Qi Therapies have been known throughout the centuries for their unique harmonizing properties, enabling the body to quickly increase Qi and find a natural balance of energy. Below are specific Qi Therapies for athletes. Movements help promote flexibility, strength and balanced Qi in the feet, ankles, Achilles, calf, knees, hamstrings and lower back.

All of these Qi Therapies are enhanced significantly by the use of Muscle and Joint Energizer or Therapeutic Recovery Cream before and after the movements. By using appropriate herbal formulas and proper movement, you can do a great deal to prevent injury and soreness, and maintain a healthy condition with only a few minutes of effort each day.

Lower Body Reset

  • MAIN AREAS AFFECTED: Entire lower body, feet, ankles, Achilles tendon.
  • TIME REQUIRED: 1 minute.

This Qi Therapy helps reset the energy of the lower body, reestablishing a natural equilibrium. It also develops foot condition and coordination, ankle flexibility and Achilles tendon flexibility.

QiVantage Lower Body Reset

  1. Spray Muscle and Joint Energizer on the foot. Holding the knee in a bent, but relaxed position, pull back on your toes as if you were trying to touch your toes to your shin. Breathing in and out naturally, hold this position for 5 seconds.
  2. For the second position, extend the leg. The ball of the foot should extend as far as possible while pulling back on the toes. This is an important foot coordination, which some people lose as they age. If you have difficulty with this position, try working on it to regain this ability. Hold this position breathing regularly for 5 seconds.

Hamstring / Calf Elongation

  • MAIN AREAS AFFECTED: Hamstring, calf, Achilles
  • TIME REQUIRED: 1 minute.

This movement helps stretch the hamstring, calf, and Achilles.

Lower Body Stretches - Hamstring

  1. Apply Muscle and Joint Energizer to the back of the legs.
  2. Arch the back, pulling back on the shoulders and pushing the chest out. This is very important.
  3. Lock one leg and bend the other, pulling back on the toes of the locked leg. Pulling back on the toes is also very important.
  4. Slowly lean towards the locked leg, breathing out. The concentration on this movement is arching the back backward and pulling back on the toes of the locked leg. If this is done properly, it won’t be possible to bend over very far, but the entire back of the leg will be stretched remarkably well.

Lower Back Elongation

  • MAIN AREAS AFFECTED: Lower back
  • TIME REQUIRED: 1 minute.

This movement, which is only a minor adjustment from the Hamstring/Calf Elongation movement, focuses on the lower back instead of the lower body. The key differentiator is the position of the back, which in this movement is hunched.

Lower Back Stretch - QiVantage

 

  1. Apply Muscle and Joint Energizer to the lower back.
  2. Hunch the back.
  3. Lock one leg and bend the other, pulling back on the toes of the locked leg. Pulling back on the toes is very important.
  4. Slowly lean towards the locked leg as far as you can, breathing out. The concentration on this movement is hunching the back forwards and pulling back on the toes of the locked leg.

Ankle Circles

  • MAIN AREA AFFECTED: Ankles
  • TIME REQUIRED: 1-2 minutes.

This Qi Therapy keeps helps with ankle flexibility and circulation. In endurance athletics, the ankle is almost exclusively used to move the foot up and down, and rarely used for turning the foot side to side. By doing this therapy, the ankle retains more of its natural range of motion.

Ankle Qi Therapy - Sprained Ankle Recovery

 

  1. Spray Muscle and Joint Energizer onto the ankle and the bottom of the foot. Use a liberal amount – 10 to 15 sprays per foot.
  2. Once the Muscle and Joint Energizer is on your foot, tap your feet to promote absorption, instead of rubbing it in. Tapping promotes absorption and stimulates acupressure points on the feet. Rubbing closes off skin pores, limiting Muscle and Joint Energizer absorption, and effectiveness.
  3. Circle the ankle the ankle through its full range of motion slowly, while breathing continuously. The circling should be slow and deliberate, with each revolution taking about 3 seconds. After 10 circles in one direction, reverse the direction. Repeat the process for both ankles.

Knee Circles

  • MAIN AREAS AFFECTED: Knees
  • TIME REQUIRED: 2 minutes.

Knees circles help bring circulation to and through the knees, as well as increase flexibility and strength in the knee joint. After doing this therapy, the knees should feel warm and lose.

Qi Knee Circle - For Sprained Knee

 

  1. Apply Muscle and Joint Energizer Spray to the knees.
  2. Step into a lunge-type lower body stance, with one knee bent and the other locked. Begin circling the bent knee in a small sized circle, just a few inches in diameter. Circle 5 times in each direction.
  3. Make a medium size circle with the knee, 5 times in each direction.
  4. Make the largest circle that you can with each knee, 5 times in each direction.
  5. Repeat for the other knee.

Side Stance Lean

  • MAIN AREAS AFFECTED: Hip and groin
  • TIME REQUIRED: 1 minute.

This movement works the hips and lower body in a side to side direction, typically underdeveloped for runners. The hip is a ball and socket joint, similar to the shoulder, but is often used in a one-dimensional fashion for walking, running and biking. Keeping the hip flexible with a full range of motion is imperative for good circulation and injury prevention in the present and for the future.

Hip Flexibility and Strengthening Movement - QiVantage

 

  1. Apply Muscle and Joint Energizer Spray to the lower body.
  2. Drop to comfortable side lunge position, with one leg locked and one leg bent.
  3. As you exhale, lean toward the locked leg. This is the key to this movement. It is common to do a lunge-type position, but leaning toward the locked leg works the hips and stretches the groin and the entire inside of the leg.