Section | A Complete Guide to Learning and Understanding CHI MIND CONTROL CHI the internal strength written by Mike Dayton © Copyright 1978, 1979, Dayton Unlimited, ln, All rights reserved. No part ofthis Book may be repraiuced in any form without petmision in writing from Dayton Unlimited Printed in USA.Before beginning your first Chi exercises | want to go over some basic warm-up movements. These are separate from your Chi exercises. For best results, you should not learn the warmup and Chi exercises together. Pause after Part Ill, or preferably, wait one day before beginning the Chi exercises in Part IV. Part tl TONE, LIMBERING AND POSTURE EXERCISES Posture We will be covering the body in dotall with the next section, but for the time let it suffice to say that the body is held together by tissues, it is not rigid. As such it is highly flexible, although with age these tissues contract and the body becomes more rigid. Another factor of your body's agility and freedom of movement Js habit. Habit is largely what determines your posture, But the position and shape of your body are subject to change, just as your habits are. When 1 first_met Amold Schwarzenegger in Chicago after the 1969 AAU Mr. America contost, | noticed that he always held his shoulders back, chest out and lats flexed. He consciously held this position, and his body has actually grown into that position. You can actually stand in front of a mirror, find the posture you look best with, and thon assume that position all day, every day, until your body grows into it. It certainly worked for Arnold. Think of your self as a mental orthodonist, using your mind to reshape your body as an orthodonist uses braces to reshape your tooth, Another factor in posture is a person’s sense of balance, Usually people develop a posture which makes them feel balanced, and the biggest problem in changing posture is that it makes people fool clumsy and off balance at first ‘As you develop your body, and with age, your senso of balance shifts. The following is a simple exercise which hhelps develop good balance. You should include this in your exercise routine to help your posture and balance, Perform this exercise 3 or 4 times for each leg. Do not pause between squats, ONE LEG SQUAT Stand with your heels together and place your hands on your hips. * Very slowly, bend your knees, holding your left leg out, until you are in a squatting posi- tion, resting on the toes of your right foot. Very slowly straighten your knee and return to the standing position, feet together. Repeat with the right leg held out. *Some people find this exercise easier if they stand with their heel elevated on a book or brick. as illustrated in the photo. 23,‘Stretching The following exercises are simple stretches. They are good for tone, posture and warm up, The degree of difficulty for each of them varies according to your muscular development, agility and age. Do..these as best you can, but do not strain yourself or force your body into the positions. Do not cause your body pain with these movements. Do them to the point ‘where you can fesl your muscles and tendons stretching, Perform them slowly, holding the position for the count of seven. Be sure to count slowly, with each count lasting about one second, Before doing these you should practice counting for seven seconds with the aid of a clock. ‘These exercises are very good “wake up” movements for Your muscles. They are not designed to put on muscle, ‘they are toners and a great way to stretch after you've been sitting for a long time, It’s easy to feel the benefits of these stretches in the mornings. If you don’t drink coffee, try getting out of bed and running through these and see if you don’t feel awake and alert. By the way, if you have trouble waking up in the mornings, try “cold friction”. Take a wash cloth and wet it with cold tap water. Then rub your arms quickly with it, This stimulates your skin causing blood to move ‘towards it. This is the same thing which occurs when you do these exercises. You force blood into moving quicker which wakes up all your other organs in the proces, For posture and the spine: Twist Bend forward at the waist until you are looking at your feet. Keep your knees locked. Reach down the inside of your left leg with your left hand, and hold onto your leg as * close to the ankle as possible, Now take your right arm and move it to the right 30 that you are pointing towards the ceiling, Be careful to keep your eyes fixed on the back of your hand. Twist at the waist, shoulders and neck. Don’t ‘twist your hips. Return to the upright position, and repeat for the left side.No general exercise routine should forget STANDARD TOE TOUCHING. Toe touching is beneficial for stretching your shoulders, back and legs. For advanced students, ty bending forward at your waist until your fore- head is touching your knees. Another very thorough stretching technique is the REACH. Go up on your toes, and reach for the ceiling, stretching your legs, stomach, arms and fingers upwards toward the ceiling. Once you are on your toes reaching, intensify your stretching for seven seconds, For the shoulders, back and legs: THE STRETCH Stand with your feet together and bring your arms around in back of your body. Clasp your fingers together. Bend backwards as far as you can, while at the same time moving your hands and arms as far away from your back as possible. Keep your elbows locked. Hold for seven seconds. Mode! Michelle Kiimesh Return to the standing position, arms still at your back, fingers clasped. Bend forward at the waist so that you are looking at your feet. Keeping elbows locked, raise your arms as far away from your back as possible, Hold for seven seconds. Return to standing position. 25For the spi EASY RISER Lying on your stomach, feet together, bring your hands under your chest with your elbows bent and in line with your shoulders. Push up on your hands, straightening your arms and raising your upper torso as far from the floor 2s possible, or until your elbows are locked. Bring your head back trying to look up at the ceiling. Hold for seven seconds. Be sure to keep your body on the floor fram your hips down, For the lower back, buttocks and backs of thighs: BACK PUSH-UP Lying on your back, bring your knees up as far as possible, with feet on the floor and knees together. Rest your palms firmly on the floor, close to your head. Push against the floor with your hands and feet raising your body. Arch your neck, and rest the top of your head against the floor. Arching your back, raise up as far as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Slowly lower your body to the floor. If you have trouble doing this at first, try raising your body without lifting your head from the floor, arching your back as much as possible. This should help strengthen and stretch your lower back. Mode! Michele Kiimesh 26To Begin . Before you perform any of these exercises, remember to bbreatho in and out soveral times, filling your lungs with clean air to give yourself the maximum physical strength, For the experienced body builder, these exercises will come very easy. Remember to keep in mind, always tense the muscle harder! Al of these exercises utilize the imagination to provide a stimulus for your muscles to react 10. When an exercise calls for you to think that there is a wedge betwaen your forearms and your body, really believe that there is a ‘wedge. And don't sell yourself short by imagining a foam rubber wedge, Imagine that there is an invincible wedge, and that you must put forth your maximum exertion against it. You must also concentrate all your mental eneray on the point which you are working. If you are working your arms, forget that the rest of your body exists. Before beginning the exercise relax your whole body. Let your arms, legs, back, neck and shoulders go limp. Take inventory. Is everything relaxed? How about your toes? Your lower jaw? Your eyebrow and forehead? Once you are relaxed begin to take in several full breaths of air. Concantrate only on filling your lungs. Fes! the air enter your lungs. Feel it feed your blood and bod) with energy and powsr, Hold the last breath in your Jungs, but don’t hold a full breath, Just breathe in nor- mally, and hold it ‘Then focus all your mental and physical energy on the exercise. Get in position and immediately tense the ‘muscle. Do not gradually work your way up. Imme- diately focus all your mental strength and energy in one place, Do not give your mind the time to wander, Do Rot breath out. Do not relax. Tense as hard as you ‘possibly can, and then tense harder ‘Try to look at the muscle you are working. Use a mirror if you cannot turn and actually see the muscle. Stare at it and watch your energy flow into it. Watch it grow larger. Imagine it growing larger than it actually is, Thinking to yourself, count seven seconds. With each count, tense your muscle harder until you shake with the energy. After the count of seven, relax completely. The positions | give you here are guidelines. You may slightly alter them to suit your own development and Posture. Explore your body. Try different angles, different positions. The tensing remains the same. Use Your mind to tonse the muscle, use your imagination to tense it