First Movement: Hands Supporting the Sky to Regulate the Triple Burner System
– Separate the fingers of both hands and cross them in front of the abdomen. Straighten the legs and lift the palms upward to the chest, rotating inward and upwards, with the palms facing upwards, and look up. Pause briefly, then look forward. Slightly bend the knees and lower the arms, with the palms facing upwards and cupping in front of the abdomen.
This up and down movement is done three times.– Key Points: Ensure that the heels of the palms exert force upwards, coordinating with the crown of the head leading upwards to facilitate the rise of the body’s energy. The arms should be raised parallel to the ears, creating a spine-compressing action. This is known as ‘Hands Supporting the Sky,’ which lifts and stretches the chest, abdomen, and waist, and all the internal organs hanging on the spine and Triple Burner system are lifted, promoting the smooth flow of the Triple Burner and dispelling the cold and dampness caused by rainy weather.
Additionally, the spine-compressing action also squeezes the shoulder well points behind the neck and the back’s Gao Huang points, making the entire Governing Vessel feel warm as the Yang energy is instantly raised.Second Movement: Left and Right Bow-Drawing as if Shooting an Eagle
1. Step to the left with the left foot, and cross the palms upward in front of the chest. Assume a horse stance with both legs, as if drawing a bow to shoot an arrow, pulling the right palm to the right chest and extending the left palm in a figure-eight shape (with the thumb and index finger forming a figure-eight, and the other three fingers curled back) to the left, stretching the bow to its fullest extent, and focusing the gaze on the fingertips.
2. Then shift the center of gravity to the right, draw an arc with the right hand, retract the left foot, and stand with both palms cupped in front of the abdomen. Repeat in the opposite direction.
– Key Points: Drawing the bow not only loosens the entire stiff shoulder and back. When stretched to the fullest, the fingertips of the index fingers may slightly tingle, which is the starting point of the Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, Shangyang point.
This exercise also stretches the Large Intestine Meridian that runs through the shoulder, neck, and entire arm, which is beneficial for those with constipation and bloating.Third Movement: Regulating the Spleen and Stomach by Single Lifting
– Support the left palm root upwards, lifting it to the upper left side of the head, and press down with the right palm root. Then lower the left arm to the front of the abdomen, and do it once to the left and once to the right.
– Key Points: When lifting to the sky and pressing the ground, the force should be in the palm roots, and the directions of the fingertips should be opposite to fully stretch the Large Intestine Meridian.
The alternating relaxation and tension of the arms, pulling and massaging the spleen and stomach, are beneficial for digestion and absorption. It also stretches the liver and gallbladder on both sides, promoting the expression of liver qi, and is a good practice for those who often feel frustrated and angry.Fourth Movement: Looking Back to Relieve the Five Exhaustions and Seven Injuries
– Slightly bend the knees and straighten them, stretch the arms to the sides, rotate the palms outward and upward, turn the head as far back as possible, look to the left rear corner, and pause briefly. Then rotate the arms inward to the sides, slightly bend the knees, and look forward. Repeat once to the left and once to the right.
Fifth Movement: Shaking the Head and Waving the Tail to Dispel Heart Fire
1. Stand with the right foot stepped out, slightly bend the legs, raise the palms through the sides, squat into a horse stance, and lower the arms to rest above the knee joints.
2. Shift the body’s center of gravity to the right. Lean forward over the right foot. Lower the center of gravity. The coccyx leads the upper body to rotate to the left and pass over the left foot. Then move the body’s center of gravity backward. The upper body sways backward and rotates from right to left and forward. Stand up. Do this once on the right and once on the left.
Key points of work: Try not to do it with discounts. When the body sways and rotates, stretch the neck and coccyx as much as possible. The speed should be gentle, slow and continuous. Keep the neck soft throughout. Do not deliberately retract or raise the lower jaw. Relax and elongate the neck muscles as much as possible. If it is difficult, do it twice on the right and left and then gradually increase the number of times. People who often have excessive internal heat, oral ulcers, swollen and painful throats, and acne breakouts are mostly suffering from deficient fire. Deficient fire floats on the head and face. The middle and lower energizers are chronically cold and damp. Regularly doing this movement can pull the floating deficient fire back to the elixir field and warm the kidney water. Sixth form: Grasping the feet with both hands to strengthen the kidneys and waist. Method: 1. Stand straight with knees. Raise both arms forward and upward. Palms face forward and look straight ahead. Bend the elbows of both arms. Turn the palms downward and press them to the chest. Reverse the palms and pass them through to the back. Massage downward along the spine to the buttocks. At the same time, bend the upper body forward. Pass the palms along the legs to the feet. Keep the knees straight and look down in front. 2. Raise the palms forward and upward. The spine rises accordingly. One up and one down is one time. Do it three times in total. Key points of work: When massaging the back, waist and lower limbs with both hands, apply a little force. Because what you are massaging warmly is the bladder meridian, the largest yang meridian in the whole body. If you want yang qi in the whole body, you must mobilize this meridian. When straightening up, use the arms to bring the body up section by section. Only in this way can the anterior and posterior governor vessels be fully stretched and nourished by both yin and yang. Seventh form: Clenching fists and glaring angrily to increase strength. Method: Take a step to the left with the left foot. Stand in a horse stance. Hold both fists at the sides of the waist. The thumbs are inside and the fist eyes are upward. Punch forward with the left fist. The fist eyes are upward. Glaring angrily. Turn the left fist into a palm. Then rotate the wrist and hold it firmly to form a fist. Pull it back to the waist. Do it once on the left and once on the right. Key points of work: There are many details in this exercise method. For example, grasping the ground with toes, clenching fists firmly and glaring angrily can make liver qi smooth. The qi and blood at the periphery circulate. The whole body is energetic. Eighth form: Lifting heels seven times to eliminate all diseases. Method: 1. Lift the heels. Lift the head up. Pause for a moment and look straight ahead. Let the heels fall down and gently shake the ground. One up and one down is one time. Do it seven times in total. 2. The closing posture of Baduanjin is gathered here: Finally, put both palms together in front of the abdomen. Breathe evenly and relax the whole body. Key points of work: Lifting and falling of the heels can train the body’s balance. When lifting up, it should be like pulling up from flat ground. Grasp the ground with toes. Lift the anus and contract the abdomen. Keep the qi mechanisms of the six fu-organs in a tense state. When falling down, it is like an earthquake in mountains and rivers, shaking the spine and governor vessel. “Lifting heels seven times” is the closing movement of Baduanjin. It is equivalent to guiding qi back to its origin. After completing the whole set of exercises, rearrange the body’s qi mechanism so as not to be scattered.A reminder for beginners: when the movements are not yet proficient, it is advisable to breathe naturally and smoothly. Avoid forced breathing or heavy gasps, and try not to hold your breath or use abdominal breathing. As the movements become more open and practiced, ‘find’ the breath within the actions, which can be more beneficial for the body.