Five Animal Frolics Qigong (Wu Qin Xi)
Valley Spirit Qigong in Red Bluff, California
""Breathing in and out in various manners, spitting out the
old and taking in the new, walking like a bear and stretching their neck like a bird to achieve longevity - this is what
such practitioners of
Daoyin, cultivators of the body and all those searching for long life like Ancestor Peng, enjoy."
- Chuang-tzu, circa 300 BCE. (1)
- Chuang-tzu, circa 300 BCE. (1)
There was a feudal lord, the
Marquis of Dai (King Ma), who lived
around 160 BCE during the Western Han Dynasty.
When the Marquis of Dai, his wife, and his son died, there were many objects placed
in their family tomb as part of funeral rites and customs.
In 1973, archeologists in China excavated the family tomb of the Dai family on the outskirts of the city
of Changsha in Hunan Province. In the son's tomb they discovered a
lacquered box containing medical manuals, documents,
and a silk scroll on which were drawn 44 humans in various poses or postures.
Under each pose was a caption with the name of an animal
or the name of a disease that the posture
might help prevent or cure. The chart or diagram (Tu) on this scroll shows
Daoyin (Guiding/Leading Energy and Stretching/Pulling Out) exercises or poses. A number of the postures
shown on this Daoyin Tu closely resemble some in the
Eight Section Brocade
and in the Five Animal Frolics (i.e., the bear, monkey,
and bird). (2)
Improved artistic rendition of the Daoyin Tu,
circa 160 BCE.
Another medical manuscript with Daoyin methods, the Yinshu (Stretch Book), dated at 186 BCE, related to the Daoyin Tu, describes 100 exercises, and gives advice on seasonal health regimens, hygiene, diet, disease prevention, sleep, and sexual behavior. (2) We have ample evidence that Chinese physicians, and the aristocratic and wealthy classes of ancient Chinese society, had access to therapeutic and holistic exercise and massage methods (Daoyin) well before the advent of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 CE)."
No comments:
Post a Comment