harder. Any position you ean tense in is doing some good, so if you need to slightly alter these, feel free to When you start the exercises in the ather sections you ‘may wish to come back and review these besics. NOTES 31MUSCLES OF THE ARM Detois Pectoral Major 1 2 3 Triceps Men 4 Biceps Mn 5 Brochisle 5 Brachiorad 7 a 9 Ext. Corpi Racial Bross Foxe olicis Longue Flexor Retinaeulum 10 Flexor Carpi Uinare 11. Floxor Digitorur Sublimis, 12 Patmaris Longus 13. Flexor Carpi Radais 14 Ext. Copi Radialis Longus 18 Corscobrachialis 16 Ext. Digitorum Communie 17 Abductor Policy Longus 18 Ex. Police Grove 19 Ext, Retinaculum 20. Anconeus 21 Ext, Pollcie Langue 22 Ext. Carpi Ulnaris ARMS For the bicep: SINGLE BICEP, FISTS BENT* Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your right bicep tensed, with your fist curling inward. Imagine a wedge between your bicep and your forearm. Pull against this wedge as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the left bicep. (If at first you shock the muscle and it goes into a cramp, just relax and rub it. It will soon sub- side, and with a few workouts will no longer cramp.) “You may wish to perform this exercise with both arms at the same time. After performing each exercise, actually feel the muscle you have just worked. ‘Reach over with your hand and feel the tenseness, the strength and hardness of the muscle.SINGLE BICEP, FISTS FORWARD* Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your right bicep tensed, with your fist facing forward. Imagine @ wedge between your bicep and your forearm, Pull against this wedge as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the left bicep. BICEP, FIST BACK* Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your right bicep tensed, with your fist behind your head, Imagine a wedge between your forearm and your bicep. Pull against this wedge as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the left bicep. *You may feel more benefit from performing these exercises with both arms at the same time. 33FORWARD BICEP Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Bring your arms in , elbow next to your body. Bend your wrist in towards each other. Imagine ‘a wedge between your forearms and your chest. Pull against this wedge as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. You may be noticing strain and tenseness in other muscles besides those which are being worked. This is because the muscles are hav- jing to move in line to provide the basis and support for your exertion. A common area to feel this in is your wrists and forearms, because they are usually an unworked, rather undeveloped muscle area. As we progress, you will eventually learn to perform these exercises with movement. This will work several muscles at a time, while your concentration will remain focused on your movement, rather than a particular muscle. Do not try these until you have received the instruc. tion in a future section. 34For the tricep: In these exercises you will not be imagining a wedge. Instead you must imagine that you are attempting to bend your bones. It is impossible to break your bones with these exercises. You can only hurt yourself by coming in contact with extraneous objects. It is impos: sible for you to concentrate too hard, but give yourself one piece of metal to strain against, and that is no longer true. Because of the concentration involved with these exercises, it is good to perform them in a quiet atmosphere, away from distractions. You do not have to do them by yourself, but | would advise a quiet and calming environment. TRICEP, THUMBS FORWARD Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your arms to your side, fists toward your body and your thumbs forward. Imagine that you are attempting to bend your arms back- wards at the elbow, keeping your arms to your sides. Exert as much as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. TRICEP, ARMS OUT Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your arms at your side, held away from your body, with your lat muscles tensed. Curl your wrists under with your fists toward your body. Imagine that you are bending your arms backwards at the elbow, keeping your arms in line with your body. Exert as much as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. 35TRICEP, ARMS BACK Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your arms held behind you, slightly bent at the waist. Curl your wrists back so that your fists are facing the ceiling. Imagine that you are attempting to bend your arms back wards at the elbow. Exert as much as possible. Hold for seven seconds, Relax. Some of these exercises may be more beneficial to you than others. Pick those that work your muscles the best. If you have a particular pro- blem area, such as the bicep, | advise doing all of them. Choose those that you are most comfort- able with and list them on the exercise rou- tine chart. As your body strengthens and adapts itself to this routine you may find that by rotating these exercises you get maximum benefit. Do not switch a routine for at least four weeks. 36TRICEP, ARMS BACK Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath, Stand with your arms held behind you, slightly bent at the waist. Curl your wrists back so that your fists are facing the ceiling. Imagine that you are attempting to bend your arms back- wards at the elbow. Exert as much as possible. Hold for seven seconds, Relax. Some of these exercises may be more beneficial to you than others. Pick those that work your muscles the best. If you have a particular pro- blem area, such as the bicep, | advise doing all of them. Choose those that you are most comfort- able with and list them on the exercise rou- tine chart. As your body strengthens and adapts itself to this routine you may find that by rotating these exercises you get maximum benefit. Do not switch a routine for at least four weeks. 36REVIEW We have barely begun to scratch the surface of learning Chi mind control, What we have covered so far are the ground rules for helping your body. You should be beginning to understand the essential role your mind and mental attitude play in youir health and your life. You should be starting to feel the mental control you have over your body. ‘Start to listen to yourself. During this weak pause and listen to what your body is doing. If you run, listen to your breath- ing; if you work out, feel how your body tires. Perform your arm exercises once each day. Pay close attention to your diet and nutritional needs. Begin to chart your food intake rate. Study the Vitamin And Mineral Deficiency Chart and the Food Value Chart to get acquainted with your body's nutritional needs. Pay attention to your dreams. Look at who you are, and who you want to be. Bogin to make a list when you think of things that are important to you. You are in control of what will happen to you, but first you must look at where you are to see where you are going. Think about the things you do this week, What are the things you want to change, what are the things you want to add? Write these answers down if you can, and keep them in your thoughts, Record your dreams if you can, | think you will be surprised at what you find in ther, Be sure to write them down when you first wake up, before your conscious mind has time to change them, You are a total individual. Just as the solar system needs each of its planets, so You need each of your body functions to bbe in perfect shape. What we have covered are the basics, pay close attention to them. Romember that learning is incomplete without understanding, and understanding cames with experienee. Look forward to the next section, but also spend time to understand the teachings we have covered here. 37your weight training, and supplement it with the Chi oxercises, | will write briefly on weight training routines in another saction, What Kind Of Improvement Can | Expect To Seo? By doing the tensing exercises you will notice a marked increase in your strength. Depending on your present build and strongth, you can expect to experience a 20 to 30 percent increase in strength after about three or our weeks of doing the Chi exercises diligently, ‘Much of the increase in strength is due to the fact that you are pulling your muscles, and thereby strengthening your tendons as well as pushing bood into the inner muscles. Because you are mentally holding your muscles back, while at the same time pulling them, you are working sets of muscles. One muscle is working to hold your fother muscle from completing the movement you are Imagining, With weights you aro working only one ‘muscle, most of the time. This working of muscle sets hops increase your strength dramatically Because the Chi exercises tense your muscles to the maximum, to the point where they begin to shake, you acquaint yourself with the feating of maximum exertion. ‘You also, by always increasing your tensing on that muscle, realize that at maximum exertion you are still able to tense and work the muscle harder. When you ‘come upon a lift which requires maximum effort, itis easier to perform since your muscles and your mind are familiar with the situation, and have became accustomed 10 going a step further, Besides gaining strength, the Chi exercises wil give your muscles