Robert Peng
Robert Peng is a qigong master in New York City. He is the author of QiGong Master: My Life and Secret Teachings (Rainbow Tree) and several DVDs. RobertPeng.com
Suppose someone told you that you had a lot of untapped energy in your body…that this energy could make you feel more healthy and more balanced…and that there was an easy way to access it. Qigong does just that—this Chinese system of healing involves gentle movement designed to circulate and strengthen our energy or life force, known as qi.
In the hands of the right practitioner, the power of qigong (pronounced chee-gong) comes to life. One of those masters is Robert Peng, a Chinese-born qigong master with a practice in New York City. I was recently at a conference where Master Peng led a roomful of people—about 100 strong—in the four-part exercise called The Four Golden Wheels. Boy, could you feel the energy in that room!
The great thing is, this exercise is easy to do—and you can do it anywhere you have some space to move around. The four moves, which are all done while standing, are designed to open up three main energy centers, called dantians—the center of the head, near the center of the chest and below the navel, and the central meridian, the energy channel that runs from the head (up into the sky) and down the center of the body (into the ground). The Four Golden Wheels exercise awakens these energy systems and makes you feel alert and refreshed. The exercise gets qi circulating, which helps the body heal. Here’s how Master Peng would talk you through each move…
Note: You can do these moves with your eyes open or closed. Closing your eyes makes them more difficult to do but improves your focus and allows relaxing images to come into and out of your mind.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, feet pointing forward. Relax, smile and shake. You can do this by gently bouncing up and down in a steady, comfortable rhythm. Imagine your arms are loose like ropes and your body is soft and pliant. Shake for three minutes, allowing any tension you have to melt away. As you shake, imagine a golden beam of qi traveling from the sky to the top of your head, flooding your head with golden light. Direct the light down to your chest, arms, waist, legs and feet. After the three minutes, stop shaking and quiet your body. Letting your arms hang in front of you, hold the back of one hand in the palm of the other. Relax in that position for about 10 seconds.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, feet pointing forward. Swing both your arms up in front of you, bending 
your elbows when your hands are near your ears—and then swing back down again. Keep repeating this up-and-down motion. As you move, feel your palms collecting energy. After about three minutes, stop swinging and bring your palms in front of you, about three to five inches from your face, guiding the energy that you have collected in your palms toward your face. Feel the heat circulating in your palms. With your palms, make big circles in front of your face, and while you do this, imagine that the energy from your palms is making your face more beautiful. Make three to nine circles in each direction. Then with elbows out to either side, bring your hands to a parallel position just under your chin. The fingertips of each hand point at one another but do not touch. Slowly lower your hands until they rest on your lower abdomen. Relax.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, feet pointing forward. Bring your hands into prayer position with your thumbs together, touching your chest. Lower your hands down the front of your body until your fingertips are pointed down in a V position (fingertips are not touching). Then raise your arms, extending them to both sides of the body at about shoulder height, palms facing down. Then, slowly rotate your arms so that your palms are facing upward. Collect energy with your palms as you raise your arms up over your head, palms facing down on your head. Then lower your hands (palms facing down and close to your body), guiding the energy to your head, heart and torso. When you get to your torso, gently move your hands along the inside of your legs toward your calves, around the ankles and toes and back up along the outside of your toes, ankles, calves, legs and up the torso until you get to the shoulder blades. Return to prayer position. Repeat the entire exercise three to nine times, and then bring your hands back to prayer position. Feel the energy.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms in front of you until your hands are over and slightly in 
front of your head. Your elbows should be slightly bent, and your palms facing down toward your head. Imagine the sun and moon shining from your palms to your head. Hold for 30 seconds. Next, inhale and stretch your arms into a big V, palms facing the sky. Tilt your head back so that you are looking up toward the sky. Then, exhale and bring your palms to the central line of your body. Your palms should be parallel but not touching. Move them down the central line of the body, bending your knees slightly as you go—and when you get to your torso, have your hands form an inverted V with your fingers pointed upward (fingertips are not touching). Then bring your arms out to your sides so that they are extended about a foot away from your knees. Next, bring your palms back to the central line (in the parallel position) and move them up the body—until you stretch your arms into a wide V (as you did above). Next, imagine there is an energy ball in your hands. (Think of it as a transparent beach ball.) Move the “ball” down the body—from over and in front of your head, to in front of your head to your torso. With your hands, squeeze the “ball” in and out for 30 seconds. Then, compress the imaginary ball and place your hands below your navel. Imagine that you are taking the energy from the “ball” and guiding it to your body through your hands. Hold the position for three to nine seconds.
Once you learn this sequence, you can do it every day—it will help you feel restored, energized and alert.
