Qigong for Equinox - Restoring Balance

Here’s a special flow designed for Equinox, a magical time of year when day and night reach equilibrium, and in the Northern Hemisphere the warm, yang of Summer gives way to the cool, yin of Autumn.

After the expansive fire and grounding earth energy of Summer the focus now shifts more to the sharper, clearer metal element themes of letting go and cutting away what we no longer need.

This flow is also good for Spring Equinox (for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere!) because we harmonise the yin and yang elements of the body and play with the different ways these forces interact as we move through the world. This of course leads us to centre our energy making this a great practice to help calm the nervous system.

This sequence also features some exercises where we balance on one leg, so feel free to use the back of a chair or wall to steady yourself while you practice. We’re now realising how important the ability to balance is, particularly as we age and from our forties onwards our balance declines because of shrinking muscle mass and sensory degradation. But don’t worry, we can slow that down and even reverse it with Qigong! Spending a little time focusing on rebuilding that strength and training our eyes, ears, and neural pathways to balance is really good for overall health, physical agility, and longevity.

We also try a little more Animal Play with some Crane moves. Due to its Shamanistic origins, pre-Daoism or Buddhism, Qigong animal postures and movements invite us to channel the spirit of the animal. So with Crane, our totem for Autumn’s Metal season, we find balance, clarity, perspective, and discernment as we let go and rise above what no longer serves, aspiring to lightness and elegance.

Let me know how you get on in the comments and pop any questions in there too.

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Thanks for watching and practicing with me!