blood in the body originates from the saliva in the mouth), making one's complexion radiant with a golden luster, teeth strong and hair black, and one unaware of aging." How could one then have the problem of obesity?