spontaneous qigong and closing movment

[flow.alignment]

If you're talking about zhan zhuang (standing holding a static stance), I'd agree with you. By sinking down your legs act as a pump sending a steady flow of qi throughout your system and qi is allowed to flow naturally.

Dynamic exercises, on the other hand, by their nature circulates qi more strongly along specific meridians, so qi does not flow freely - it flows strongly along those targeted channels.

It's my understanding that one of the reasons it's recommended to perform complete qigong sets (like the 8 Brocades) in a session and not just do one exercise from a set is because the full set promotes holistic energy flow while a single exercise does not.

All meridians are connected and part of the same system, so doing a single exercise would get qi circulating to other meridians, but that doesn't mean other meridians get the same level of flow. It's like how a sudden stronger flow of water along a river doesn't mean tributaries would experience the same flow.

[sky]

I practice Zhan Zhuang, The Eight Brocade and The 18 Luohan Hands, Yang Style Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword and Tai Chi Kung fu fan... they all open the Meridians and allow Qi to flow, any of the above Forms are as good as the other, you can also use gentle stretching/massage/tapping to alleviate congested/stagnant Qi...

Imo only....

[flow.alignment]

I think I misunderstood what you were saying.

I thought you meant that practicing only a single exercise, for example, only the second of the 8 brocades alone it would clear any blockage. But from what you practice, it doesn't seem that's what you meant (if you did, then it wouldn't make sense to practice all those other exercises since only one would do the trick).

If you meant that you don't need to know what meridian is blocked in order to clear it, I agree. You could just do a set of exercises that collectively stimulates qi flow through all major meridians and the blockage would be cleared, wherever it was.

Originally I said:

Normal dynamic/moving qigong exercises consist of movement patterns that stimulate greater qi flow in specific meridians. So in order to clear a blockage with normal dynamic qigong exercises, you'd need to know which meridian is blocked (an acupuncturist could tell you) and practice one or more dynamic exercises that target that meridian.

When I reread it, I think I phrased it poorly - "you'd need to know..." implies that's the only way of going about it, which wasn't what I intended to convey.

I should have added, "Or you could practice a set of multiple qigong exercises that cover all of the meridians."

[sky]

Originally Posted by flow.alignment

I think I misunderstood what you were saying.

Not to worry, I do that frequently

Just curious, which Form do you personally practise ? There's so many it can be hard to choose or mybe it chooses us. Most look for a Form to tailor their physical capabilities and then move on as they progress.
It's all good, just enjoy it and reap it's benefits regardless

[flow.alignment]

Up until recently, I had been primarily practicing Zhan Zhuang (ZZ). A few months ago I started a routine taught by Anthony Korahais (5 Phase Routine) with ZZ as a part of it.

The 5 phases being:

1 - Enter a meditative state
2 - Do whatever dynamic or static qigong exercises you want (edit - I do some exercises from the 18 Luohan Hands followed by ZZ here)
3 - A period of spontaneous movement qigong
4 - A period of standing meditation (edit - includes bringing qi back to the lower dantian)
5 - A closing sequence that includes a point massage around the face

I suspect the routine is taught by or adapted from what Wong Kiew Kit (WKK) taught because I noticed another of WKK's students, Marcus Santer, taught the same routine in one of his books.

Shortly after switching to it, I had a dramatic improvement with a chronic health condition, so I've stuck with it since.

I learned a bit of Chen style Tai Chi many years ago but stopped after I moved to a different city that didn't have a teacher nearby.

[sky]

Originally Posted by flow.alignment

Up until recently, I had been primarily practicing Zhan Zhuang (ZZ).

Excellent We always start Qigong and Tai Chi Forms with ZZ and finish with tapping or massage....
It's all good....