Ikigai : the Japanese secret to a long and happy life pdfdrive com

Imitating clouds

One of the best-known movements in tai chi consists of following the form of clouds in an exercise called Wave Hands L ike Clouds. Here are the steps:

1. 
   Extend your arms in front of you with your palms down.
   
2. 
   Turn your palms to face in, as though you were hugging a tree trunk.
   
3. 
   Open your arms out to the side.
   
4. 
   Bring the left arm up and center, and the right arm down and center.
   
5. 
   Trace the shape of a ball in front of your body.
   
6. 
   Turn your left palm toward your face.
   
7. 
   Shift your weight to your left foot and pivot from your hip toward that side, while your eyes follow the movement of your hand.
   
8. 
   Bring your left hand to your waist and your right hand in front of your face.
   
9. 
   Shift your weight to your right foot.
   
10. 
    Pivot toward your right, looking at your raised right hand the entire time.
    
11. 
    Repeat this movement fluidly, shifting your weight from one foot to the other as you reposition your hands.
    
12. 
    Stretch your arms out in front of you again and bring them down slowly, returning to your initial position.
    

Qigong

Also known as chi kung, its name combines qi (life force, or energy) and gong (work), indicating that the form works with the individual’s life force. Though relatively modern, especially under its current name, the art of qigong is based on the Tao yin, an ancient art meant to foster mental and physical well-being.
The practice began to appear in reports on training and martial arts at the beginning of the twentieth century, and by the 1930s was being used in hospitals. The Chinese government later popularized it, as it had done with tai chi.
Qigong involves static and dynamic physical exercises that stimulate respiration in a standing, seated, or reclined position. There are many different styles of qigong, but all of them seek to strengthen and regenerate qi. Though its movements are typically gentle, the practice is intense.