more definition. The extreme tensing almost draws a line around your muscle. You will tone your muscles and achieve good definition. ‘Tho Chi exercises will also build the muscle, Onekey to bulk is your diet (see Section 1}. If you are looking for @ Mr. America physique, be certain to do these exercises in conjunction with your normal weight training, I you are merely looking for tone and definition, and if you find that the Chi exercises are providing you with too much bulk, you can cut your exercise schedule down to every other day. But the problem hare would most likely be in your diet, not in the amount of tensing exercises. If you are looking for strength, keep your schedule six times a week If you are a physique competitor you will notice the extreme similarity betwoen these exercises and posing ‘They are like over-posing exercises, and are extremely bene- ficial to the physique competitor from two standpoints. First, these exercises provide the muscle with sharp defini- tion. Second, the nature of the exercites allow the body: builder to become very familar with posing techniques. ‘You will learn exactly how to bring out the muscle, quickly and concisely. Your body will also form habit of posing, and will adjust to the contest platform almost immediately. Before beginning this week's exercises, let's go over quickly what you should be doing before and during the exercises. 1. Relax. Take inventory and relax your whole body, and your mind, Breathe deeply several times 3. Take one breath and hold it. 4. Tense the prescribed muscle or muscle set as hard @s you possibly can. Think to yourself the count of seven seconds. 5. Lookat that muscle, using a mirror if necessary. 6. Think of nothing but tensing that muscle. Turn all your thoughts on that muscle and what you are commanding it to do. Use your imagination. 7. Tense harder. 8. Relax. Remember to use your imagination. This is the key. After we have completed learning all the exercises to work your entire body you will learn how to use this same type of exercise to mentally rehearse actions. At that point you will also learn how to add movement to these exercises and work com- plete sets of muscles when doing your tensing.MUSCLES OF THE HAND et Digicorum Communis Cimareais ‘Ablluctor Oi Flexor Digit V ‘Abductor Pllicis Brevis ‘Abductor Pellets For the hands and forearms: TOWEL SQUEEZE Relax. Breathe fully, holding the last breath. Wrap up a towel so that you can make a slight a. fist around it, Squeeze the towel as hard as possible, Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for other hand. BEND BACK Relax. Breathe fully, holding the last breath. With your hand in the position shown, bend your wrists, attempting to touch your knuckles to your arm. Your fingers can be in any position you want. Pull back as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for other hand. 57FIST PULL Relax. Breathe fully, holding the last breath. Form a fist with your fingers , then , bending your wrist, attempt to touch’ your fingers to your forearm. Pull as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for other arm. For the fingers and palm: THE SPIDER WEB Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Spread your fingers and thumb as far apart from each other as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. You may hold your hands in any position you desire. 58For The Chest: Cross-Overs This exercise is performed with your arms at three different levels. Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Cross your arms approximately at your elbows. Holdyourarmsstraight down in front of your body. ‘Twist your arms so that your fists are facing each other, and your thumbs are turned downwards {clockwise for your left arm; counter clockwise for ‘your right arm). Twist your arms as far around as possible, pulling your shoulder, chest and arm muscles. Tense as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. With your arms still crossed at the elbows, perform this exercise with your arms held over your head. Twist your arms and pull as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. With your arms still crossed at the elbows, perform ‘this exercise with your arms held straight out from your body. Twist your arms and pull as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax, 59For The Rib-Cage: Mae West Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath, with as much air as you can possibly hold in your chest cavity. Pull your shoulders back and down. Keep your hands flat and open on your stomach. Expand your ribcage as much as possible, attempting to push out the air and spread your ribcage. Hold for seven seconds, constantly putting more pressure on your rib-cage. Relax. Magilla Gorilla Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. With the back of your hands together and your arms held straight down in front of your body, pull down as hard as possible, imagining that your arms ate pulling your shoulders together, and over to the front of your body. Pull as hard as possible. Hold for soven seconds. Relax. 60REVIEW ‘You should now be thinking of your personal goals. Evaluate yourself, your motives, your wants, your hang-ups and your aptitudes. Use the questions to help you think about yourself. Keep a list of those things you want to earve out of your personality; and of those things you want to more clearly define. Begin to practice the exercises. Be sure to feel how your muscles react to your mental commands, Practice daily, it only takes a few minutes of your time. Limber up by doing a few of the toning exercises from the last section, You should be keeping track of what you eat, and listening closer to what your body tells you. Soon you will be able to feel good health, and to feo! the benefits of that health, as easily 3s you can feel the discontent of ill health, Begin to feel your body's strength, not only its weaknesses, The strengths are real, the weaknesses are in your mind. Notice how you think, Each morning and cach evening use positive motions to motivate yourself. If you go to bed thinking positive, you will wake up in a more positive mood. During the day, pay attention to why you react to things the way you da. When you recognize the negativeness, correct it! Don’t wait. In the next section you will learn how to relax, and you will begin your first Chi concentration exercises. You will also learn how to exercise your lats, traps and dels Remember and epply what you have learned in this section and look forward to the knowledge in section 3. aSection 3 Part 1 BASIC CONCENTRATION ‘The Proper Breath Essential to relaxation is an adequate supply of oxygen in the blood. The best way to accomplish this isto learn how to take a Proper Breath. This is not a mothod for everyday breathing. This is a very deep breath, which you would use prior to exercise; prior to relaxing; prior to concentrating; prior to taking a final exam; prior to running the fifty vard dash, ete, etc.; this breath should be taken whenever you feel your body needs an “extra” adequate supply of oxygen. This can be performed either sitting or standing, how: ever you feal most comfortabla, Exhale deeply, con: tracting the abdomen. Begin @ very slow inhalation through your nose, At the same time, slovily push out in the abdominal area (using your abdominal muscles,) allowing air to enter the lower area of your lungs. Continue the slow inhalation, new expanding your rib cage and chest as far as possible, (this may require you to slightly contract the abdominal expanse.) Simultan: ously raise your shoulders as high at possible, holding your entire upper torso expanded as far as possible. This allows the maximum amount of air into your lungs. Hold your breath for the count of five. Now slowly exhale, relaxing your shoulders, chest and ‘abdemen, When exhalation Is complete, repeat. Do this five times, Then relax, Although this is a simple exercise, do not take it lightly It is one of the most important that you will ever learn, Just as nutrition is essential zo health, so is the Proper Breath. You should practice this at least once day, for the rest of your life. It is an exercise that you can do almost anywhere, at work, school or home, and no one will even notice that you are performing an exercise. You will be surprised at how often you will use it. If you become nervous or anxious, try this breathing technique. It will stow your body down. Nervousness causes constriction of the muscles in your diaphragm, chest and throat Because of this, your breathing is shallow, and there is less air going in with each breath, Your breathing is more rapid. If you experience this hyper-breathing you should per: form a Proper Breath and follow it with a concentrated, slow and deep breathing. This will calm you down almost immediately. Pertorm the Proper Breath before an exercise session (not before every exercise) and afterwards to relax, Use this exercise as often as you like, Its benefits donot wear off, they are only enhanced by use. Remember the Proper Breath differs from deep breathing, Before each exercise you should breathe fully; in other words, breathe deeply in and out several times, The Proper Breath is an exercise in itself, and should be performed at the beginning and end of an