Work It Out

Monk Gazing at the Moon. Try this standing meditation—one of the fundamental exercises in the style of qigong known as “Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing”—from Santa Monica, Calif.-based kung fu and qigong master Terry Dunn, creator of the DVD series "Chi Kung for Health" (taichimania.com). 1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. raise your arms in front of your chest, with your hands at eye level, palms facing each other and fingers spread. maintaining a straight back, “sit” in a shallow stance. relax the back so it doesn’t arch. Keep your eyes open, gazing through your fingers. 2. Keeping your mouth closed and the tip of your tongue touching the roof of your mouth, breathe through your nose. 3. Take 3 deep breaths. After the third one, inhale fully, then exhale 60 percent of your breath capacity. continue inhaling fully, and then exhaling, first at 100 percent, then 40, 100, 20, and finally 100. 4. Take 3 more deep breaths, then hold the position for 3 to 5 minutes, breathing naturally. 5. End with 3 final deep breaths. on the third, exhale through your mouth, then lower your arms to your sides.