THE BADUANJIN MANUAL OF YIN QIANHE

FITNESS TECHNIQUES ON A BED

&
SCIENTIFIC BADUANJIN

by Yin Qianhe
[published Nov 10, 1958]
[translation by Paul Brennan, Dec, 2013]

Fitness Techniques on a Bed & Scientific Baduanjin

by Yin Qianhe

[calligraphy by] He Yingqin

PREFACE BY SHEN HONGLIE

The flourishing of our spirit as well as the growth of all our education and enterprise is based first
of all upon the health of the body. Therefore if we wish to stand both individually and together, and
to succeed both individually and together, we must start by giving importance to physical
education, training daily and lifelong. This is what is meant by strengthening the self.
The rise or fall of the people of a nation, the superiority or inferiority of their culture is
dependent entirely on the strength or weakness of the people. Therefore if we wish to develop
culturally and rouse national prestige, we must popularize physical education, establishing it in
organizations and societies, cities and rural areas. This is what is meant by strengthening the
masses.
There are so many kinds of physical education, such as track and field events or ball sports,
which are now in vogue in our nation as they are in the rest of the world. It might be appropriate
for us to train in such things, but if we instead choose to glorify our nation by concentrating on our
customary native martial arts, they do not require special equipment or specific facilities, are not
restricted by schedule or size of a group, nor do they cost any money, which means that due to the
present strained state of our economy, they are significantly easier to popularize.
Chinese martial arts attach importance to the three unions: mind united with intention,
intention united with energy, energy united with power. This causes the mind to be always stable
and the spirit always focused, and thus it is said that skill approaches the Way. Martial virtue is
thereby put on a pedestal, being minded toward the public good and to the deliverance of those in
distress. Once we make use of such a realization, then the strengthening of oneself and the
strengthening of the masses is all that is required in the cause of protecting ones home and
defending the nation.
Between the Mukden Incident [Sep 18, 1931] and the Marco Polo Bridge Incident [July 7, 1937],
I was in charge of the administration of the military in Qingdao. Throughout that time, the nation
was under threat and so we built up the nations military strength by promoting martial arts. Some
sixty thousand townspeople were trained [smelted in the furnace] in preparation to fight the
enemy. When the Marco Polo Bridge Incident occurred, Japanese soldiers and civilians were
forced to have diplomatic relations broken off and leave because of the mission to burn nine large
Japanese cotton mills conducted by the martial arts teachers Gao Fangxian and Yang Qingxian,
who each led a team of martial artists to accomplish this. Soon they both received orders to take
control of Shandong, continuing the resistance against the Japanese. Yin Qianhe is a long-time
martial arts adept who led several hundred warriors that he had trained for the struggle against
Japan. At that time, the armies throughout the whole province were being rigorously drilled in
martial arts. In fighting the enemy and smiting the invaders, Gao, Yang, and Yin made an
especially large contribution, boosting confidence in the potential of martial arts to defend the
nation.
The people of Qingdao are loyal and brave, honest and sincere, and so because of the shift in

power since the rebellion, many of them followed the government in its relocation to Taiwan. Being
in the army, Gao, Yang, and Yin came along as well. In their spare time, they still teach martial
arts. In recent years, Yin has been a schoolteacher and a great many have learned from him. He
decided to spend his time after teaching classes to write about Taiji Sword and Baduanjin. Once he
had completed these books, he sought a preface from me. Although I have loved martial arts my
whole life, I have actually not obtained much in the way of skill, and yet I am now in my eighth
decade but not at all a feeble man, and so I am entirely convinced that I have gained by it.
Science is now flourishing and this is an era of development in weaponry. If we wish to walk
among the great powers, we need to engage in advanced scientific research, and we especially have
to solidify our cultural foundation in order to promote the health of the people. In this regard, the
easiest way is the popularization of Chinese martial arts, which cannot be overlooked. Yin
ceaselessly strives to improve himself, constantly keeping in mind the grand principle of
strengthening the people and defending the nation, and herein lies the reason for making such
books. To greatly benefit the spread of martial arts is why he is writing this material down.
written by Shen Honglie of Jingling while visiting Taizhong, Dec, 1957