exercise session, not between each exercise, Emergency Breathing It you have ever seen me perform, you ate probably wondering what kind of breathing | do before my feats fof strength. It is a greatly exaggerated form of the Proper Breath. While shaking my head from side to side, | take in very 4uiek, short gasps of air. When I am in @ full state of Chi, to go into the relaxation of the Proper Breath would relinquish my whole body to my subconscious, | even risk going into a coma. Many times when giving exhibs- tions of Chi, | have not even known that | was in front of an audience. By taking in and exhaling short breaths Iam able to stimulate lung silfa so that my lungs are transferring @ ‘maximum amount of oxygen into my blood, This also raises my blood pressure, putting my entire body in an emergency condition, In section 4 | talk about feats of strength and the “emergency” state in more detail Before we begin the Chi concentration exercises, I must caution you, Concentration allows your subconscious mind more freedom. Some people find it very easy to Concentrate, end find results very quickly. Remember, your subconscious is only half in control when you concentrate. Do not allow your body to be at the mercy cof only your subconscious thoughts. It is no accident that you have a conscious and a subconscious mind— the two must work together. If at any time you fool that you are slipping under total control of your sub- conscious, begin to quickly shake your head and take short gasps of air, exhaling quickly, to clear your mind, 65Do not fear your concentration sessions. There are very few people who would ever experience this deep con- ccontration without years of practice, at which point they are ready for it. Start Slowly In beginning to use your power of Chi you must start out with simple exercises. You are not yet ready to attempt something like breaking handeuffs, The hand: cuffs are @ very advanced exhibition of Chi control ‘You must begin with simple things, using your subcon- scious to control your conscious body and actions. ‘As you know, your subconscious is highly suggestive. It does not consist of logic, priorities, or words. It consists only of images, and those images form associa tions, which control how you act. Once when 1 was younger my mother made 2 chocolate cream ple. While the pie was sotting up, and my mother was at the store, | decided to test it aut, Not knowing any better, | ate the whole pie, and also got quite sick. To this day I cannot eat a chocolate cream pie, My subconscious still associates the image of that pie with the sick feeling. I’m sure you've had similar experiences, either with food or drink, where your mind recalls the ‘nauseous feeling at the moro sight or smell of the food cr drink, Violent and repulsive images are usually very strong, It is possible, for example, to begin getting sick to your stomach by merely recalling the smell and appearance of something which you find repulsive. You are mentally associating a sick feeling with something repulsive it doesn't matter whether that repulsive object is really near you, Your First Images of Chi Control The same type of image-assoctation process will occur 1s you begin to develop your Chi, Your first attempts at using Chi will form an image in your subconscious. If that first image is good, your subconscious will readily ‘accept your control, However, if your attempt is negative, such as trying something which you are not ready for yet, and then failing, your subconscious will form a negative image of failing and it will fight your attempts at control. For this reason you must start out slowly and build a strong and powerful foundation. You must first learn to relax, then to concentrate, and finally to shape and control the subconscious images which guide your ‘actions and reactions. Preparing for Concentration You should plan your concentration times into your schedule, Make certain that you concentrate at the most ‘opportune time for your body. Sometimes this is after a work-out when your body yearns for peace and quiet, Do not try to concentrate after @ meal, your body Is too ‘active dligesting the food, Try to avoid stimulants such as Coca-cola or coffee before, Choose a quiet place, Maybe the came place you have chosen to perform your Chi exercises. It is not necessary to be entirely alone, but itis preferred. Explain to others that you should not be disturbed when you are concen: tating, and if you ever are, try not to start or jump out of your state of concentration too quickly—it is an uncomfortable feeling, much like being startled from a restful sleep, Natural things are peaceful, Many people enjoy concen- trating’near green plants or flowers, or near @ window with a pleasant view, It is not necessary. Do not face into a direct source of light. Lighting should be subdued, to make it easy on your eves. Find a comfortable position, lying down or sitting up. If you are experienced in using the lotus position then use it. But be certain to find a comfortable position, Perform the Proper Breath 3 times, and then relax. If during your concentration session you find yourself uncomfortable, you can always adjust your position, stretch, yawn or seratch an itch, It is most important that you are comfortable. You should perform your Proper Breath immediately after getting into your comfortable position. In a state of concentration you are unaware and often mistaken about the passage of time. It is nice to have 42 clock around, that is if it doesn’t tick. During your concentration you may glance at it through half-closed eyes to know how long you have been concentrating, When you are finished concentrating, open your eyes slowly, strotch (the exercises from seetion 1 are fantastic ‘wake uppers!) and continue about your day. Your checklist for doing Chi concentration sessions is: Find a peaceful atmosphere . Find a comfortable position |. Perform the Proper Breath 3 times Close your eyes RelaxComplete Relaxation ‘You must remember to completely relax when doing concentration exercises, You must learn how your body feels when it is relaxed. The Proper Breath is an aid, just as learning how to tense helps you feel how to relax. But aids will not work completely, you must learn to feel relaxed. Start by commanding your body to relax. Let ‘your limbs, shoulders and neck go limp. Now take an inventory. Are your eyes, your neck muscles, your scalp, your jaw, your shoulders, your stomach, your legs, your toes and your breathing relaxed? ‘You must lear to feel complete relaxation, and until this becomes @ habit you should continue to take inventory of your body each time you relax. Like your list and your notes, itis the only sure way to leave no part of you tense. Once your body is relaxed, then do the same for your thoughts. Start feeling inward, feeling your body and not the things around you. Close your eyes and feel side, not outside. ‘You cannot stop your thought processes, but you can begin to think in terms of feslings, not words, This is like clearing the communication lines between your ‘conscious and subconscious minds—almost like dreaming while awake. FREE CONCENTRATION When in your state of concentration you are only half in control. You are relinquishing half of your mental control to your subconscious mind. Try this concentration: Think only about your breath: ing, Your breathing does not have to be regulated, just breath normally. With each breath in, think in’, with each breath out, think “out”, Do not say these words, but think of their sounds as you breathe in and out. Think, innnnnnnn, ovououououcuouou (the sound of “v" may be too harsh and itis sometimes easier to think only of “ou"}. As you do this, remain completely relaxed, concentrating only on your breathing. ‘Your subconscious mind will lot other images come to mind. Do this for about ten or fifteen minutes and see what thoughts your mind turns to, Think of these thoughts as clouds in the sky. You cannot stop their passing, they are Just there to be looked at, and thought ‘about, as they pass. Do not take control of these ‘thoughts. Merely let your subconscious wander. It has been found that such concentration sessions reduce the body's lactic acid, Lactic acid builds up ‘with fatigue. Sleep normally reduces the amount of lactic acid in the body. With the Free Concentration sessions you can feel as refreshed as if you had taken anap. Good concentration habits can reduce health problems associated with stress and Improve a person's blood circulation, It can give the subconscious mind time to clear. Many people, including myself, find this very relaxing and often I reconcile myself with situations which during the day seemod awkward or uneasy. Some people have even discovered through Free Con- centration the reasons for very deep-seated complexes, You should begin immediately practicing this Free Concentration for ten to fifteen minutes, Perform it several times before you begin the more controlled Chi ‘concentrations described below. Role Acting and Visualization Chi concentration is @ kind of role acting, Just as the Chi exercises require using the Imagination as a stimulus, s0 the Chi concentration exercises require imagination. ‘You must learn to translate your verbal thoughts into ‘mental