Shaking with purpose
Shaking is natural
The photo shows a small wet dog standing by a river and shaking water off its body. Photo by Tadeusz Lakota at Unsplash
When it came to Qigong shaking, I really had to step out of my comfort zone in order to do it as a practice. Shaking is actually an activity that is found in many cultures and spiritual practices, including Qigong, Aikido, Shamanic Bushmen, American Christian churches, the Quakers and Shakers. Animals shake naturally throughout the day, and psychotraumatologist, Peter Alan Levine, hypothesized that the shaking is what helps animals process trauma, and some of his interventions for trauma involve getting people to simply shake their bodies. Ethnographer and anthropologist, Bradford Keeney, who in his beautiful book Shaking Medicine: The Healing Power of Ecstatic Movement considers shaking to be a simple and profound practice for which you prepare to do not just for heath, but ultimately as a spiritual undertaking.
For myself, I actually did not appreciate shaking when I started diving deep into mindbody practices, because I didn’t trust the simplicity of shaking. I had to go through a few phases of practice and learning to see shaking anew. It turns out, shaking the body has many benefits, which I outline at this week’s blog post here. The power of shaking is very much in its simplicity and how it connects you with life. The simple fact is that everything in life is vibrating on some level, and all creatures shake, sometimes with fear, sometimes with joy, and sometimes on purpose. Shaking is what you might spontaneously do when you feel awe and excitement in life. It is an expression of anticipation and zest for life.
Qigong Shaking is a form of Qigong practice that involves rhythmic shaking and trembling movements of the body. This practice is based on the principles of Traditional Chinese medicine, and the aim is to promote the flow of Qi (vital energy and biological information exchange within and without your body) throughout the body to improve health and well-being.
During a Qigong shaking exercise session, you typically stand with feet shoulder-width apart, relax the body, and then begin to shake various parts of their body, such as the arms, legs, torso, and head, one at a time or all together simultaneously. You combine the shaking movements with deep, relaxed breathing and a focused mind to enhance the flow of Qi. The increased flow of Qi and energy in the body serves to release tension in the body and can sometimes ease pain in the body this way.
The potential benefits of shaking the body gently like this may include:
Improved Circulation: The shaking movements can stimulate blood flow and lymphatic circulation throughout the body. Tingling and buzzing feelings in the face and limbs indicate increased circulation. The lymphatic system is part of the immune system in the body and needs bodily movement in order to circulate the clear lymphatic fluids back to the heart. When the lymphatic system is functioning well, your immune system can eliminate waste products of the cells and prevent illness.
Improved Mobility: Regular practice of Qigong shaking exercises can increase mobility and range of motion in the joints and muscles, because of the muscle recruitment involved in doing movement and stabilizing movement. Shaking the body gently can make you less afraid of moving and using your body. This can lead you to move more, and then become more mobile and agile and even stronger.
Mind-Body Connection: A deeper awareness of the mind-body connection is at the core of all Qigong exercises. With shaking, there can be a sense of primal energies that connect you to a sense of your animal nature. This connection to what feels basic and ordinary can promote a sense of inner peace and well-being. As with other mindbody exercises, becoming more are of the mind-body connection may give you a sense of agency, and you can experience the effects of things like shaking on the body and on the mind.
Stress Reduction: Gentle shaking movements can help release physical and emotional tension, thereby reducing stress levels. Many practitioners report feeling relief and even joy after shaking and bouncing. In fact, some cultures consider shaking to be a spiritual practice in addition being to a health practice.
Some observations about shaking practice
You can think of shaking and bouncing as a way of tapping into a well of wellness within. The simplicity of shaking can fool you, as I have personally experienced when I first started practicing Qigong. Basically, it was my resistance to practice, which showed up as tension in the body and doubt in the mind. True shaking is about trusting yourself and having a visceral experience of freedom. Some of us need to warm up to that. At the same time, the profound simplicity of shaking practice makes it a great gateway practice where you might experience great benefits right away once you start doing it.
