Thousands of years ago, the ancients made a profound discovery.

Humans could experience a longer life with more radiant health simply by mirroring the movements of nature.

Over the centuries they developed practices known as Qi Gong.

During my last 25 years of teaching these practices I've seen remarkable transformations as my students tap into their own life force energy.

This is the real fountain of youth Not hidden in some far away land but inside each one of us.

Each episode is a complete Qi Gong routine focused on one aspect of preventative health and wellness.

So try them all to discover which leaves you feeling the most nourished radiant and uplifted.

These routines are simple, gentle movements that don't require any special clothing or equipment.

All you need to do now is stand up, get ready to move and I'll be your guide to your very own Fountain of Youth Welcome to Qi Gong for Longevity Longevity was something revered in Chinese medicine in Qi Gong.

In fact, it was called the art of preventing disease and prolonging life.

Effortless power about flowing and moving your body.

Keep the body young, youthful, vibrant, and healthy.

So moving the body is ways in which we oil the joints in which we keep our Qi and our life force energy, circulating.

And so in this routine, you're gonna have lots of different exercises from joint mobilization to stretches to flows all for the idea of aging gracefully and circulating vibrant life force energy.

So enjoy.

Thanks.

Welcome to Qi Gong for Longevity.

Take a stance that's about shoulder width.

Take a nice deep breath, and we'll begin by interlocking the finger and circling the wrists.

Take some nice, slow, deep breaths as we circle the wrists and warm up the body.

Wrist circles are designed to open the hands, the wrists, and the lower arms.

In Qi Gong, these are called oiling your joints and they're designed for health and longevity.

The hands are a very important piece of our physiology, and we want energy flowing through the extremities to keep the hands loose and open.

The hands are one of the most sensitive areas of the body both neurologically and energetically.

Breathe slow and deep and feel the wrists and the hands opening up.

Qi Gong mirrors the movements of nature.

Circling the arms and the hands creates spiraling motions through the body and gets the Qi to flow through you like water.

Now bring the hands towards the chest and then push away on the exhale.

Inhale and exhale.

Breath is energy.

It's the life force entering your body.

When you breathe deeper, you bring in more Qi, more life force energy.

The more life force energy we have circulating within us, the healthier we are.

And the longer we live.

Inhale and exhale.

See if you can just slow it down a little bit.

Breathing deep and full through your nose.

Inhale, let the chest expand.

Exhale, round the back.

Make space between the shoulder blades.

Breath is energy.

The lungs are the first place that energy enters into the body.

In Chinese medicine, they say the lungs are the commanders of Qi.

The way in which you breathe directly influences the overall energy in your mind and body.

Breathing slow and deep, calms and relaxes the mind.

Brings you into the present moment -- and it elevates your energy, making you feel inspired and alive with more Qi.

Slow deep breathing.

Exhale as you push away.

Inhale towards.

Your breath is a reflection of how you feel.

Breathe deep and balance your emotions.

Bring the hands up over the head.

Take the arms out to the sides.

Spread your fingers.

Press the palms down and then lean the head to your left side.

I'll do your mirror image.

Feel that stretch the neck and shoulders and roll the head slowly back and forth across that left shoulder.

Breathe into it taking some nice deep breaths and using your breath as a way to release tension and tightness in the upper back and neck.

This area is a line of tension.

By stretching it and breathing, we release emotional stress held in these muscles.

Do the other side.

Lean the head over to the right side.

Slowly roll the head back and forth.

Breathe deep.

Feel the stretch through the meridians, the energy pathways of your arms.

Clear tension and tightness in your upper back, neck, and shoulders.

When you release tension, it frees up energy and brings it into circulation.

Bring the head back to neutral.

Feel the Qi going down the arms to your fingers.

When energy circulates, it's like water moving.

It brings health and vitality to your whole body.

Breathe slow and deep through your nose, and then knock on the door of life turning from your hips and waist letting your arms knock across your lower abdomen and across your lower back.

The door of life is a pressure point directly behind the navel on your spine.

Let your forearms knock across the door of life.

This whole area brings energy to the center of your body, to the internal organs the lower back and key pressure points for health and longevity.

Take some slow, deep breaths, feel your spine unwind -- clearing tension out of your back and energizing your pressure points.

Knocking on the door of life is a movement that happens from your center.

You're moving your hips and your waist and allowing all the joints in the spine to be nourished with life force energy.

This is an exercise to enliven your spine.

Turn from the hips and the waist.

Knock on key pressure points for energy, health, and longevity movement breath.

And pressure points all activate qi the life force energy and when Qi circulates, it moves through all the tissues of the body bringing healthy energy to all your cells.

Take another slow deep breath Slowly now unwind, relax, and feel that golden vibration moving through your whole body.

Take your hands up over the head and bend your knees -- as we go into a movement called the Tiger.