pictures, and feelings. As you know, the subeon- scious will react much quicker to emotions, and if you cen translate your verbal thoughts into emotions you are step ahead of the game. For most of you, you will need to learn how to translate your thoughts. You will need to learn how to communi- cate with your subconscious. To learn requires you to become familiar with how your subconscious operates, and what images cause what feactions. To do this you must practice with simple associations, 1 will give you a few examples, and you may know of others which have a specific association in your own mind, | usually begin my students with the most common of ‘zsociations, the yawn. Begin your concentration and picture in your mind a yawn, not the word, but an actual yawn, Think of people yawning, think of mouths ‘opening and yawning sounds. Think of yourself yawning, When you have successfully conveyed this image to your subeonscious you will respond by yawning, And when ‘you do, congratulate yourself, because you will have just ‘completed your first exercise of Chi mind control. You have mentally commanded your body to react! After you have mastered the yawn, you might try this fone. Concentrate on the taste of a lemon, or another 87equally bitter fruit, Think of its bitter and sour taste. Feel its sour juices on your tongue. Taste the sour taste, \Wihen your salivary glands begin reacting to counter the bitter taste, you will know that you have mastered this one. Another very common association is the sound of finger nails sliding down a blackboard, Think of the screeching sound. Seo a blackboard and the fingernails land hear the screeching in your mind. When you have managed to give yourself goose bumps you will know that you've conveyed the message. AA slightly more difficult concentration is to imagine an itch somewhere on your body. Think of something tickling your skin, or crawling on you, whichever image is strongest for you. Think and feel this irritation until you have to scratch or rub your imaginary irritation away. If you can think of a funny situation, see if you can recreate it in your mind and cause yourself to laugh out loud at it. This, as all the Chi exercises, requires you to use your Imagination. Remember to use it. Forget that the outside world exists, and use your concentration sessions to go inside yourself. Spend this week practicing each of these exercises, Ideally you should practice your concentration once each day; however, some people practice more often, Do not practice t00 long at one time, Have one session, ‘and then wait several hours before you have another. Keep each session under a half hour. Once you have mastered a particular association, move fon to the next. If you master them all, work on Free Concentration. If you want to experiment, go ahead. Become familiar with how your subconscious thinks, It is very important. that you devote time this week to the concentration exercises because next week you will begin directing your subconscious, and you need to have an under: standing of your mind which you can gain only by doing these exercises. You have lived a unique life, and you interpret the things and events around you in a unique way. You must learn what that way is.Part til THE CHI EXERCISES By now you should be feoling the benefits of your exercising. You should be able to tense your muscle quickly, and intensely. You should be discovering new control over the muscles in your arms and shoulders. You may be noticing that other muscles are being worked. If you have never done tensing exercises befor, you are probably just boginning to realize which musclas are performing the work. You have probably also dis- covered that by twisting the position af your arm you can bring entirely new muscles into play. Use the charts fof muscles at the beginning of the exercise sets to seo Which muscles come into play with your movements. Change Your Exercises, By shifting the position of your body when porforming ‘these exercisos you can push the blood into a different portion of the muscle, especially when you are working the large muscles, such as the delts, pect, lats and chest. For the bodybuilder these exercises help work areas of ‘the muscle which weight training doesn’t affect. Regard- less of whether you're looking for bulk, definition or strength, you should explore with different positions +0 gain the maximum benefit from your exercise. In a later section we will cover movement. For the time, slightly alter your positions to achieve maximum benefit. You can do this every week, changing the position of your fists, forearms and shoulders to push blood into now sections of the muscle, ‘The key to these exercises is exertion. Prepare for your Chi exercises. You may use the Proper Broath and one fF two of the tone and limbering movements to warm Up. Pay attention to what your body is doing, and take these exercises seriously. You will get out of them only ‘what you put in. Before doing an exercise, think of the movement you aro about to make. You should have a partial list on your Exercise Routine Chart. Think of the exercise, concen- trate, take a deep breath and then tense. Use your mind and your imagination to increase your exertion. When you perform these exercises only one thought should be in your mind — to tense as hard as you ean, and then to ‘tense harder! Last week you stood in front of a mirror and rated your physical appearance. If you found things about yourself Which you think could be improved, then this is the way to improve them. You must put forth the effort to change yourself. You must put the extra effort into ‘these exercises to improve your appearance, strengthen your muscles and strengthen your mind. B”‘Muscles of the Trunk: |. Deltoid . Pectoralis Major |. Serratus Anterior External Oblique Rectus Abdominis Gluteus Maximus Gluteus Medius front Doltoid Pectoralis Major Latissimus Dors Serratus Anterior External Oblique Ant. Rectus Sheath Rectus Abdominis “Transversus Abdominis Internal Oblique .Intercostal |. Pectoralis Minor 12. 13, External Oblique Intercostal Trapezius Teres Major Splonius Capitus Gluteus Medius Levator Scapulae Rhomboid Minor |= Supraspinatus Teres Minor Post. Sorratus Inf. 7For The Lats: The Pull This exercise is performed in two parts. You will need something to pull against for the first part. For most of you a door knob will work. Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Kneel, with your arms held straight out from your shoulders, and pull_ down hard, Imagine that you are pulling this object down to the floor. Pull with your arm and lat muscles. Pull as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. For the second half abook may be used. Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. With your arms held straight down in front of your body, push the book into your body. Push as hard as possible, tensing your lat muscles. Exert as much as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. 76Flex Out Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Standing in front of a mirror, pull your lats out as far as possible. Watch them closely and pull ‘them out from the back in whatever manner you ate most comfortable with. Pull them as hard as you possibly can. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. For The Delts And Traps: Pull Up Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. With your arms straight at your sides, push your arms upward, pulling your shoulders up and slightly back. Imagine that you are pulling your ‘traps up over your ears. Pull as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax, 7For the Delts: Elbow Up Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. With your arms bent at the elbows and held at shoulder height, attempt to touch your elbows cover your head. Pull up as hard as possible, Keeping your upper arms in line with your torso and head, Hold for seven seconds. Relax. The Wing Relax.Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Bend your arms at the elbow, at waist height. Attempt to touch your elbows in back. Pull back as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. For the Traps: Pull Back Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. With your arms bent at the elbow and held at shoulder height, attempt to pull your elbows back and touch them behind your back, Pull back as hard 2s possible, keeping your upper arms level with your shoulders. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. 