try lifting water

Here, I'm referring to the opening movement of a tai chi sequence. I used to practice tai chi, for a period on my spiritual journey, just one of the many things I needed to investigate along the way. So I'm certainly no expert. And I should say – as a sort of apology to tai chi aficionados – if you want to get the most out of tai chi, you should really study qigong and tai chi with a master in those areas.

Nevertheless, I feel qualified enough to talk about this one opening movement. I use it quite often, usually when I'm out in nature and I come across a scene that's so beautiful I want to absorb it as much as possible. And for me, this little exercise allows just that: the energy of the scene in front of me to really enter into my being, and to be assimilated into me.

And it also often triggers what I used to rather pretentiously call a spiritual orgasm: a beautiful wave of energy running through the body. I guess technically it's some sort of hormone release, perhaps oxytocin. Whatever the technical description, it's a beautiful, pleasurable sensation.

So, how to do this little exercise, lifting water. Firstly, of course, it's nice to do it in a pleasant place, preferably out in nature. For me, it's an opening – it opens, energetically opens one. So, if you're in an ugly noisy place, perhaps you won't really want to open in this way. But out in a beautiful spot in nature, who doesn't want to open? It's natural.

So having found a spot, I like to ditch anything I'm carrying, take off my rucksack, empty my pockets. Just get rid of some of that baggage that we tend to carry around. And often I take off my footwear and do this exercise in bare feet. It's really grounding to feel bare feet on the earth. It probably also helps with the energy flows.

Next, take a moment or two to centre yourself, to be really present. Stand with your feet about shoulder width part, your feet roughly parallel to each other. Try to let your body be upright and yet relaxed. The knees should be slightly bent, and your arms hanging at your sides, with the backs of the hands facing forward, so the palms of your hands are facing back. Or to put it another way, your thumbs are next to the side of your body. Then take a few slow breaths.

Then when you feel ready, exhale completely, so that your lungs are empty. And then make the lifting water movement. To do this, take a slow, very deep in breath – a few seconds of inhaling. And as you do so, allow your arms to rise up in front of you, keeping them fairly straight. As you do this, you might also allow your body to stretch upwards a little bit, but keep your feet flat on the ground. And I also find that my head lifts up just very slightly. And I like to do this exercise with my eyes open. It keeps that contact with the environment, helps that openness.

So the in breath should complete just as one's arms reach their highest point. And at this point your lungs should be completely full. And then, equally slowly, breathe out, and allow your arms to sink back down. Once they're at the sides of your body again, hanging downwards, your exhalation should be complete, so that once again your lungs are completely empty. And that in itself is essentially the lifting water movement.

What I like to do when practising it on its own like this, is to then take another breath, not so drawn out, but also quite a deep breath, and slowly allow my hands to turn, so that the palms are facing forward. That can be just a three or four seconds to allow both the in breath and the out breath, and the palms to turn.

And it's at this moment, I often find a wave of beautiful energy running through me. But whether or not you feel that, this is a beautiful exercise to try. As I say, for me, it's about opening to the environment, connecting with it, and allowing one's being to absorb what is around one.

So give it a try: try lifting water.