PREFACE BY CHEN PANLING

Martial arts are the most characteristic part of Chinese culture, distinctive skills which throughout
history have brought the nation wealth and made its armies formidable. By often depending on
such methods, theories became profound and techniques exquisite, above and beyond the martial
arts of other nations. On a larger scale, they can strengthen the masses and defend the nation. On a
smaller scale, they can add years to your life. However, in the last few decades, the people of our
nation have become infatuated with Western exercises, rendering the several-millennia worth of
cultural essence bequeathed to us by our worthy ancestors unable to flourish, thereby resulting in
our people becoming weak and hopeless, and this is truly a pitiable situation.
The sword art is the most revered of these skills in our nations history. Unfortunately, because
it stresses personal endeavor, very few books have been written about it. Later generations of
students have had little to consult, left to merely feel around in the dark. Because of this, the
essence of the sword art has pretty much disappeared. Yin Qianhe, or Baiqia, of Shandong is wellread and an expert in martial arts, and he has investigated them deeply, devotedly researching for
a long time without slackening. As he deeply feels that our martial arts are in daily decline, he
wishes to put forth what he has learned and discovered by writing it down in a systematic way to
further spread these teachings. Recently he has written Taiji Sword and Fitness Techniques on a
Bed & Scientific Baduanjin. They are rich in content, with theory clearly presented and with
function fully detailed, truly making a great contribution toward our martial arts.
I have encouraged the practice of Chinese martial arts my entire life, and have maintained my
ambition to do so since coming to Taiwan. I wish to spread such an education among the people

and boost their health. The aim is to rescue the nation through strengthening the people. Now Yin
has written his books, and since he and I are of the same mind, I am only too happy to make a
preface for him.
written by Chen Panling at his home in Taizhong, Oct, 1958

AUTHORS PREFACE

I have but little talent and shallow learning, and my skill level is quite inferior. How could I
presume to make books and invite ridicule from experts? It is simply because the great benefit I
have received from martial arts I would not dare to keep to myself. I want to share it with my
compatriots throughout the whole nation, particularly those who are weak or often ill. With
constant practice, martial arts can turn the weak into the strong. As I do this out of a mentality of
self-love and caring for others, I have roused my courage in hopes that my small efforts will bring
about a large benefit.
When I was young, I was constantly ill. Once I became an adult, I was still frail and weak.
Medicines had been having no effect, to the great anxiety of my parents, but in our town there was
a Fu Tingjie, who was an expert in martial arts, so they asked him to give me instruction. After just
a year, all my chronic ailments had quickly been cured, and I was also inspired to take it further. At
that time, the well-known Taiji expert An Dingbang was teaching at the Beijing Health & Fitness
Society, so I left home to approach him for instruction. His skill was exquisite, his teaching method
was systematic and patient. I trained hard from morning to night, feeling blessed to have access to
such teachings. My strength grew to abundance and I had been transformed.
When armies were raised in resistance against Japan [1937], I followed Shen Honglie, chairman
of my home province of Shandong, by serving in the army. Shen was a long-standing advocate for
martial arts, so he made martial arts the major training regimen for the military, and since it is my
hobby, I pursued this with extra sincerity. For fighting the enemy and smiting the invaders, it
proved to be very helpful.
When the communist bandits betrayed the nation [i.e. the communist takeover, meaning 1949],
I went with the government in its relocation to Taiwan, where I have been serving as a
schoolteacher in the Taizhong area. Since so many of those who get their schooling from me are