8REVIEW Much of the success of a student of Chi is dependent upon how well he knows himself. Hopefully the personality {questionnaire has helped you discover new facets of your personality ‘As you know, it is beneficial to think and act within positive emotions. Many of the problem areas which appear on the personality questionnaire are directly related to negstive thinking. Remind yourself daly to think positive! You must set goals for both your physical and mental progress. Just as your body changes with time, so does your personality. You must look at who you want to be, and direct your physical and mental development toward that end. We are now halfway through our study. You have learned the essentials of body and mind development. Pay close attention to your Chi exercises. Listen to your body. Feel what is happening to you. Perform both your physical ‘and mental exercises, experiencing and analyzing what is happening. In the next section you will learn the essence of Chi. You will learn what the internal strength is and how it works. You will learn how ta identify and develop your Chi. You will also learn exercises for the neck, abs and buttocks. ‘Spend time to explore and experience the many facets of your personality through the concentration exercises. It is im- portant not to move too quickly into the teachings in section 4. Spend time with yourself, and look forward to the new knowledge in the next sectiont a1Part Ill THE CHI EXERCISES Mental Rehearsal In performing the Chi exercises you must imagine that ‘you are bending your arms, or pushing against wedges, ete. In your Chi concentration exercises you must imagine objects and emotions which cause your body to react, ‘Your imagination is a powerful tool. You can use it to help you cope with situations, to perform better, to react quicker. Basically, your imagination can prepare yourself for anything In The Gym—The Imaginary Dead Lift ‘To help increase your lifts in the gym, you can mentally rehearse them, Bend over and imagine that you are tipping 2 bar. Position your hands exactly as if there ‘was @ real barbell in front of you. Imagine that there is ‘more weight than you can possibly lift on the bar. Strain ‘hard as you can. Feel the bar pull against your grip. ‘You are picking it off the ground and the bar is getting heavier. Put everything you have into lifting this ber. Try to complete the lift Do this for about 14 to 18 seconds. Tense hard and slowly. This type of exercise is very similar to some of those taught in Karate. In Karate you must throw punches very slowly, tensing each muscle as hard as you can with the movement. You can use this technique not only for deadlifting, but for any gym lift; for improving a {golf swing; for improving a swimming stroke; for slmost anything which requires strength and coordination. ‘The key is to perform it slowly, feeling and tensing each of the muscles as they come into play to complete ‘the movement, By performing these movements slowly, you over-use each of the muscles involved. You also learn the order in which the muscles must come into play to complete the movement. When you come to actually performing the movement, it will be like second nature, it will have become a habit for your muscles to move in that fashion. You will be mentally prepared for the movement. You will become more confident that you can perform it smoothly and automatically. This is how | practice the handcuff break. In front of a mirror, | slowly tense my shoulders, arms, forearms and wrists against on ima inary pair of handcuffs. | work my body much harder than when | actually pull against the cutfs because | am Using additional muscles to hold my arms in place. You can mentally prepare yourself in this manner fe, almost anything. Before a performance | mentally rehearse everything that | am going to do. I think of everything | will say and of how | will feel. When the actual performance arrives, my body, because of habit, turns on for the show. It is the only way I perform, Have you ever had to get up extra early in the morning, and gone to bed with the thought in mind that you must (et up at @ certain time, and then found that with no ‘alarm you wake up just at that time? This happens to ‘me many times. It is because | have mentally rehearsed getting up at that time. You can do the same thing with everything in your life. You can plan ahead how you will react to things, and you can react that way. 93As you have learned in previous sections, glands ‘are necessary in the secretion of hormones. Hormones affect your moods, your tempera- ment, your skin condition, your strength and your sexuality. The following exercise provides a kind of mas- sage for the organs and glands in and around your digestive system. It simulates the stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys and pancreas. The position of the head allows blood to move toward the head and the pituitary gland. This exercise is not essential to body develop- It is, however, an extremely beneficial exercise. | perform it regularly, along with my normal routine. Its benefits are not as obvious as with the other Chi exercises, but they are nonetheless there. Ab Pump: Get on your hands and knees. Bend your head down so that you are looking out between your legs. Relax. Breathe deeply several times, then exhale your last breath completely. Pull your stomach inward and upward, and immediately push it back out in @ snapping motion. Pull it back in and up, and snap it out again, Do this as many times as you can on one exhalation. Then relax. You should work on this exercise until you are completing about 25 snaps per exhalation. You need only perform this once a day. If your stomach wall muscles are weak, it may take you several weeks to build up to 25 snaps. If this is a particularly hard movement for you to make, you should practice it in a standing position for several weeks until your stomach muscles have become acquainted with the move- ment. This is a priceless, and very simple exercise. It will keep your internal organs healthy and res- ponsive, It also helps to prevent middle age pot belly. | would hope that you include this in your daily routine. Remember not to ignore the sim- ple exercises. They are basic to your health.For the abdominal muscles: Ab Flex Relax. Take several deep breaths, then exhale completely. Bend slightly forward, placing your hands on your thighs. Push down on your abdominal muscles as hard as possible. Hold for the count of seven. Relax. And of course, no routine for the abs could be considered complete without sit-ups. For the buttocks: Buttocks Flex Relax. Breathe fully, holding the last breath. Stand on your toes, and lean slightly forward (you may wish to lean upon something as illus- trated in the photo). Flex your buttocks muscles as hard as possible, for seven seconds. Relax.Muscles of the head: 1. Trapesius 13, Stornocieidomactoia 2. Splenius Capitus 14. Omonyoia 3. Levator Seapuliae 16, Triangularie 4. Procerus 16, Orbicuars 0 5. Frontalie 17, Zygamatie Major 6. Orbieulars Oct 18, Sup. Levator Lebil 7. 2ygomatie Minor 10. Sealenus Mm 8 Compressor Nares 20. Occipital 9. Risorive 21, Sup. Auriculri 10, Inf, Quadratus Labi 22, Post. Auriculere 11, Platysme 23. Ant. Auriculeris 12, Sternonyoid Often exercises for the neck are neglected in health routines. The neck, since it houses the center of your nervous system, is a very impor- tant part of the body. But aside from gaining neck ‘strength, these exercises also work and tone your facial muscles. These exercises will help you from losing the shape of your face, chin and neck For the neck muscles: Tendon Stretch Relax. Breathe deeply, holding the last breath. Using your lower jaw, flex the tendons in your neck as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax.Neck Pull Relax. Breathe fully, holding the last breath Looking straight ahead, pull your head as far as you can to the right side. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the left side. ‘Star-gazer Relax. Breathe fully, holding the last breath. Bend your head as far back as you can. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Ground-gazer Relax. Breathe fully, holding the last breath. Bend your head as far forward as you can. You may use your fists to push. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. 97REVIEW In the past four sections you have learned much. Now it is time for you to apply your knowledge to your life. You have learned how your body works. You have experienced the mental control you have over your body. You have learned what Chi is. Now you must fee! how to use Chi in your life. You do use it. Everyone does, to some degree. itis time for you to find out when and how you are using it. You now have the tools to direct your thoughts. You must find the keys to your subcons rally motivates you. i. You must find what natu- ‘You have set apart @ time in each day to perform your Chi exercises, mental and physical. Now you must apply what you hhave learned throughout the day. Notice what your body is doing. Pay attention to why you do things. Analyze your reactions and your moods. Alter them to fit your wants and needs. You have the knowledge—now use it! The next section will teach you the impact your dreams have on your life, You will learn exercises for the thighs and calves, ‘The majority of your learning is now complete. The responsibility is now on you to apply the lessons and achieve your ‘goals, There is a reason that you took this course, and that desire should be becoming a reality. Look forward to the next section!Part Ill THE CHI EXERCISES This section will complete your Chi exercises for your specific muscles. We have covered your entire body. This section will explain how to work your thighs and calves. As with the other exercises, these will call upon other parts of your body to come into play. You will work your feet in these exercises. Many people look for strong thigh and calf definition, and I have found these exercises to be the best for achieving that definition. Because of the sets of muscles in your thighs and calves, these exercises are greatly enhanced by using the movement which will be explained in the next section, For now, follow the prescribed exercises, and pay particular attention to the specific muscles in your legs. You may wish to Pause during these exercises and reach down with your hand to feel the specific muscles tense. After one week with these exercises, you will be well prepared to reap the additional benefits of movement in Section 6. ‘Muscles of the legs ‘Tensor Fascia Lata 18, 1, 20. Semitoncinerus 1. Glureus maximus 11. Ext. Digitorum Longue 2. Gluteus Mediue 12. Thos Antarior 3. sertonue 13, Soleus 4. toss 14, Gaztrocnamiue 5. Pectinous 16, Vous Medialis 8. Adductor Longue 16, Rectue Femoris 7. Gracie 17, Biceps Femoris 8 3. Vastus Lateralis, ‘Addetor Magnus 10, Poroneus Longus Semimembranosus Note: The calf is composed of two separate Imuscles-the gastrocnemius, number 14. 