Qigong For Kidney Health | Eliminate Toxins and Feel Great 😊

Hello there, my name is Effie and I am a White Tiger Qigong Instructor and in today's session we are going to talk about the kidneys and the immense importance they hold within Chinese medical thought. As we already know, the kidneys are the body's filtering mechanisms. They remove wastes and extra fluids as well as acids produced by the cells and maintain a healthy balance of water, salts and minerals in the blood. This balance in our blood is important for a normal function of the nerves, the muscles and other tissues in our bodies. Our kidneys also release hormones that regulate blood pressure, they control the production of red blood cells and they keep our bones strong and healthy. Kidney damage might be congenital or inherited, run in families or it may be caused by conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, polycystic kidney disease, kidney stones, drugs and toxins. Within Chinese medical thought the kidneys are extremely important and that's because the kidneys are believed to be the storehouse of our essence. It is believed that our parents during the time of conception provide us with this essence qi or jing which is then stored in our kidneys. This is our inherited qi which is finite, it is limited, it is used as we go through life. It is nevertheless fortified by air qi from our breath and food qi from our spleen which form our acquired essence. The kidneys store both the inherited and the acquired essence. The aim is to preserve the inherited essence which cannot be replenished and use the acquired essence by making sure that we ingest good quality food and air. It is believed that an adequate supply of kidney essence or jing regulates our growth. It produces our marrow, bones, teeth, spinal marrow, brain, blood and hair. The combination of the inherited and acquired essence produce all the internal secretions and fluids in our bodies. You might have heard that the kidneys together with the urinary bladder correlate to the element of water. This is the yin aspect of the kidneys which moisturizes and nourishes which is then paired with its yang opposite fire which warms and activates. So kidney yin forms the basis of the liquids in the body which are then regulated by kidney yang. Also the yin aspect of the kidneys roots the descending qi from the lungs permitting deeper inhalation. In Chinese medical thought the kidneys support the reproductive organs, the reproductive material and the reproductive activity. Therefore they are believed to be connected to the level of fertility in both women and men, the sexual drive and the sexual activity. They are believed to be the house of z which is our personal willpower, our drive, our will to survive and reproduce, our determination. At the opposite spectrum of that lie our fears. Our fears reside in our kidneys. The kidneys are also associated with the ears and their functioning. So for the healthy functioning of our kidneys there needs to be a balance in the yin aspect of the kidneys, the fluids because excess fluids can result in swelling, puffiness in the eyes and face, abdominal bloating or phlegm in the lungs. There also needs to be a balance in the yang aspect. If there is heat deficiency the body cannot remain whole. Respiration and digestion are affected. Infertility, impotence, loss of hearing or ringing in the ears, fatigue, pain in the knees and ankles and the lower back, this can all manifest. Medical qigong gives us a tool to maintain a balanced functioning of the kidneys and today I'm going to share with you an exercise from the five animal sequence called deer raises its antlers. It targets the kidney meridian which runs at the front of our bodies and also the urinary bladder meridian which runs at the back of our bodies and it also targets the kidney area at our lower back. So let's start. We will begin with two warming up exercises. Stand with your feet slightly open. They should not be wider than shoulder width apart. The knees are soft, bent ever so slightly. The arms are by the side of the body, shoulders back and down. The spine is tall elongated and the tailbone drops down. Neck is long supporting the head and the chin is tucked in slightly. As we hold the frame of our body expanded and elongated we release everything else and let it drop. Breathe in and out observing your breath as it comes and goes. Breathe in softly and breathe out softly. Now transfer your weight to one leg and extend the other leg out diagonally at 45 degrees. The leg is straight with the toes facing up. Bring your arms straight up, extend all the way up facing upwards. Then bring the arms down softly leading along the side of the torso. Bend towards your extended foot leading with your hands all the way towards your foot. If you have the flexibility grab your foot pressing in the middle of the ball of your foot where the kidney one point is located. Release the foot, allow the toes to rest on the ground as you slowly come up and extend all the way up again with your inhalation. Slow exhalation as you melt down. The arms lead all the way down towards your extended foot. Bend over the leg feeling the pull at the back of the leg as you reach for your toes. Inhale slowly as you come up. Bring the extended leg back under your hip, turn it out slightly and transfer your weight on it whilst you extend the other leg diagonally at 45 degrees. Toes pulled up and repeat to the other side. Extend up all the way up and then melt down along your torso leading with your arms and bend over your extended leg feeling the pull at the back of your leg. Inhale up all the way up, feel the extension at the sides of your torso and then with your exhalation melt down all the way down bending over your foot. Grabbing your leg and then inhale come up, extend up all the way up and then come down. Exhale and now bring your extended leg back under your hip. Breathe in softly and breathe out softly. Transfer your weight to the right leg and extend the left leg out. Bend your knees and bring your arms in front of you, elbows bent, forming a circle with the palms facing out and then bring them over your head in a backbend. Lean towards the right, straighten your knees and extend the arms forward, bending forward with the back straight going round from one side to the other. When you reach the left side, bend your knees to protect your back and bending towards the back go around towards the right side the arms over your head. All the way around in a circle, bend your knees to protect your back as you go towards the back and now go to the other side. When