Arky Chu Gong: Chateau morning exercise regime

[Chu]

It's so nice to read about everyone's progress! We're still doing it, and still happier taking Mondays and Thursdays off, because then we feel stronger. Still doing the routine from the video, as it's shorter and pretty complete anyway.

And we started going outside for the final exercises after the headstand. A bit of "cold therapy" and fresh air, and soon we'll hopefully be able to do the whole routine outside again! It's nicer to salute the Sun than the ceiling.

Gogogo, team! (And that includes you all.)

I'm finding that sometimes it's not enough exercise, though. Adding some kind of aerobic/more active routine (rollerblading since the New Year) is helping lots too. Just once a week, and my neck and shoulders appreciate it. But I don't think it would have been so enjoyable and easy without the regular ACG routine we've had for now... 2 years! (Well, except that during the first months we were still doing something milder and figuring out what was useful or not.)

 

[Scottie]

It's now been 9 months since I started ACG, and I have even more to report! BTW, in my last post, it had been 8 months, but I started noticing that stuff 1 month earlier, hence my "7 months" mention.

Anyway, after having reached the full count of 21 for all exercises, I started trying to make some of them a bit harder. For example, with the Tibetan Leg Raises, I try to lift my torso more so I'm in the shape of a V. WOW, that's really hard...

I also noticed that doing the full Balance Exercises at the very end for a full count of 21 seems to be strengthening and even healing my left knee. It's doing this weird thing where it cracks very loudly sometimes, but doesn't hurt. It hasn't done that for at least 10 years Overall, both my knees feel much stronger than even a few months ago. They were usually the first thing to start hurting when doing physical stuff, and now they seems to be the last.

Overall, I feel 20 years younger!

 

[Lukasz]

I started ACG about 6 months ago. For the first 4 months, I practiced every day (maybe except a few days). Later on, I introduced break days. Recently I do ACG every other day along with some strength training, and except that, I do Chi Gong Ba Duan Jin exercises every day (this one I started a long time before I found ACG).

The headstand is still out of my range but I definitely see improvements in other exercises. And it's not so hard to do everything on full power as it was in the first days.

I think this routine is good for my back as it seems to be in better condition than before (I observe less pain). It even may straightened up a bit because my sister keeps telling me she thinks I become taller recently

ACG is in my opinion really great set of exercises and I encourage everybody to give it a try

 

[Stella Marys]

Definitely super wow!! It's amazing how flexible everyone is! Ark, it's amazing all the exercises you do! I found out that my tendons are hard as rocks, they lost elasticity and therefore most exercises are complicated to do.

We are impressed with Ark. The headstand I am only able to perform by leaning against a wall. The balance exercises I was able to do without problems, at least something is going right

I understand that flexibility is something that is achieved by practicing the exercises regularly. Without forcing so as not to hurt the body and enjoying of course. I only did it once, but I'm going to give the routine a place of importance. Thank you all for sharing these treasures.

On a separate note I want to tell you that I dreamt only a few nights ago about Ark and Chu. They were wearing the exact outfit in this video and they were looking at me smiling. It was a conversation without words. We talked about flexibility and not forcing. Doing the exercises as much as possible, etc... Well, at one point I said to Ark, "Holy Batman socks." Ohhh, I think Ark's socks were recorded in my subconscious. How could I forget them? Thank you again and greetings to all of you.

 

[luc]

A little update from our side as well. We've been doing the exercises for 8 months now, with short breaks in between. After initially doing it every day, we now settled for 2-3 times a week (sometimes more), because otherwise it just would take too much time. And frankly, we found it too taxing on the body to do it every day.

We found it useful as well to have a shorter routine at hand for days in between when you want to move your body a little but don't have the time for the full routine (the 5 Tibetans with a few favorite stretching exercises seem to work well as a mini routine).

The results are fantastic IMO. I have now completely stopped with HIIT exercises and I don't miss them. Generally, I feel strong and my posture got better. The routine just improved my well-being overall in all directions.

I skip the head stand, because while I could do it after a short while, I fell at one point and had my neck hurt for 2 weeks straight (remember that ambulance symbol...). Not worth the trouble at the moment.

Thanks again for bringing this to us - it really does seem to be the perfect routine for many people! For those still on the fence about this, I would suggest a "2 week challenge" - do it every day for two weeks, no excuses, and see how you feel. Then you can adapt the frequency to your situation, maybe modify the program a little etc. It's really worth it!

 

[seek10]

I have been doing part(or total) of the routine once or twice a week. It is hard to do every day due to work schedule and long commute. When ever I doesn't do it for a week, i find myself the need of it. I am not yet comfortable with headstand. I tried with wall support, but I find my upper back muscles little sour for a day or two. I guess, i need to build some muscle there. The routine is a nice combination of physical exercise, yoga, chi gong and Reiki.

 

[cindyj]

So, I have been putting off trying out this routine, but with other avenues now closed for getting exercise, it’s time to get started! I am so encouraged to see groups starting up for reading, doing the breathing, wondering if there have been other thoughts about Arky Chu Gong? Thank you all for sharing your experiences here. And humour (Scottie!)