3For the thigh (Biceps Femoris) The Crane Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your legs together, and lift your right leg at the knee. Pull your leg up as far as possible, tensing your thigh bicep. Hold for seven seconds, Relax. Repeat for the left leg. For the thigh and buttocks: The Swan Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your legs together, and lift your right leg away from you body, and bent at the knee. Pull your leg back, and up as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds, tensing as hard as you can. Relax. Repeat for the left leg 4For the thigh muscles: Thigh Flex a. This exercise is performed one leg at a time. ‘There are three positions. Position 1 Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your leg slightly in front of your body, with your toes raised as far up as possible. Keep your heel on the ground. Lock your knee and tense your leg muscles as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the other leg. Position 2 Breathe fully, holding your last breath. With your leg slightly in front of your body, twist your foot to the left and raise your toes as far as possible from the ground. Keep your heel on the ground and your knee locked. Flex your leg muscles as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the other leg. 116Position 3 Breathe fully, holding your last breath. With your leg slightly in front of your body, ‘twist your foot to the right and raise your toes as far as possible from the ground. Keep your heel on the ground and your knee locked. Flex your thigh muscles as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for other leg. *You will be performing these same positions in Section 6 with movement. Use these positions to acquaint yourself with the muscles in your legs. 7For the calf muscles: Calf Flex Position 1 (This exercise works both parts of the calf.) Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your right leg slightly bent at the knee, with your heel raised as high as possible. Flex your calf muscles as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the left leg. (This exercise works the outside of the calf.) Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your right leg slightly bent at the knee, with your toes pointing in towards your left leg. Raise your heel as high from the ground as possible. Tense your calf muscles as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the left leg. 118Position 3 (This exercise works the inside of the calf.) Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Stand with your right leg slightly bent at the knee, with your toes pointing away from your body. Raise your heel as high from the ground as possible. Tense your calf muscles as hard as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the left leg, “These positions will also be used in Section 6. ugMuscles of the feet: |. Peroneus Longus © Exe, Hallucls Brevis 2 Ext. Digtorum Longus 7. Ext Hallucs Longue 3. Abductor Digiti V 8. Peronous Brevis, 4. Lig, Transversus Cruris 9. Achilles Tendon 5. Ext, Disitorum Brevis 10, Personeus Tertius For the feet and the front of the lower leg: Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Using a bench or other object to rest your foot on, raise your toes as high as possible. Hold for seven seconds. Repeat for the other calf muscle. “It is beneficial to prepare for this exercise by sitting in a chair and raising your toes from the floor in quick movements. Try to do forty or fifty quick toe lifts in one minute. Lift your toes as high as possible. 120For the calves: Calf Raise Relax. Breathe fully, holding your last breath. Place one foot on a bench or chair. Reise up on your toes, flexing the calf muscles as hard as you possibly can. Lift your heel as far from the sur- face as possible. ‘Tense for seven seconds. Relax. Repeat for the other calf, You may wish to perform this exercise in three positions, front, left and right. To add tension ‘on your muscle, you can use your hand to push down on your leg as you push up with your heel. 121REVIEW ‘Take a few minutes out at this time and think of what you have learned. You have ltarned how to concentrate your thoughts, {and control your conscious and subconscious minds, now use what you have learned to think back over the course Think of the mental control you have learned. Feel your muscles, and the tone and strength which they have geined. Listen to Your breathing, and feel your lungs pull in oxygen, releasing it to your body. Feel what you have learned, and what you have accomplished. Look at the goals you have in your life. Look at where you are, and where you want to be. Think of what was on your mind at the start of this course, Think of what is on your mind now. ‘You have progressed far enough at this time to perform your review on your own. De it now. Go to the place you have chosen for your Chi concentration exercises, and concentrate on what you have learned. ‘There is only one lesson left. The secrets lsft to be revealed are those you hold in yourself. You have learned slowly, and I hope, thoroughly. Look forward to the final section! 123Section 6 Part 1 APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED. ‘You have learned tho basics of controlling your emo: tions, your moods, your strength, your motivation, your health and your life goals, Now you must apply ‘what you have learned, | hope that you have already begun to use Chi in your daily life-either in a workout, ‘or in a stress situation, {tis up to you to apply what | have taught you. You are the only person who can make it work. I have only a few suggestions which may help you, For The Athlete In Competition Use your tension and pre-game anxiety to your advantage, Feel inward. What you interpret as anxiety is really your body gearing itself up for top performance. Use the ‘mental rehearsal the night before a competition, and also immediately before competition. Use your concentrs- tion sessions to recall your pregame anxiety, and to convert that anxiety into a peak performance, Watch your diet prior to competition, Make sure that you are eating well rounded meals, but not overeating s0 that your body is wasting needed energy on digestion. Check your carbohydrate and protein intakes to make sure they are in line with your average, Watch your breathing. Use the Proper Breath before ‘competition to help you relax, and to fill your muscle tissues with the much needed oxygen. Watch your breathing during the game, making sure that you are Providing your body with 2 steady supply of oxygen. Think about what you are going to do. Actually go through the movements, very slowly, Whether it’s basketball, golf, swimming, tennis, soccer, football or baseball, practice the movements you know you will be using. Mentally rehearse them. Think of them in minute detail—every muscle and tendon which will ‘come into play with the movement. Do not forget to concentrate, Remove other thoughts which may be clogging the lines of communication between your mind and your body. Take a minute out and close your eyes and use your concentration lessons to push out interferring thoughts such as failing and self-doubt. Replace these thoughts with positive thoughts, of achieverent. During your rehearsal, think of what positive thoughts should be motivating you. Don't think of slaughtering the other team. Think of putting forth your best effort, ‘Think of achieving what you have trained for. Think of (and list them if you want) the positive motivations which should guide you in the game. Think of them the night before the game. Go to sleep thinking of them. ‘And immediately before the game, think of them again, ‘Sut when the game starts, concentrate on what you are doing. For The Weightlifter In applying the internal streneth to achieve maximum strength and power, you should follow the guidelines for athletes outlined above, Think positive, do not let negative thoughts enter into your thinking. ‘The most important thing is the rehearsal. Use this for several weeks before you attempt a difficult lift. What- ever you are doing, deadlifts, curls or presses, remember to rehearse them, slowly and completely. Use your imagination to feel the bar. Feel your hands strain to 127hold it, Feel your fingers tense up, feel every muscle in your arms, shoulders and back come into play. Tense