Neck Isometrics and Wu Chi: Full body engagement

Sequence

This sequence starts with establishing Wh Chi. Establishing Wu Chi engages your ligaments and turns a good exercise into a whole body exercise.

Note on Breathing

Throughout this practice, strive for 5 breaths per minute (or 3.8 if you are above 6’ 2”). During stretching, we strive for 4:8 ratio, but 6:6 is a good default for this practice, and qi gong in general, unless otherwise instructed. Also, breath into your diaphragm.

What to keep track of:

• 5 symmetrical breaths a minute
• Breath into your diaphragm

5 breaths per minute tends to balance your sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, that is, it’s Adaptogenic. If you are in an elevated state, it’ll calm you down. If you are a bit out of it, it’ll wake you up.

Breathing into your diaphragm stimulates the vagus neve that enervates your stomach, which will tend to have a calming effect.

Definitions

Getting Present

• Establish Bow 1
  • Feet hip-width apart, parallel: Creates even weight distribution across both feet, preventing forward lean or sway
  • Knees slightly bent (soft, not locked): Allows controlled forward fold without joint stress, maintains postural stability
  • Sacrum tucked/pushed down: Levels pelvis to protect lower back, prevents arching that strains lumbar during forward hinge
  • Breathe in to start: Diaphragmatic breath coordinates with slow forward hinge on exhale
• Shaking
  • While keeping bow 1 engaged, gently bound up and down

Warming up neck

• Reestablish Bow 1
• Rolling shoulders forward/backward/alternating forward/alternating backward
• Bow 1 + Extending Neck / Bow 2
  • Everything from Bow 1
  • Spine long, crown of head lifted: Maintains neutral spine alignment from base of skull through tailbone
  • Shoulders relaxed away from ears: Prevents compensatory tension in neck/traps during arm movement
  • Arms hang naturally: Palms face thighs, elbows soft—ready position before extending forward and down
  • Gaze forward or slightly down: Keeps neck neutral, avoids craning
• Eye-leading neck movement - Right / Left
  • Move eyes to right, move your head to follow your eyes.
  • Move eyes to left, move your head to follow your eyes.
  • Repeat several times
• Reset / Reestablish Bow 1: Extending Neck / Bow 2
• Eye-leading neck movement - Up / Down
  • Move eyes up, move your head to follow your eyes.
  • Move eyes down, move your head to follow your eyes.
  • Repeat several times
• Reestablish Bow 1: Extending Neck / Bow 2
• Eye-leading neck movement - large circles clockwise / counter-clockwise
  • Move eyes clockwise in ever-increasing circles, move your head to follow your eyes.
  • Move eyes counter-clockwise in ever-increasing circles, move your head to follow your eyes.
  • Repeat several times

Activate the neck and torso

• Establish Bow 1 / Bow 2
  • Bow 1
    • Feet hip-width apart, parallel: Creates even weight distribution across both feet, preventing forward lean or sway
    • Knees slightly bent (soft, not locked): Allows controlled forward fold without joint stress, maintains postural stability
    • Sacrum tucked/pushed down: Levels pelvis to protect lower back, prevents arching that strains lumbar during forward hinge
    • Breathe in to start: Diaphragmatic breath coordinates with slow forward hinge on exhale
  • Bow 2
    • Spine long, crown of head lifted: Maintains neutral spine alignment from base of skull through tailbone
    • Shoulders relaxed away from ears: Prevents compensatory tension in neck/traps during arm movement
    • Arms hang naturally: Palms face thighs, elbows soft—ready position before extending forward and down
    • Gaze forward or slightly down: Keeps neck neutral, avoids craning
• Noodly Arms
  • Keep gaze forward.
  • Start twisting your torso from the feet
  • Avoid twisting your knees
  • Allow arms to flop loose
• Shoulder / Waist
  • Keep gaze forward
  • Hands pointing up, elbows at 90 degrees
  • Twist chest, waist / hips together
  • Twist only Shoulders
  • Twist only Waist / Hips
  • Twist waist/hips opposite shoulders
• Neck Isometrics Right / Left
  • Maintain 30+ seconds per side
  • While maintaining Wu Chi, press your head to the right, into your right palm
  • While maintaining Wu Chi, press your head to the left, into your left palm
• Reset / Reestablish Bow 1 / Bow 2
• Neck Isometrics Forward / Backward
  • Use both hands, interlaced, to maintain symmetry both in the hold, and for targeting muscles on the back
  • Maintain 30+ seconds per side
  • While maintaining Wu Chi, press your head forward into your interlaced hands
  • While maintaining Wu Chi, press your head backwards into your interlaced hands
• Relax