The deeper shaking practice
The deeper practice of shaking is a conscious encounter of the boundary between self control and letting go of control. With shaking, you let go of control temporarily and consciously. The important thing that happens in this giving up of control is having a deep bodily and mental experience of this giving up of control. What it feels like to me is an active removal of pressure and expectation that is not passive. This feels different from the removal of pressure and expectation that comes from the quiet chilling out and stillness that you might experience in deep states of meditation. This still and quiet meditation state has sometimes been likened to the turtle retracting its limbs and disconnecting the sensory engagement system for a bit. In contrast, with shaking, you keep the sensory engagement system on, and the body is active sometimes vigorously active as you dance in the chaos, let the spirit move you, tremble and shake. In a way, shaking then becomes an act of faith when you give up control on purpose and come back from the experience, alive and well and maybe even energized and joyful.
The encouragement: Start small
You can bounce and shake for 1 to 2 minutes at a time to begin. Do this every day for about two weeks, and then go to 4-5 minutes. Bouncing and shaking for 10 minutes ore more starts to have additional effects: you may gradually feel the efforts of the exertion and start to pant and feel an increase in heart rate. Shaking can be activating, which is why I like to include it in morning practice to start the day.
Three Shaking Exercises
Two classic Qigong shaking exercises are “Drop the Post” and “Trembling Horse.” Both exercises stimulate bone health by vibrating the skeleton. Caution: start off gently with soft “landings” to save your feet and knees. The following exercises are offered as educational information and are deemed safe for most individuals. However, if you are not sure that shaking or bouncing are suitable for your health situation, please consult your health team to be safe. Thanks!
Horse Stance
To begin: set your mind focus by slowing your breathing and tending to your posture, which you tend to so that it promotes the flow of clear thought and energy. This is horse stance, which is an alert and ready stance. Standing in horse stance is its own practice, and many practitioners report a trembling, shaking or bouncing in the whole body that happens when you attempt to hold horse stance longer than three minutes. Over time, the shaking and trembling stabilize, but then you shake on purpose in horse stance.
Stand or sit in a neutral, athletic ready position, light and clear on the inside.
Feet are on the floor and slightly wider than hip width apart for greater balance and stability.
Toes point forward, spread naturally and not gripping.
Knees are slightly bent and not locked so that there is muscle engagement.
Core is activated: pelvic floor is neither tight nor loose. Pelvis is level, not tucked or too far forward, but in the middle.
Extend through the spine (from the tail bone to the top of the head); the head is lifted and balanced at the top of the spine and in a neutral position.
Eyes gaze softly ahead in open focus, not fixed on any object. Imagine the horizon.
The front of the body is open across the collar bones and shoulders are softly dropped.
Hands rest comfortably on the hips or at the sides with a loose grip and fingers curled.
Trembling Horse
Standing in horse stance, begin to take deeper breaths and making sounds like a cough or imitating the heavy breathing of a galloping horse. That’s when you introduce trembling in the head, limbs and torso: initiate small vibrations in the head, neck, shoulders, arms, torso, belly, and legs. The whole body vibrates: This can be very energizing! Do this for ten breaths, in and out through the nose or in through the nose and out through the mouth with a sound.
Spontaneous Shaking Qigong
Bounce and shake is to shake spontaneously: this means, you pause for a few seconds and notice how your body feels every few seconds. You might notice some tingling or buzzy feelings, maybe even trembling in parts or all of your body. The opportunity here is now to notice if there is a next movement your body wants to do. The next movement may “come to you” seemingly out of nowhere. This movement may be a twist, a stretch, a cough, a big breath or little grunt. This is really good! You might notice some trembling, which is also good.
Shaking involves trusting your body’s wisdom, which can feel foreign and strange. Paying attention to the mind-body connection is the absolute best part of shaking. It reminds you simply that you are alive and part of life.