Curl your fingers and when you exhale, you come down.

Inhale as you come up.

When you come down imagine that old energy is released to the earth.

Sending old energy to the earth is like composting.

It's recycling your negative energy, and as you come up you bring positive energy up from the earth.

You can sink down as low as you can comfortably strengthening your legs, opening through your hips and your lower back and letting go of old energy.

Strengthening the legs is a very important exercise for health and longevity.

Strong, flexible legs with open hips and a flexible lower spine Can keep your body mobile and healthy as we age gracefully.

Exhale down.

Inhale up.

Take in the life force energy from nature and all around you.

Feel it like golden light circulating through all your cells.

Pump the energy through the body.

Nature has a way of exchanging energy, recycling old into new, refreshing you.

Like gardening.

You let go of old energy to the earth.

It turns into compost, and when you come up, you breathe that beautiful energy of health and vitality through your whole system.

Take a deep breath, relax.

And now we're gonna draw energy up and through the spine.

Squeeze your hands, make light fists, and then pull the hands in by your hips.

Exhale and relax.

When you squeeze, tighten your fists and squeeze the buttocks.

Squeeze the muscles of the legs.

This is called the power lock, and it pumps energy through the spine up through the nervous system and into your brain This is a key exercise for longevity.

Inhale, squeeze the hand, squeeze the buttocks and the pelvic floor.

Draw energy up through the spine, then relax.

Inhale, squeeze tight fists.

Exhale and relax.

By engaging the muscles, you pump the energy up through the spine, up through a key accupressure and meridian line called the du meridian.

This means governing channel, and it's a wonderful exercise to bring energy up into your brain and charge up your nervous system with health and longevity, Relax, hands down to the sides.

And start to shake everything out.

Pump your wrists, shoulders, and right through the cranial base, right across the base of the skull.

Relax your neck and the space in between your shoulder blades, bounce into your legs.

Inhale through the nose and exhale out through the mouth as a way to release old energy and get your Qi to circulate.

Qi is like water.

When it flows, your body is healthy.

Let it flow through every cell in your body and scan your body anywhere where you hold tension shake into that and feel that water like energy.

Move through it, cleanse it out.

Clear any tension and exchange it for fresh circulating energy.

Inhale through the nose.

Exhale out through the mouth.

releasing old energy out.

Shaking is one of those exercises that is so good for your overall health energy, and longevity.

Relax now arms to your sides and feel the energy in your body.

Feel the buzzing, tingling life force energy that you've activated.

When energy is activated, it brings health vitality into every cell of your body.

Feel the cells soaking up that life force energy.

Take a deep breath Now bring the arms up to your sides, and then let 'em come down slowly.

This exercise is called flying, and it's the first of our flowing movements.

Flows are done slowly with mindfulness.

Inhale, arms up.

Exhale, float the arms down.

Breathe slow and deep.

Relax, tension or tightness out of the neck and shoulders.

Inhale, feel your energy expand, expanding into the horizon.

Let your mind be as open and spacious as the sky.

Breathe in golden light into all the cells of your body.

Inhale slowly.

Exhale slowly.

Qi Gong is called the Art of Effortless Movement.

Feel this effortless movement flowing through your body.

The sensation of being effortless is light and free As if the movement is happening all by itself.

Imagine that you're a regal bird flying through the air.

Your mind elevated.

You have inner vision and perspective.

You allow problems to release as if they're way below you Elevating your mind and your energy into your potential and your power.

Inhale, arms float up.

Exhale, arms float down.

Slow down your breathing and your movement.

Notice how your mind slows down and you enter the present moment.

When you slow down, you also slow down the aging process, activating Activating the health and vitality through the whole mind body system.

Bring your hands down to your sides.

Relax.

Feel the energy.

Feel every cell in your body glowing with golden light.

The next movement is called Baby Bird Learns to Fly.

The back of your hands, come towards each other as you inhale and float the arms up.

Exhale palms towards each other and float the arms down.

Let the breath and the Qi move freely in your system.

Exhale down.

Inhale-- as you float the arms up Start to feel your body relax more and more with each breath Relaxation is the water power.

When you move with relaxation, it's soft -- relaxing.

It cultivates tranquility and inner peace.

Yet, like water, it's powerful.

When you stand or feel a wave, the intrinsic power moves through the whole ocean.

Let the intrinsic power of Qi move through your whole body.

Inhaling it up and exhaling it down.

With each breath, feel a little bit lighter.

These flying exercises are designed to transform stress, to rise above and create spaciousness through your mind so that we perceive the blessings of life.

As you're doing this exercise, you can just tune in to all the things that you're grateful for and let that energy permeate your mind and body.

Feel a sense of lightness and levity A relaxation, a flow where your energy is connected to the energy of nature.