young enthusiasts for martial arts, I have had no choice but to push myself and continue in my own
training, receiving frequent guidance from my martial arts superior, Chen Panling, as well as
constant encouragement from martial arts expert Wang Shujin and town council member Song
Xianting. After a class, I contemplate and study, and whatever I am delving further into, be it
Shaolin, Taiji, or weapons, if it conforms to the principles of health maintenance and the
practicalities of self defense, I invariably write it all down into books.
Of the internal arts, I have written Taiji Boxing, Taiji Sword, and Fitness Techniques on a Bed
& Scientific Baduanjin. Of the external arts, I have written Twelve-Line Tantuiand Taizu Long
Boxing. As for weapons, I have written of spear, saber, sword, and staff. What I have accumulated
over a long period amounts to a compendium of information. L Huoneng, a good friend, has done
me the favor of making the photographs of the various postures that I teach. This book is now
completed and is being published at the request of many colleagues to spread the information
widely.
Seeing as I live in Taiwan, I have less access to books I ought to be consulting, and so for
everything I have explained, I have only relied on my memory of what I was taught and what I have
obtained through my own research. There are bound to be many errors and gaps. As to what I have
been able to publish, I fear I am inadequate for the task, so far putting a mere two of these books
on the shelves of bookshops: Taiji Sword and Fitness Techniques on a Bed & Scientific Baduanjin.
What I have published is to supply my fellow students with reference material. I sincerely hope
that Chinese martial arts experts from around the world, gentlemen and countrymen all, will pick
out flaws to be fixed, for if you would correct me where I have missed, I would feel fortunate
indeed.
written by Yin Qianhe (Baiqia) of Shandong in Zhanghua, Taiwan, Oct, 1958

AUTHORS GENERAL COMMENTS

1. There is a great variety of Chinese and Western exercises, some fast and some slow, but due to
Chinas environment, situation, and economy, it has been very difficult for everyone to take part in
them.

2. Although the human body requires exercise, ones age and constitution must also be taken into
account. For instance, a man over fifty playing basketball is just a joke, because even if he can play
effortlessly, he is no longer getting any benefit from it anyway and yet could receive harm.

3. The movements in this book are very mild, easy, and scientific. I have considered the old as a
means to prepare the new, so that these exercises can be practiced by both male and female, young
and old, and are especially suitable for the old and weak.

4. This book conforms to the principles of physiology and anatomy. Practicing the material can not
only promote health, it can also prevent and treat illness.

5. This book is roughly divided into three sections:

i. Fitness Techniques on a Bed which are practiced on a bed
ii. Scientific Baduanjin which can be practiced on a bed or floor, and need only a short amount of

time to gain great results

iii. Self-Revitalizing Baduanjin which are wonderful techniques for preventing illness

6. I wrote this book purely out of a sense of self-love and caring for others, for I hope my
compatriots will all obtain health by it, thereby strengthening our power against the communists.

7. I have loved martial arts for many decades. Although there are among them skills I have not
learned, I nevertheless enjoy studying their profound ideas and exploring their principles of health.
This book is the combined product of theory and experience, facts and experiment.

8. I am stupid by nature, but I am sincere. Unfortunately I lack talent with these arts, and so what I
have written is rather crude, but I hope those who love me will often give me corrections, which
would make me feel fortunate indeed.

author

CONTENTS

One: General Introduction to the Fitness Techniques & Baduanjin

Two: Things that Must be Understood While Practicing the Fitness Techniques & Baduanjin

Three: Advantages of the Fitness Techniques & Baduanjin

Four: Song of Before & After Practicing the Fitness Techniques on a Bed

Five: Song for the Fitness Techniques on a Bed The Names of the Exercises in Sequence

Six: Fitness Techniques on a Bed with Explanations & Photos (including nine photos)

Seven: Song for Scientific Baduanjin The Names of the Exercises in Sequence

Eight: Scientific Baduanjin with Explanations & Photos (including ten [eleven] photos)

Nine: A Brief Explanation of the Self-Revitalizing Techniques

Ten: Song for the Self-Revitalizing Baduanjin Techniques in Sequence

Eleven: Explanations for Self-Revitalizing Baduanjin (including seven photos)

ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE FITNESS TECHNIQUES & BADUANJIN

