1. Explanation and Meditation – Shifu Yanzi explains how to improve your concentration, control your thoughts, strengthen your willpower, how to appreciate the present moment and acquire wisdom and enlightenment.

2. Self Massage – This section helps you to release the pain and allow energy to flow throughout your body. Areas covered are Legs, face, eyes, kidneys, head, neck, ears, pressure points. Improve the strength of vision, brain function, sharpen your sense’s and many other bodily functions. The head massage is very effective for stimulation the brain and encouraging circulation.

3. Complete Joints Warm-Up – From head, neck shoulders, elbows, wrist, waist, hips, knees and ankles. Keep your joints healthy, reduce the chances of Arthritis. Joints can be prone to injury, by warming up can reduce this risk. The joints warm-up also stimulates the fluid within, again reducing the risk of injury. Mobility is heavily dependant on the health of one’s joints, this section is focused on improving this area of your health.

4. Stretching – Includes arms, back, leg, waist, hips. Improve your flexibility, help your tendons become supple and flexible. The flexibility and suppleness of ligaments and tendons are key indicators of a person’s overall health. Shaolin Yi Jin Jing book tells us that strong tendons are a sign of a strong constitution, short/weak/stiff tendons are a sign of failing health and impending death. This section will help students transform short and stiff tendons to soft and flexible ones.

5. Balance – Crane stance is used to improve stability and balance between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. increased balance and mobility is imperative to avoid accidents, it can be the difference between life and death.

6. Meridians and Pressure Points warm-up – Low / Middle and Higher Dan Tien, ribs, waist, lower back, wezhui (tail bone), kidneys, Jian Jing (Shoulder pressure points)….After this warmup, we will begin to practice BDJ. There are many areas in the body where Qi/Blood/Energy naturally has difficulty in passing. These areas must be thoroughly warmed up to ensure the flow of Qi is not hindered.

BA DUAN JIN QI GONG ONLINE COURSE CONTENTS

Part One – Tuo Tian Shi 托天势 – Two Hands Hold up the Sky
Benefits: Purify the body’s energy, raise the Yang energy, improve liver and lung function, remove dampness within the body. Allows the Qi to flow freely from the lower back through the spine and up to the shoulder/neck/head area. This movement helps to release the stiff tension and tiredness within the lower back, keeping your brain energised and alert.

Part Two – Kai Gong Shi 开弓势 – Drawing the Bow
Benefits: This movement is like drawing a bow, ready to shoot a target. It improves lung function by opening the chest area. It helps to improve the muscular strength of the heart, to remove excess gas and alleviate constipation.

Part Three – Zhai Xing Shi 摘星势 – Pick the Star
Benefits: This movement helps to maintain a healthy digestive system and stimulates the spleen, removing blockages which in turn helps energy flows easily. It also helps to release bad Qi from the liver, reducing the emotional imbalance with the body and mind.

Part Four – Ba Dao Shi 拔刀势 – Draw the Sword from the sheath
Benefits: This movement helps to strengthen the eyes, neck and nervous system. It also rejuvenates the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys and lungs.

Part Five – Yao Tou Shi 摇头势 – Oxen Turns Head
Benefits: Rebalances the excess internal fire energy from the body. A common side effect of excess fire energy is mouth ulcers, throat inflammation amongst other digestive issues.

Part Six – Pan Zu Shi 攀足势 – Two Hands Hold the Feet
Benefits: Strengthens the kidneys and the waist and raise’s up the body’s Dan Tien Yang Energy. Regular practise will help you to warm up and heal your kidneys. It is also very helpful at allowing the energy to pass from the waist to the lower body thus balancing the energy of the urinal system.

Part Seven – Zuan Quan Shi 攒拳势 – Clench the Fists
Benefits: This movement based on the Ma Bu (Horsestance) combined with six concentrated punches and co-ordinated breathing. It increases internal and external power and Qi, which helps to improve the circulation of Qi and blood, allowing them to reach the extremities (hair, teeth, nails and tongue).

Part Eight – Qi Dian Shi 起颠势 – Bouncing on the Toes
Benefit: Vibrations generated by this exercise help bodily organs and systems return to their normal operating condition. It also helps to remove toxins within the body and to straighten the spine, relax the muscles, nerves, neck and brain.

Closing Movement – Shou Shi (Hua Qi Gui Yuan 化气归 元) – Bring the Qi to Home
Benefits: Return the Qi back to its origin, the lower Dan Tien. It is also important as it prevents the Qi from being dissipated and thus ensures that it is ready to be used at any time.

Eyes Exercise:
This 360-degree eye training keeps your vision sharp and improves overall eye health. It strengthens the muscles and tendons associated with eye movements.

Tongue Exercise:
The tongue is the end of a muscle. Continued practice can build up muscle power and produce more essence, which helps to improve the health of the digestive system.

Qi Gong Brush (Gan En Bang 感恩棒) The Qi Gong brush is essential to the proper practice of Ba Duan Jin. This unique piece of equipment, made from bamboo or stainless steel, helps to increase your internal and external strength and basic body conditioning. It is also used to detoxify the body, stimulate the skin, muscles, tendons, bone and bone marrow. The Qi Gong brush is incredibly effective at removing stagnated Qi and allowing your internal energy and blood to flow freely. The brush is able to stimulate the lymphatic system which in turn allows the body to repair and cleanse itself much more easily. The Qi Gong brush is used to gently hit the body from the Dan Tian (lower abdomen) upwards to the ribs, chest, shoulders, neck, head, then down to the arms, back, lower back, legs, and feet.

Ba Duan Jin Poem (八段锦歌诀):

合掌拱立心不摇 He Zhang Gong Li Xin Bu Yao – Concentration for the mind and stillness for the heart
左右舒身肝肺调 Zuo You Shu Shen Gan Fei Tiao – Push palms outwards to repair the liver and lungs
双手托天理三焦 Shuang Shou Tuo Tian Li San Jiao – Both hands push to the sky to regulate the Qi in your back
左右开弓射大雕 Zuo You Kai Gong She Da Diao – Draw the bow ready to shoot
调理脾胃需单举 Tiao Li Pi Wei Xu Dan Ju – Pick the star which helps to regulate the stomach and spleen
五劳七伤往后瞧 Wu Lao Qi Shang Wang Hou Qiao – Look Backwards to remove exhaustion of the 5 internal organs and injuries caused by the 7 human emotions
摇头摆尾去心火 Yao Tou Bai Wei Qu Xin Huo – Oxen Turns Head to rebalance the excess internal fire energy
两手攀足固肾腰 Shuang Shou Pan Zu Gu Shen Yao – Two Hands Hold the Feet to strengthen the kidneys and the waist
攒拳怒目增力气 Zuan Quan Nu Mu Zeng Li Qi – Clench fists and glare with eyes wide to increase physical strength
背后七颠百病消 Bei Hou Qi Dian Bai Bing Xiao – Bouncing on the toes to eliminate all kinds of sickness
左旋右转归元气 Zuo Xuan You Zhuan Gui Yuan Qi – Circular massage of the stomach in both directions to return the energy to the Dan Tien
化气归元境界高 Hua Qi Gui Yuan Jing Jie Gao – Preserve the Qi and return it to the Dan Tien to increase health and wisdom