I believe many of you have heard of Yin and Yang and principles that they represent: Yin is feminine, dark and cold, Yang is masculine, bright and hot. I remember hearing about this for the first time and thinking how I preferred Yang principle and thought Yin was somewhat 'bad'. It was only when i started to experience Yin-Yang through practice that it dawned on me: there was no good and bad in Yin-Yang, they were only representing the changes that happen in nature and opposites that exist in every situation, in every person, with every action. Their co-existence provides platform for balance.

If we look at positive and negative aspects of feminine and masculine principles we can see how they project through our personalities. Positive aspects of feminine principle are intuition, nurturing, care, unconditional love, creativity while positive aspects of masculine principle are: action, completion, organization, balanced expression of power. Negative aspects of feminine are jealousy and emotional imbalance while negative aspects of masculine are competition, power abuse and need for control. When looking for balance in your daily life consider which one of the feminine and masculine principles you are living right now. If you are in any of the negative aspects look at how you can shift into the positive one. 

In qigong female body is more suitable for Yin practice (Yin in this case represents slow, internal, sensual and mind related aspect of Yin principle). Warmth is crucial for female health. Cold is the main reason why women experience cramps during PMS and exercise that heats the stomach is essential for prevention of PMS symptoms.

Neijia Practice

Moving Heaven and Earth. You can do this exercise while you are standing, sitting or lying down. Imagine that your waist, lower back and stomach form a ball that is slowly moving back and forth. You can gently move your stomach as you follow the motion and rotation of the ball. Feel how this motion massages and warms up your stomach.

The second exercise is related to Dantian: the area that is two centimeters behind your belly button. Imagine that this area works as the energy storage for your body and whatever you store there will be transformed into positive energy. You can put your thoughts and emotions there - even the ones that bring you troubles. Feel the breath coming into your body through your Dantian and listen to the sounds in your Dantian. The more you focus on this area the more you will increase its sensitivity. By doing so you will create resourceful state that you can tap into at any time - the only thing you need to do is to think of it! The stronger your Dantian is the less you will be experiencing cramps and emotional instability during period.

Enjoy warmth of your body and remember, the secret of the practice is to practice.

Master Liu Xuyang was born in 1972 in Shaanxi Province, China. At age of 12 he started to attain the knowledge of martial arts practice firstly practicing Shaolin Hongquan. Six years later, he had first encounter with Baguazhang practice through Master Sheng Zhi'an, the forth successor of Baguazhang lineage. Sheng Zhi'an's (coach of Police Corp of Hebei Province and manager of Tangshan City Qigong Association) Taoist monastic name was 'Wu Wei San Ren' (literal translation would be Scattering People through Non Action) and was a very accomplished master in Martial art, Qigong and Traditional Chinese medicine. After accomplishing successful training with Sheng Zhi'an, Liu Xu Yang opened 'He song tang'(Crane and Pine Chamber) Qigong healing clinic in city of Tangshan. Liu currently lives and works in Beijing where he continues to promote practice of internal martial arts for health and improved quality of life. 
 

As co-founder of Neijia Martial Arts he coaches individuals and leaders in organizations in building confidence and managing stress at work and life.