The Fitness Techniques on a Bed are also called Baduanjin on a Bed and are associated with Taiji
principles and Daoist meditation practice, being based in neutrality. They are very easy to practice
and a teacher is not required. They can be learned in five minutes, practiced in ten. They
strengthen the body and prevent illness, producing limitless joy. If when you have practiced the
Fitness Techniques on a Bed you still have some time, you can also practice Scientific Baduanjin on
the bed, or you can practice it after getting up from the bed. Weak people who have illness should
first go through the Self-Revitalizing Baduanjin, then once they are restored to health, they may
then practice Baduanjin proper.
As the name implies, Baduanjin [eight pieces of brocade] are like eight pieces of brocaded silks
or satins [i.e. material of the finest quality], and this is the essence within each movement. You are
sure to receive great results within a short time. For people who are busy working every day, if they
can but grab a few minutes to practice it, they can obtain the benefits of health, for it does not take
up much time. The movements are scientific, which can hardly be said of ordinary calisthenics.
With the Self-Revitalizing Techniques, you can treat illness and eliminate disease. Our ancestors
invented these exercises long ago, but unfortunately people tend to overlook them and so are
unable to maintain inquiry into them to develop them further, with the result that these perfected
treasures have gradually declined and may sink away altogether. Nowadays, through study and
contemplation, by delving into the principles and repeatedly subjecting them to experiment, we
can indeed have extraordinary results.

TWO: THINGS THAT MUST BE UNDERSTOOD WHILE PRACTICING THE FITNESS

TECHNIQUES & BADUANJIN

1. When practicing, you should calm your mind and pacify your energy, eliminating desirous
thoughts.

2. You should be persevering and should not expect quick results.

3. You should look upon the exercise as being for health and so should not use excessive effort.

4. The movement should be slow, and the breathing should be deep, long, and even.

5. The postures should be correct and the actions must be done appropriately.

6. Practice every morning, going through the exercises at least twice, depending on your level of
strength.

7. Before practicing, drink a bowl of boiled water with some added salt to flush your stomach and
intestines.

8. In the beginning, your muscles will probably experience some aching, but you should persist and
believe in the exercises.

THREE: ADVANTAGES OF THE FITNESS TECHNIQUES & BADUANJIN

1. As they do not take up much time or require special facilities, they can be practiced anytime and
anywhere.

2. They are easy to learn and easy to practice, not requiring a teacher, thereby granting the effect of
twice the result for half the effort.

3. They smooth your digestive organs, assisting digestion and increasing appetite.

4. They harmonize blood and energy, invigorating your brain and refreshing your spirit.

5. They diminish inflammation and regenerate tissue, increasing the power of your immune
system, reducing the risk of sudden infections.

6. They take into account both inside and out, strengthening both stomach and lungs, and can
uniformly develop your whole body.

7. They increase your energy and strengthen your physique, promoting both health and beauty.

8. They prevent disease and bring longevity, giving you happiness for your whole life.

FOUR: SONG OF BEFORE & AFTER PRACTICING THE FITNESS TECHNIQUES ON A BED

When you are about to go to bed, get rid of distracting thoughts,

and then once you are in bed, quiet your mind.
Sound sleep dispels fatigue.
The time goes by fast and the dreams are sweet.
When you wake up, you will enthusiastically wonder:
What should I do today?
Whatever you do with yourself,
health is the first priority.
The Fitness Techniques on a Bed
are neither tiring nor difficult to practice.
If you practice every day without fail,
you will prevent illness and also prolong life.

FIVE: SONG FOR THE FITNESS TECHNIQUES ON A BED THE NAMES OF THE EXERCISES
IN SEQUENCE

Stretching out your legs and reaching out your arms increases your primal vitality.
Holding your neck as you sit up strengthens your abdominal muscles.
First your left elbow touches your right knee.
Then your right elbow touches your left knee.
Then this section of the exercise is completed by both elbows touching your knees.
Then your palms touch your soles.
Push yourself up a few times to stretch your body.
Sitting silently for a while will expel all illness.

SIX: FITNESS TECHNIQUES ON A BED WITH EXPLANATIONS & PHOTOS (including nine
photos)

PREPARATION POSTURE

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

The preparation posture is preparation for movement. No matter what you are doing, you
should first have a readiness for it. Then when you start doing it, you will not be in a hurry about it,
and it will be natural and enjoyable. Practice all of these techniques in this way.

