Bring enduring life strength

Purpose: Joy in practice
Center: All tan tien
Goal: Health Enhancement

Overview:
Merry-Go-Round is a walking meditation and a simplified version of Cosmic Tour Ba Gua Zahn. Both Merry-Go-Round and Cosmic Tour are circular movements. The circle usually has 28 steps, symbolic of the twenty-eight constellations. You do not need to draw the circles on the ground just do an estimate. The circles can be big or small, but if too big, your energy will be scattered and if too small, your energy will be too tight. You do not need to measure the steps or else you may not relax or be flexible enough to benefit from the movement.

There are three ways to position your legs and eleven hand positions. Your arms can be open as wide as a bird as you step in one direction and then, when you are ready, turn around and go in the other direction. Be creative and relax and enjoy yourself to experience the wonderful feeling of a free flying bird. That feeling of freedom will help to extend your life energy to unite with the Universe.

This simple walking exercise is for everybody and especially suitable for the elderly and those in recovery. Aging can cause the energy to float up to the head which may result in high blood pressure or a stroke. This simple movement can alleviate the problem by lowering the energy down into the legs while limiting the rising energy. Simply walk around a circle in both directions and slowly add hand postures to channel your energy. Do not force or overextend yourself, but take it easy and gradually build up strength. It takes about 20 minutes to perform Merry-Go-Round . It is also best to get instruction through a certified teacher. Refer to Mastering Chi by Hua-Ching Ni pp189-194, available at Tao EShop.