Silk Exercises Class – 2023.04.26

Lifting the Sky – in four guises

A quick look at the differences, the similarities and the development of these Qigong.

From the first Silk Exercises set.

• From the Second Silk Exercises set.
• From the Ba Duan Jin.
• From the Ten Fundamental Treasures.

The Ba Duan Jin

• Punching With Intent.
• The Wise Owl Looks Backwards.
• Sway the Head and Shake the Tail.

These are Intermediate level classes and you will need to be familiar with the various stances used (Wuji stance and Horse Riding stance. Even so, we begin with the basic, physical, movements before working with the Internal.

The term “Silk Exercises” is translated from Ba Duan Jin and literally means “the Eight Section Brocade”. Over the millennia, the original exercises have developed with the Internal focus changing as Masters explored their potential. This has led to a number of variations of the Ba Duan Jin being taught.

In these classes we will be working with the Ba Duan Jin and the Ten Fundamental Treasures. We will also be looking at how the exercises have developed by introducing the four sets of the Silk Exercises, each of which is made up of eight movements that share the same name. The complexity of the Internal movements increases as you progress through the sets. The first three sets are performed in a standing posture and the last is performed seated.