Physical institution of Wu Han Lei Bin, Shi Ai Qiao

The Health Qi Gong Yi Jin Jing is able to regulate the balance of five Zang and promote the potentiality to strengthen the body and prolong the lifespan through the motion of limbs and visceral organs guided by the turning and extending of the backbone. The basic characteristics is gentle, slow, smooth and consistent, rhythmic combination of relaxation and strength and of dynamism and inertia. So the practice of the concordance of movements is basic requirements and important point to correctly grasp the technical routines and improve the practicing ability of the Health Qi Gong Yi Jin Jing.

Main factors affecting the concordance of the movements

The requirement for the act concordance is very strict as they are complicated and exquisite, for example, varieties of motions are needed to stimulate the body due to the complicated joint structure of backbone and motor directions. Therefore, only concordant guiding movements can regulate the essence, Qi and mind of the body. It is called that let the figure direct the Qi, let the mind and Qi run together, combine the body with mind, the upper part with the lower part etc. Improvement of the concordant ability is the basic work and physical quality for the exercise of the Health Qi Gong Yi Jin Jing. Many factors can affect the concordance of the movements such as the inheritance, age, locomotive trait, psychological features, etc. According to the characteristics and requirements of the movements of the Health Qi Gong Yi Jin Jing , the factors affecting the concordance can be generalized as the following two aspects:

Firstly, it is the extent of understanding and grasping the routines. The important factors affecting the movement concordance include the extent of understanding the connotation of the Gong and grasping the running line, technological specification and the practicing methods. The routines of the Health Qi Gong Yi Jin Jing are comparatively complicated and hard to exercise for the practicer. For example, just like in the routine of three plates falling on the floor, it is required for the practicer to squat down looking straight ahead and down, pronouncing the sound of Hai without uttering with palms pressing down to lower the vital qi to decrease the inner pressure of the abdomen and be able to effectively prevent the increase of the blood pressure. Hands raise up and guide the Qi ascending just like leading by Baihui acupoint while standing up to make the movements of the practicer with the internal Qi and blood circulation into unity. Therefore, the correct understanding of the Gong and proficient grasping the routines are important premise to ensure the concordance of the movements.

Secondly, it is the transformation of the relaxation and toughness of the movements and combination each other. Regardless of the step-by-step or consecutive routines, they are accomplished by means of contracting one part of muscles and relaxing the other part. In the consecutive movements, the transformation of relaxation and contraction of muscles is key to the completion of the movements. Any movement contains the coordination of nerve, muscles and kinetics in the aspect of movement training. Nerve coordination embodies the combination of the excitement and inhibition of nerve process in the course of the movement completion. Muscle coordination means the reasonable exertion of muscles and the strength of which is up to the muscular and myofibrillar amount partaking in the movement. Kinetic coordination means the spatial and temporal combination of all parts of the body to adjust the functional condition of which is up to the message provided by the proprioceptive sense. So the transformation and combination is the key skill for improving the concordance. For example, in the routine of bowing down in salutation, it is required that the joint of the backbone is pulled up knob-by-knob and curved like a crook. Over relaxation or toughness is unreasonable for the correct pulling-up. Only appropriate tenacity and combination can accomplish the movement and get the corresponding effect.

Main ways of improving the concordance of the actions

In order to make the actions concordant, unreasonable tension of the muscles should be avoided in the exercise of the Health Qi Gong. The practicer should try his best to increase the stability of the actions and find the feeling of keeping a sound mind and the integrity of muscles. Main ways for the exercise are as follows.

Repeated practice

Ways: Repeatedly do the single routine for ten times and four routines or do the whole set of Gong for four times in each exercise.

Effect: To form deeper impression of the routine in your head to rid of unnecessary actions and overcome unnecessary tension of the muscles.

Key points: Pay attention to the procedure of the routine and the transformation of the relaxation and tightness in the exercise.

The exercise of standing Zhuang

The health qi gong yi jin ying consists of twelve routines of which can be separately used as one routine of Zhuang for practicing for five, ten or thirty minutes in each time according to the condition of oneself.

Effect: The exercising time is relatively prolonged as it is static action. So the practicer can get clearer feeling of the relaxation, tightness, extension and tension of muscles, which is helpful for the memory and repetition of the routine next time. In addition, it can improve the ability of the integrity of three regulations and the stability of the routine.

Key points: Calm the mind and relax the body with appropriate relaxation and tightness, regular and gentle breath, moderate amplitude of the actions.

The exercise of hoisting and open and close

Methods: Stand up just like the ready position and regulate the breath with calm mind and then lift the left foot and stand with feet apart in the line with the shoulders, slightly bend down the knees and squat down in a high horse stance with palms facing each other and holding like a ball in front of the abdomen, look straight ahead and downward with calm mind on the Dantian. Slowly stretch the legs as lead by Baihui acupoint and laterally raise the arms in the direction of paralleling with the floor, slightly bend the elbow with palms obliquely forward and hold the hands like a ball leveling with the shoulder. Bend the knees and hold hands like a ball in front of the abdomen and then do the same set of actions repeatedly for some time according to one’s own condition. The closing action is the same as in the health qi gong yi jin jing.

Effect: The form of the motion of Qi is ascending, descending, coming-in and going-out inside the body. The repeated exercise of this action can improve the ability of coordination of the essence, Qi and spirit with the figure and actions.

Key points: Slow and steady action and coincidence of the upper and lower, the interior and exterior, natural combination of breath with the action.

Free exercise

Methods: Take the same set of routine as the health Qi Gong Yi Jin Jing. The practicer can freely choose the connecting actions and some routines in each time or do one same routine repeatedly as one like.

Effect: To overcome the concordant obstacle and improve the dynamic stability of the postures and sensitivity of proprioceptor and cultivate the spontaneous coordination.

Key points: The connection of main routines is natural, stable, slow and easy.

Announcements for improving the concordance

Enforcement should be avoided in the exercise of cultivating the concordance. The principles of the Health Qi Gong are to stress the concordance such as the integrity of mind and Qi, figure and mind, the nature and the human body etc. That is not to say to obtain the integrity of mind and body etc by way of exercise. The calm mind is the instinct of each man and the aim of the exercise is to help us to find it. But the extent of the integrity is different for different individual. Therefore the exercise of the concordance should be up to the physiological condition and one’s own ability of the practicer.

The exercise should be done with some aim step by step. The practicer should do some simple exercise at first and gradually do more difficult actions according to one’s own age, sex, constitution, kinetic trait etc. Appropriate methods and amount of exercise should be chosen to do to improve the concordance.