you have completed three circles around your body, go to the other side. This exercise warms up the Ming Men area which is the area that houses our kidneys. When you have completed three circles on the other direction, come up and bring your left leg back under your hip. Breathe in softly, breathe out. Observe your breath as it comes in and then releases out. Now we will move to the main sequence for this session. The deer raises its antlers. Here the deer really works the kidneys but not only that. We lengthen the front line of the body while keeping stability through the feet. We strengthen the lower back and provide front and back balance with the opening of the governing vessel which runs at the back of the body and the conception vessel which runs at the front of the body. Also this exercise brings more mobility to the wrists. We will start with the arms. Bring your left hand back covering your lower back, palm facing out whilst you extend your right arm slightly in front of the body. Extend the right arm upwards over your head and then bend at the wrist, collecting the fingers towards the forearm. Bring the arm down, rotate it outwards and take it to your lower back, the Ming Men area. Your left arm comes forward, down in front of your body, palm facing forward. Scoop the hand up in front of you, gazing at your wrist. When the arm reaches the top of your head, release the wrist down and then bring the arm down. Rotate back and rest it at the Ming Men area. Your arm up, all the way up, gazing at your wrist and then scoop the wrist down and bring it back to the initial position at the Ming Men area. Now the opposite arm comes up. As you bring the arm up, notice how the front line of your body lengthens upwards and when the arm reaches the top of your head, extend even further towards the back and then release down, all the way down and back. The opposite arm comes forward, all the way up over your head and then exhale, coming down to the initial position at the Ming Men area. Inhale, feel the extension and the lengthening at the front of your body as you gaze at your wrist and then melt down, bringing the arm down at the Ming Men area behind your back. Extend forward, lengthen all the way up as you inhale and then exhale, coming down. Now let's move to the legs. Dia is a kind of a walking sequence, so you might need some space in front of you. Stand with your legs hip width apart, then open your right leg diagonally 45 degrees and bring your left leg softly straight to the front, toes are facing front. All of your weight is at the back foot, which is comfortably bent whilst the front leg lightly touches the ground. Now open the left foot 45 degrees, transfer the weight softly from the back leg to the front and bring the right leg forward, lightly touching the ground. The leg is straight, toes are facing front, making sure that the back leg holds all of your weight. Open out again, make sure that you open out the whole of your foot so your knees are over your toes. You don't just open out your toes. Bend the knee slightly as you transfer your weight and bring the back leg to the front. Now when you position the leg straight in front, inhale and notice as you lengthen the front line of your body from your straight leg all the way up to your head, which tilts slightly backward. With that, you will notice that there is a contraction at the back of your body. Exhale and release the front expansion as you transfer the weight and walk forward. Inhale, lengthen the front, looking up towards, noticing the contraction at the lower back. All the weight is at the back foot and with the front extension you can notice a compression at the lower back in the area of your tailbone. Continue lengthening the front whilst sitting at your tailbone with the inhalation. Now we will put everything together. Inhale, bring your hands up. Exhale, bring your hands down. Stand with your feet hip width apart, open your right leg out at 45 degrees and place your left one to the front whilst at the same time the left hand covers the and the right arm expands slightly forward. Lengthen the front line of your body as you bring the arm up over your head. Follow the wrist with your gaze. Release the wrist, gathering your fingers and move forward. The dropping of the wrist activates the Darlene point or great mound, which is in the middle of the wrist crease. This is a pericardium meridian point, the fire element. Balanced heat is important for the young aspect of the kidneys. Inhale, lengthen the front as you rebound up. Exhale, release to the ground as you walk forward. There is strength and grounding in the legs and feet. As you lengthen the front, feel the weight and energy go into the back foot. Focus the attention on your tailbone. Notice how the whole area in your lower back is activated. Continue like so. Bring one leg forward whilst extending the opposite arm up all the way above your head. Feel the lengthening at the front of your body. Release down and walk forward. Feel the lengthening at the front of your body, the extension. Then bring the wrist down and melt down as you walk forward. A deer moves with grace and ease. It has a gentle disposition and swift movement. At times it might seem cautious and fearful, but it also has amazing willpower. With this exercise, we are trying to embody the spirit of a deer. Feel the extension at the front of your body as you lengthen the arm up and then melt down with your inhalation, walking forward. Inhale, long inhalation all the way up. Exhale, long exhalation, moving forward. Bring your arm forward, extend up. Feel the compressing in the kidney area, in the Ming Men area. Feel the compression at the tailbone. Release and walk forward. Now bring your legs under your hips. Release your arms to the side. Breathe in, bring your arms up, all the way up above your head. And now exhale down, following the breath from your head to your torso, to your lower abdomen, all the way down to your feet. Release your hands, release your arms at the side of your body. Knees are soft. Inhale and focus your attention in your lower abdomen. Exhale and focus your awareness in the middle of your hands, in the middle of your palms, and in the balls of your feet. Inhale softly. Your awareness is in your lower Dan Tien. Exhale softly. Your awareness is in the middle of your palms and the balls of your feet. When you are ready, open your eyes. If you enjoyed this video, please let us know. Press the like button or give us your comments down below. If you would like to see more White Tiger Qigong videos, click the subscribe button. Thank you for watching.