Compress and Release the Spine

• Reestablish Bow 1 / Bow 2
• Neck Isometrics Up
  • Maintain 30+ seconds
  • Press your head up into both of your hands
  • Repeat
• Reset: forward fold
  • Feet parallel, hip width
  • Knees deeply bent
  • Forearms on thighs for support (optional)
  • Forward fold, relaxing your spine after having just compressed it

Notes

Definitions

Three Bows (from Sufi Rick Krause, Tai Chi OkC)

Bow 1: Pelvis & Below: Foundation: feet hip/parallel, knees soft, sacrum tucked, feel pressure in heals

Bow 2: Extended Spine + Pelvic Floor Reset: Posterior chain: spine long, shoulders relaxed, arms natural

Bow 3: Arms Arched: Upper integration (not used here)

Shaking

Here are the befits of shaking while keeping Bow 1 engaged:

• Stimulates joints: Gentle, rhythmic whole‑body shaking likely produces small, repeated excursions at many joints, similar to light bouncing or low‑impact exercise, which helps maintain joint lubrication and comfort. [1][2][3] ( supported by general low‑impact exercise research; exact shaking protocol is my application)

• Helps move things into and through your lymphatic system: Light, rhythmic muscle activity and body movement are known in general to assist lymph transport, and shaking qigong sources describe this as a key benefit, though my exact form has not been directly tested. [4][5] (supported by exercise physiology)

• Lowers stress: Health qigong and related mind–body practices are associated with reduced anxiety, improved mood, and better autonomic balance, so using shaking as a qigong‑style practice for stress relief is consistent with this broader evidence, though not studied as my precise sequence. [6][7] (supported by related research)

• Stimulates skeletal muscles: Repeated, oscillatory loading of the body recruits postural and stabilizing muscles in short bursts, somewhat analogous to very low‑intensity vibration or bouncing. [8][9] (supported by related research on vibration; specificity is my model)

• Reduced resting tension: Qigong programs have shown reductions in muscle hardness and symptom burden, which fits the idea that regular, gentle shaking can help people “soften” chronic bracing and feel looser at rest, but the mechanism and my exact method remain my hypothesis. [10][11] (supported by related research)

References

1. Low‑Impact Exercises That Are Gentle on Joints
   thesceg.org (2026)
   https://thesceg.org/low-impact-exercises-that-are-gentle-on-joints/

2. Low Impact Exercise to Protect Your Joints
   Sunny Health & Fitness (2024)
   https://sunnyhealthfitness.com/blogs/health-wellness/low-impact-exercises-for-joint-health

3. 8 Ways Exercise Helps Your Joints
   Arthritis Foundation (2026)
   https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/getting-started/8-ways-exercise-helps-joints

4. Activate Your Lymphatic System Naturally with Exercise
   Lymphatic Therapy Services (2025)
   https://lymphatictherapyservices.com/simple-exercise-to-activate-lymphatic-system/

5. What Exercise Is Best For Lymphatic Drainage?
   Mobile PTW (2026)
   https://mobileptw.com/blog/what-exercise-is-best-for-lymphatic-drainage

6. The effect of Tai Chi and Qigong practice on depression and anxiety
   Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice (2014)
   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1755296614000465

7. The Effect of Qigong on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms
   PMC (2013)
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3671670/

8. Adaptations of mouse skeletal muscle to low intensity vibration training
   PMC (2011)
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3630262/

9. Can Vibration Plates Improve Your Fitness?
   University Hospitals (2025)
   https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2025/04/can-vibration-plates-improve-your-fitness

10. Effects of Health Qigong Exercises on Relieving Symptoms
    PMC (2016)
    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5116525/

11. Effects of health qigong exercise on upper extremity muscle activity
    Frontiers (2023)
    https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1208554/full