2. Description of the exercise:

The human body inherently has electricity running through it before anything is trained. First
rub your hands for a while until they feel warm and the current is transmitted throughout your
whole body, rousing all your vessels and channels. Using both hands, massage downward along
your belly a few times, causing your organs to me slightly livened. Lying down with your legs
extended, palms downward, arms extended straight along your body. Calm your mind and pacify
your energy. Be relaxed and natural. Your gaze is upward, your breath deep and long, and you are
in a state of contentment. [See the photo:]


Section One:

Stretching out your legs and reaching out your arms increases your primal vitality.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

This posture is usually called opening up your body or relaxing your waist. It is ideal for
people to stretch often, not only for the sake of livening the tendons and blood, but also because it
increases a persons alertness and beauty. Unfortunately people stretch out their bodies too little.
The more often you do it, the more benefit you will get. Have you not noticed the recuperative
effect a cat has upon itself by constantly stretching out? A cats body is beautiful, agile, and alert.
This is of course only an analogy and a human is not really comparable to a cat. Nevertheless,
stretch often. Whether before sleeping or after, whether standing, sitting, or lying down, do this
exercise. It will be of the greatest benefit to your body.

2. Description of the exercise:

Your hands slowly spread apart to the sides and extend upward [up in relation to your body
rather than the ground], palms facing upward. Once past your head, your hands stretch upward
with effort, your toes at the same time putting effort into stretching away. The tendons and tissues
of your whole body are roused. The intention is as though you are elongating your body, which
enriches your primal vitality, stimulates your tendons, and boosts flow through your blood vessels,
thereby benefiting physical development.

Section Two:

Holding your neck as you sit up strengthens your abdominal muscles.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

This posture trains the standing-up strength of the waist, invigorates the Du and Ren meridians,
and can decrease the bulging of ones lower abdomen, preventing the skin of the belly from sagging
outward. For maintaining a handsome thinness at the waist, this technique is of great help.

2. Description of the exercise:

Continuing from the previous posture, your hands come together, fingers interlinking, covering
and propping up behind your neck, your wrists pressed against your cheeks. Without your feet
lifting or your legs bending, slowly raise your body up to be sitting. When practicing it for the first
time, this may not be easy to achieve, but it is also not necessary to force it, and so it is okay if you
have to bend your legs or lift your feet. Working at it gradually, you will finally be able to do it quite
naturally.

Section Three:

First your left elbow touches your right knee.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

This posture trains neck, abdomen, and ribs. Because the left elbow is going to the right knee,
this exercise causes the left ribs to contract but the right ribs to expand. When doing the exercise to
the other side, the reverse will be the case. Doing this exercise frequently can prevent the onset of
pleuritis.

2. Description of the exercise:

Continuing from the previous posture, with your hands still holding your neck and your legs still
straight, lean your body down to the left and slowly touch your left elbow to your right knee a few
times, then sit upright again. See the photo:


Section Four:

Then your right elbow touches your left knee.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

Same as in Section Three, but now done with the right elbow and left knee in order to exercise
both ribs uniformly so they are not worked in a one-sided way. No matter what exercise you do,
you should work your whole body evenly, never just emphasizing one area, for the exercise seeks
health and beauty. If the exercise turns into something rugged, then it will just be a waste of time.

2. Description of the exercise:

Continuing from sitting upright, lean your body down to the right and now touch your right
elbow to your left knee a few times, then sit upright again.

Section Five:

Then this section of the exercise is completed by both elbows covering your knees.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

The previous couple of postures take an elbow over to the opposite knee, training the ribs on
each side. This posture completes this section of the exercises by working both sides together.
Having returned to sitting upright, you will lean forward with your body facing squarely. This
posture can cause the abdomen to contract, producing a beautifying effect. It limbers the waist and
strengthens the kidneys, as well as stimulating the digestive organs, helping to increase appetite.

2. Description of the exercise:

Continuing from sitting upright, lean your body forward, using both elbows to touch both knees,
lifting and lowering your elbows several times. When beginning to practice this, your muscles will
probably experience some slight aching, but you should remain confident in the exercise. This
exercise will initially not be easy to do, especially for an old person, but you should never force it. It
is enough for your elbows to touch your knees, and they should be pushing down on them. These
skills must not be rushed, since to overdo it amounts to the same as underdoing it, and so it is
better to accumulate results gradually.

Section Six:

Then your palms touch your soles.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

This posture joins your palms and soles together. It trains your legs, waist, and arms, and can
improve the flexibility of your legs and arms. It smoothly and rapidly enhances beauty as it is a
further aid in shrinking your belly and making your arms stronger.