 

[Saman]

In regards to Qi Gong in general, today after finishing my meditation and thinking I could try something else for perhaps better induction success, I went on YouTube to start searching for some stand alone meditation music that might work better for me. But as soon as I opened the YouTube page, a suggested video from YouTube caught my eye. It is called "Master Shi Heng Yi – 5 hindrances to self-mastery | Shi Heng YI |TEDxVitosha" and it was just recently uploaded in Feb 13, 2020. Video found here. So I decided to watch it with an open mind and was actually impressed by Mr. Shi Hen Yi's humility, clarity, and the manner he spoke while giving his explanation of climbing the mountain analogy. Searched to see what else he had on YouTube and found out that he has videos on What is Qi Gong parts 1 to 3, and several others about how the most important thing in Kung Fu is to learn how to not fight instead of fighting which were in German with English subtitles, and also other thoughts of wisdoms here and there very similar to the Work. One example would be him saying that when he is teaching Qi Gong, he asks his students to keep their eyes open because it is important to have a balance between both external and internal observations when doing Qi Gong and to always do it with focus and awareness of what it exactly going on with your body in terms of your sensations, feelings, and thoughts. There were many other similarities but I digress. Just will add that he reminds me of Bruce Lee in his mannerisms and thoughts. Anyways, in part three of the Qi Gong series found here, he explains the benefits of three types of Qi Gong and why the form called BaDuanJin (explanation starts at about 3:50) which is also called the "Eight Treasures" with only 8 separate exercises to remember is a simplified Qi Gong practice for designed for the laypeople but still has the benefit of stimulating most of body; he said it is "easy to remember, easy to practice, but still with a lot of health benefits." Well sound just right for me I think and anyone else who is a layperson or novice in Qi Gong like myself. I just checked and he also has free introductory online courses but doesn't seem specifically for any of the three forms; intro courses are found here. Being a novice to all this, I don't know myself, and maybe my suggestion is redundant because these three forms mentioned by Shi Hen Yi have already been considered, posted about, and some parts of the forms integrated into Arky Chu Gong, but just thought to share in case my assumption is wrong. But yeah, interesting fellow I think.

 

[Saman]

Oops. Correction two, not three types of Qi Gong that he explained in part three of the video above: BaDuanJin and YiJinJing. He didn't have a section in the video specifically for Lohan Qi Gong but he talked about it a bit at the beginning of part three and apparently how it is more advanced in movements.

 

[Yas]

I am not yet comfortable with headstand. I tried with wall support, but I find my upper back muscles little sour for a day or two. I guess, i need to build some muscle there.

You could try doing it step by step and just keeping at each step until you feel comfortable with it, then moving to the next step and so on. Here's an example of how you could do it step by step (I would suggest doing all the steps with wall support, though)

She does it in ten days, but you could take as long as you want, like, one week with just what she does on the first video, and then the next week the second exercise... etc.

So, I have been putting off trying out this routine, but with other avenues now closed for getting exercise, it’s time to get started! I am so encouraged to see groups starting up for reading, doing the breathing, wondering if there have been other thoughts about Arky Chu Gong? Thank you all for sharing your experiences here. And humour (Scottie!)

Good that you're going to start! If I may ask, what kind of other thoughts?

 

[cindyj]

Oh, that’s great, I will give the 10 days to a Handstand a try, although realistically it will surely take me longer! When I asked if there had been other thoughts about Arky Chu Gong, I think at the time I was wondering if there were plans to do an updated video since the routine has likely changed somewhat over time. Or the possibility of doing a live-feed participatory event, or something along those lines. Not sure exactly, but in any case, grateful to have the existing video and routine notes. I must admit I am better able to stick to a routine when other people are doing it too; but self-directing my exercise regimen presents an opportunity for growth.

 

[beetlemaniac]

I've been doing ACG religiously every morning for the past month since the whole lockdown happened and it's been a super marked difference in my life. I think it must be raising my FRV. It gets easier to do with time, and I enjoy it more and am quite anxious in the morning until I do one full routine.

I noticed that when I go for a jog, I am quite breathless and find it difficult to exert myself, so I've been thinking to include this activity as an after-work exercise. It would help and I've also noticed that my feet are starting to develop an edema which is not very good, so more reason to get more physical activity. I guess the ACG doesn't help with aerobic fitness but gives you more strength and flexibility.

 

[Chu]

y. I guess the ACG doesn't help with aerobic fitness but gives you more strength and flexibility.

Exactly. You need something extra for that. And even for flexibility and strength, each person has to listen to their body. Some of our exercises can be rough. I have had to back down on a few, just doing les repetitions or less stretching when my neck acts up, for example.

Great to hear that it has been helping you!

 

[Jenn]

Keyhole showed me this exercise routine recently that may be a nice addition to Arky Chu Gong and support cardiovascular health. It really gets your heart pumping and increases breathing rate and apparently helps "dump nitric oxide" and increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, plus it takes around 3 minutes... bonus

I was seriously surprised at how difficult it was for me to do, and I didn't even use the weights! Mercola recommends to do it 3x p/d, preferably around 2-3 hours apart. I have noticed some muscle soreness in my legs and arms after the workout, so it feels like it's doing something

 

[Martina]

ego teneri et inspiravit sum. I had such a weird day today, like I returned to highschool. I went to only girls class so we didn't have sports but we mostly exercised and exactly all of things you do in video. I love it!!! I have feeling like something clicked in it's place today and this video just thrilled me. I can't wait weekend to join in.