Bagua For Runners

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Bagua for Runnners

Bagua for Runnners

One morning, in my (Tom) qi gong and ba gua class, when we were walking in a circle, the teacher, mixed it up a little by getting us to jog, calling out directions of body alignment all the while. It dawned on me then that ba gua would be great for runners.

Sports medicine is my focus, so I see runners all the time in my practice. I would say the majority of injuries are due to muscle imbalances from improper training.

Muscle groups are divided functionally into agonistics and antagonistics. For example, when the hamstrings contract, the quadriceps stretch: this supports the femur (the upper leg bone), and allows the hamstrings to work correctly. Physiologically, quadricep strength should be 60% and hamstrings strength 40%. If this ratio is off, one can get what is called “runners knee.”

Ba gua training balances and connects the body as a whole so your movements are not isolated, but flow together, continuously. When the body is in proper alignment the muscles work efficiently, with much less stress.

The feet are extremely vital for standing, walking, and running. The feet reflect the whole body, so when the feet are tight this translates upward, causing problems elsewhere, for a structure is only as strong as its foundation. Ba gua works a lot on the feet to strengthen and open them, creating a good support.

Running can be hard on the leg joints due to the repetitive pounding on hard surfaces. When runners get tired, they commonly use the force of gravity versus muscles, which eventually takes its toll.

Bagua 8 trigrams

Bagua 8 trigrams

Ba gua challenges the body to incorporate multiple disciplines. You simultaneously work on the inhaling and exhaling of breath , the compression and decompression of joints, the winding and unwinding of tissue attached to bone, and on internal and external conscious focus. This multi-disciplinary approach creates a dynamic movement in whatever you do, so practice is not limited to class time, it’s something you take with you into your daily life.

Ba gua is based on the I Ching and is one of the three Chinese internal martial arts (tai ji and hsing yi are the other two). Qi gong is the basis of all three , and all offer tremendous health benefits.

Runners should always cross train to keep the whole body conditioned and reduce the chances of injuries. I highly recommend ba gua as an adjunct in training, because the body’s mechanics are explained in a new way that is both enjoyable and practical for the long-term.

http://mountaintopacupuncture.com/bagua-for-runners

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have over 30 years experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

Filed Under: All Things Exercise, Health Tips, I Ching, Philosophy, Stress Busters, Theory, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

I Ching: Hexagram #43

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Hexagram # 43: Kuai/Break-through (Resoluteness)
43-resolution1
This is one of my (Carol) favorite passages in the I Ching:

“…In a resolute struggle of the good against evil, there are, however, definite rules that must not be disregarded, if it is to succeed…If evil is branded, it thinks of weapons, and if we do it the favor of fighting against it blow for blow, we lose in the end because thus we ourselves get entangled in hatred and passion. Therefore it is important to begin at home, to be on guard in our own persons against the faults we have branded. In this way, finding no opponent, the sharp edges of the weapons of evil become dulled. For the same reasons we should not combat our own faults directly. As longs as we wrestle with them, they continue victorious. Finally, the best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good.”

http://mountaintopacupuncture.com/i-ching-hexagram-43

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At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

 

Filed Under: I Ching Tagged With: , , ,

Take a Breath

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Lung anatomy

Air is a form of nutrient in both biomedicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The exchange of gases occurs in the lungs, where oxygen (O2) is inhaled and carbon dioxide (CO2) is exhaled. O2 binds to hemoglobin, travels in the blood to each cell, where the mitochondria use it to create ATP, THE energy molecule, via the Krebs cycle.

When you take deeper breaths, you increase the amount of O2 in your body, and the potential for more reserves of energy both immediately and in times of stress or depletion/illness.

Here’s a simple Taoist breathing method:
1) Inhale through your nose, and follow the breath down your esophagus, into your chest, and down to your lower abdomen, allowing the muscles to relax and expand.
2) Exhale from the lower abdomen by contracting the muscles of the lower abs and core towards your spine.

Breathing this way is very grounding, and with practice, will become second nature — it’s the way we breathed as babies, so that kinesthetic memory is stored in our nervous systems.

No need to rush the process: you can do it any time or place when you remember to do it. For example, when you’re waiting for the light to change, or feel your emotions or thoughts start to run away from you.

Guideline: never strain — follow the 70% rule — taking breaths only as deeply as they come naturally to you.

Benefits: increased energy, clearer thinking, calmer nervous system, improved metabolic and organ function, and less toxic waste in the form of CO2 floating in the blood.

Image:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, National Institute of Health website. Retrieved 10.18.10: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/hlw/hlw_respsys.html

http://mountaintopacupuncture.com/take-a-breath

—————————–
At Mountaintop Acupuncture, we have a combined 34 years of experience. To read more, please click here.

If you have questions and concerns about acupuncture treatment, we offer a free 20-minute phone session: click here for contact information to call or e-mail us. We practice at The Highlands Ranch Medical Pavilion in Littleton, Colorado.

Insurance is welcome and accepted.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Stress Busters Tagged With: , , , ,