Silk Exercises Class – 2023.05.10

The Silk Exercises

• Hold the Toes – looking at the simpler Qigong from the original Silk Exercises.
• Hold the Feet to Strengthen the Kidneys – from the Ba Duan Jin.
• Hold the Toes to Strengthen the Kidneys – from the Ten Fundamental Treasures.
• Punching with Intent – from the Ba Duan Jin. Working with Metal & Wood.
• Raise the Heels – from the Ba Duan Jin. Working with the alignment and the connection between the heavens, you and earth.
• Sway the Head and Shake the Tail – from the Ba Duan Jin. Keeping the Kau open.
• Holding up a Single Hand – from the Ba Duan Jin. Correct focus and increasing the awareness of the effects on Stomach meridian and Spleen meridian.

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.