as hard as you possibly can, and then tense harder. You must tenso until you can feel your muscles shake, No matter how strong or big you are, you can tense to the point where your muscles shake, Experience that point, that is where your mind is telling you to stop. Feel what your muscles are doing, and then use your ‘concentration, your will and your imagination to pro- vide a stimulus to tense even harder. Do not spend slong time on each rehearsal. You are not teaching your muscles stamina, You are teaching them ‘0 exert maximum strength. When you rehearse, tense 25 hard as you possibly can, then tense harder. The impor- tant thing is to teach your muscles that they can go beyond their thirty percent limit. ‘After you have been rehearsing these lifts for awhile, ‘ry one in the gym, Never attempt to walk up to a bar and lift it, You have the advantage of preparation— use it. Stop and think about what you are doing, Think ‘about your rehearsals. Think positive, and think that you ean do it. Stand before the bar and imagine yourself completing the lift. Watch your breathing. Concentrate ‘on the bar. Know that you have to do it, know that you ccan do it, Then lift the weight. {In your regular workouts use Chi to complote those sets which seem too difficult. Push yourself past what ‘you think your limits are. Show yourself what you ean do. Don't overuse your power. Your body was not de: signed to push itself all the time. Use your Chi to ac- Ccomplish some things, but not all things. For the Martial Artist Use your Chi to combat fear and pain. Use the concen- tration to eliminate interference, and to center yourself. Rehearse your movements, your reactions and your emotions. Know how you will react. When fighting, turn your instinct for self-preservation to your advantage. Don't acknowledge pain. Guide yourself with pos ‘emotions. Studying self-defense is a good discipline in learning to utilize your Chi. It helps give you confidence and also teaches you to react in situations with quickness of bath the body and mind. NOTES 128Imaginary Weight Lifts Imaginary Curt Make certain that your movement is complete and flowing, Don't practice 2 portion of the exercise, or hesitate in your exertion. Rehearse the entire Be suro to porform the movement slowly and grace- fully. Concentrate on what your body is doing to perform the exerciseImaginary Press Imaginary Weightlifting Checklist: 1. Think of the complete movement you are about to make. 2. Position yourself for the exertion. Breathe fully, hold ing the last bresth. 3. Tense against the imagin- ‘ary weight, and attempt the lift. 4, Tense harder, moving slovily. 5. Complete the lift, slowly and gracefully. 6 Put down the imaginary weight and relax. 130Part Ill MOVEMENT IN EXERCISE By now you should be feeling comfortable with the tensing exercises. You should be acquainted with many lof the working and some of the inner muscles of your body. You should have a sufficient mastery of Chi tensing exercises With this knowledge you are now ready to apply the same concentrated tensing to movement. When com- bining the two you will work entire muscle sets, com prised of up to 14 muscles at a time. You may bring mare Of the inner muscles into play, as well as strengthening your tendons, To perform the Chi tensing with movement, the same basic principles apply. Your mind is the key. You must calculate and concentrate on the movement. The move: ‘ment must be slow and intense. You must learn to feel each of your muscles come into play; perform the move- ‘ment intensely; and complete the movernent with grace and smoothness. Because different muscles come in and out of play, ‘you must tense longer when performing the exercises ‘with movement than you did with the specific muscle ‘ensing. You may tense in one particular movement for up to 60 seconds. Try to keep the time of tensing to about seven seconds per muscle ‘The exercises with movernent should be done in con- junction with your regular Chi exercises. Perform only fone set of exercises with movement with each of your exercise sessions. You may wish to follow your specific tensing exercises, such as Single Bicep, Fist Forward, with your arm movement exercise, ‘The movement exercises are great ways to break thraugh sticking points and to work hard areas. They help you gain muscular coordination and grace. They also provide your exercise routine with unlimited variation, When your muscles become accustomed to one move ‘ment, you can slightly alter your position as you perform the exercise to push blood into other areas of your muscle. You should be acquainted with your body's weak and strong areas by now. Use your knowledge of your own body to find the positions and movement ‘which suit your needs best. ‘The success of these exercises is dependent upon the ‘energy and exertion which you can mentally generate, Just as with the specific Chi tensing exercises, you must generate the enthusizsm and energy to tense your ‘muscles a5 hard as you can—up to 100 percent of your potential strength, ‘You have worked every part of your body in your Chi tensing. These exercises utilize what you have already learned. When you perform each of your Chi tensing exercises, think of what movement would work the muscles harder. When you perform your Ab Flex, try rotating your shoulders and torso to apply new tension ‘on your abdominal muscles. When you perform your ddelt and trap exercises, try applying movernent to reap more benefits from the tensing. Use what you have learned and develop a routine to accomplish tone and ‘gains in the areas you want. Remember to perform the movement slowly and grace- fully. By moving slowly and smoothly you are forcing ‘your body to control and regulate its energy expenditure, Here is a check list for performing the Chi exercises with movement: 1. Relax . Breathe fully, several times. Think of the exercise movement you ere about to perform. Hold your last breath. ‘Tense as hard as you can. Watch and feel each muscle ‘come in and out of play in the movement. |. Mave as slow and gracefully as you can. Increase your tensing, 5. Complete the movement slowly and gracefully. . Relax, To help you in learning the movement, | have provided & few sample exercises. These are good movements, but remember to find your own, You are now advanced enough to know when and what movements affect your body and development. Personalize your routine, 135MOVEMENT FOR THE ARMS: The Arm Raise With your right arm outstretched as shown, slowly raise it towards your body. Tense your entire arm, from your fingers to your shoulders. This movement should take about thirty seconds to raise your arm up. Remember to increase your tensing as you raise your arm. Repeat the tensing as you lower your arm. You should take about thirty seconds to lower your arm. Repeat for the left arm. You may wish to vary this movement by raising your arm to the Single Bicep, Fist Forward or Single Bicep, Fist Back position described on age 33, 136The Punch This is a good exercise for aim, coordination, grace and arm tone. Form a first, with your palm up, in the position shown, Fix your eyes straight ahead on a single point. Slowly, twist and thrust your fist toward that point, Increase your tensing as you move your arm. Tense your arm muscles as hard as possible. Retract your arm. The punching movement should take about fifteen to twenty seconds. 138139‘The Arm Drop With your right arm bent at the elbow as shown, slowly straighten your arm. Tense your entire arm, from your delts to your fingers. Lower your arm slowly until it is alongside your body, with the elbow locked. This movement should take about twenty seconds. Be sure to increase the tensing as you move. Repeat the tensing as you raise your arm back to the waist position. The movement back up should take about twenty seconds. Repeat for your left arm. 140Movement For The Legs The best movement for the thigh muscles is 2 combination of the three positions learned in Section 5. With your toes raised as high from the floor as possible, and your entire thigh tensed as hard as possible, move your toes from the center to the right; and then back to the center; and then to the left; and back to the center. This entire movement, center, right, center, left, center, should take about twenty seconds. ‘The best movement for the calf is a combination of the three positions learned in Section 5. With your heel raised from the ground and your calf muscles tensed as hard as possible, move your heel from the center to the right; and then back to the center; and then to the left; and back to the center. This entire movement, center, right, center, left, center should take about fifteen seconds. 141MOVEMENT FOR THE ARMS: The Arm Raise With your right arm outstretched as shown, slowly raise it towards your body. Tense your entire arm, from your fingers to your shoulders. This movement should take about thirty seconds to raise your arm up. Remember to increase your tensing as you raise your arm. Repeat the tensing as you lower your arm. You should take about thirty seconds to lower your arm, Repeat for the left arm. You may wish to vary this movement by raising your arm to the Single Bicep, Fist Forward or Single Bicep, Fist Back position described on page 33, 136