Inhale up, exhale down.

Have the palms come towards each other and feel the energy between your hands.

Just bring the Qi right in front of your lower abdomen and feel the energy between the hands.

Feel it pulsing or vibrating like electromagnetism, and breathe into it.

You are more powerful than you could ever imagine.

Start to feel that power in your hands.

Next, we're gonna do an exercise called the Fountain.

Back of the hands, come towards each other and float the hands out to the sides.

Inhale as you come up, exhale out to the sides.

Take some slow, deep breaths as you synchronize the breath with the movement.

Inhale up.

Exhale out to the sides.

The Fountain again connects to the water element.

Feel like you're tapping into the water below you, and like a fountain it rises through you and irrigates all aspects of who you are.

Feel it rising up through your meridians -- The energy pathways cleansing and clearing Keeping you open and free Water represents the fountain of youth.

When the water energy circulates... We stay healthy and vibrant.

The joints are free flowing.

The muscles are strong and your energy powerful.

Slow flows are designed for longevity.

Slowing down your body slows down your mind.

When the mind becomes calm and relaxed, we tap into the present moment.

We become non-resistant.

And tension and tightness cleanse and clear out of our whole system-- and we prevent problems from arising.

Relax into this flow.

Move your body like water.

In fact, your body is water.

Let that water element flow through you.

Cleanse and clear any problems, any issues, any stagnation.

And bring in health, vitality, and longevity.

Remember that you are powerful.

You are part of the natural flow of energy-- that goes through nature, the universe, and you.

Nature is your extended body.

Feel plugged into the energy of nature.

Let it wash through you.

Inhaling the arms come up.

Exhale arms out to the sides.

Do this one more time.

Bring it all back to your center and hold that Qi ball.

Everything in nature has vitality, energy, and power.

Feel this energy as you hold the Qi ball.

Next, bring the hands towards you.

Up the spine and down the front.

This movement is called turning the wheel.

Exhale, the hands come down.

And inhale hands rise up.

Imagine that you're turning a water wheel within your body.

This is a key exercise for health and longevity.

Turn the internal water wheel.

The energy rises up through the spine to the head, and then it comes down the front of the body through all the internal organs.

Inhale up the spine to the head.

Exhale down the front of the body to the organs.

Turning the wheel is a way in which we recycle internal energy.

We keep the life force energy contained within us.

This irrigates all the meridians, the energy pathways-- and keeps you connected to that Fountain Of Youth within yourself.

Breathe slow and deep.

Turn the wheel.

The energy that rises up through the spine is called the du meridian - the governing channel.

It's the upward movement of energy like mist rising from water to form clouds.

The movement downward is the yin, It's the conception vessel.

It's the rain coming back down from the clouds to the earth.

Feel this recycling of your internal energy containing the life force.

You can keep the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth to keep your circuits connected.

Breathe slow and deep through the nose, turn the wheel and feel the energy contained within you.

Cultivating your inner power and strength.

Next, bring the hands up to the head and hold the hands just above the ears and send energy from the hands to the left and right sides of the brain.

Energize your brain with the Qi in your hands.

Then make a little circle just around the head.

Come to the back of the head.

Circle around by your face.

Make a small circle and energize your brain.

This movement is called Wisdom Qi Gong.

With more energy circulating in the head, it activates the power of your brain.

Feel the energy of your hands, circulating and swirling energy into your brain, Keeping your brain healthy and vibrant, keeping your mind clear and insightful.

When the hands go to the back of the head, the chin drops down slightly.

Hands to the face, the chin lifts a little bit.

Move the head ever so slightly as you circulate the hands around the head.

Keep breathing slow and deep through the nose.

This exercise prevents any neurological issues keeping you mind sharp, clear and focused.

Breathe.

Move slowly.

Send energy from the hands into the brain.

When the brain is healthy, it sends healthy energy to the rest of the body.

Bring your hands down.

Hold a Qi ball, and feel the energy in your hands.

You are activating your inner power.

Relax and let the arms float up.

Then bring the arms down.

Inhale, float the arms up.

Exhale, float the arms down.

This exercise is called Pulling Down the Heavens.

Feel it as waves of relaxation moving through your whole mind body system.

When your body is relaxed and stress free, you allow the life force energy to move through you without resistance.

This free flow of energy keeps all the cells in your body healthy and vibrant.

Imagine flowing energy from the universe, pouring in and through you keeping your energy fresh, flowing, circulating, and vibrant.

Bring in any kind of energy that you might need in your life at this particular moment.

Health for your body, calmness for your mind.

Joy for your heart.

Take a nice deep breath Slow breathing through your nose Relax your hands down to your sides,and feel the energy in your body.

Bring it all in Feel that you've just done something very good for your health and longevity.

And take that feeling with you into the rest of your day.