2. Description of the exercise:

Continuing from sitting upright, your hands reach straight out to your feet, but without your
legs bending. Your toes reaching up to your wrists and your fingers reaching down to your heels,
your palms and soles kiss, like the merging of the passive and active aspects. There will be a

peculiar sensation, as though your blood has been transformed. Your body is leaning forward, then
returns to sitting upright.

Section Seven:

Push yourself up a few times to stretch your body.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

The several preceding postures all have to do with the waist bending forward, whereas this
posture livens the whole body. It is the most profound of exercises because it not only trains the
strength of the arms, legs, and waist, but also attends to the body as a whole. This exercise is also
most appropriately practiced on a bed, where you will not gather dirt upon your body, hands, or
clothes. (If it is a spring mattress, you can cover it with a couple of planks in order to do the
exercise.)

2. Description of the exercise:

From sitting up, turn over onto your belly, and put your hands on the bed, arms bent. With your
belly near the bed but not touching it, legs straight, toes touching the bed, and hands not moving,
stiffen your legs, urge your waist, pull up your back, stretch your neck, and lean your head back,
while your arms put their strength forward and upward to lift you into a stretch. Then slowly lower
yourself. Repeat this several times, depending on your strength. You must not force yourself.


Section Eight:

Sitting silently for a while will expel all illness.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

This posture is similar to doing meditation. Since this is the last posture done after finishing the
other postures, use it to restore your body and mind to a tranquil state. Even though the previous
postures are slow movements, you may nevertheless feel slightly out of breath. Sitting silently for a
few minutes causes your energy to gather within and sink to your elixir field, bolstering your
abundant spirit so that you can resist infection from all disease.

2. Description of the exercise:

After finishing the previous posture, turn over and sit up, withdrawing your legs to sit crosslegged. Your hands come together to be placed upright in front of your chest as in Buddhist
meditation. With your eyes slightly closed, wait for your mind to become quiet and your energy to
become even, then you may cease. This exercise may be affected by your surroundings or by what
time it is. See the photo:

SEVEN: SONG FOR SCIENTIFIC BADUANJIN THE NAMES OF THE EXERCISES IN

SEQUENCE

For BOTH HANDS DRAW IN SILK, apply strength slowly.

With EMPEROR LIFTS THE CALDRON, your energy fills the sky.
PHOENIX SPREADS ITS WINGS calms your mind.
IMMORTAL MAKES A BOW trains belly and waist.
MONK BENDS HIS WAIST expels stale air.
PUSH OPEN THE WINDOW TO GAZE AT THE MOON exercises the strength of your arms.
GOOSE LANDS ON THE BEACH stretches your legs along the ground.
RIDE THE HORSE WITH EXTRA WHIPPING to get us back to China!

EIGHT: SCIENTIFIC BADUANJIN WITH EXPLANATIONS & PHOTOS (including ten [eleven]
photos)

PREPARATION POSTURE

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

The preparation posture is preparation for movement. Your intention tells your whole body that
movement is about to start, making your whole body pay attention so that the movement will be
effortless and blissful rather than abrupt.

2. Description of the exercise:

Your body stands straight and your head should be upright. Your eyes are looking straight
ahead, arms hanging down leisurely. Your mouth is closed, teeth touching, tongue curled back, and
the breathing is done through your nose. With energy sinking to your elixir field, you stand
balanced and not leaning in any direction. Your feet are shoulder width apart. (These eight
sections of brocade can also be practiced on a bed or on the floor.)

Section One:

For BOTH HANDS DRAW IN SILK, apply strength slowly.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

Your hands slightly grasp and pull apart to the sides, slowly applying strength as if drawing out
silk. This causes your chest to stretch open, and with your chest opened up, your lungs will receive
benefit. Thus this posture can open the chest and benefit the lungs.

2. Description of the exercise:

Your hands slowly lift up, slightly grasping when at belly level, and stopping at shoulder level.
With the tigers mouths pointing downward, palms outward, slowly pull your fists apart to the
sides. Then bring your fists upright at shoulder level, turning the tigers mouths to point to your
shoulders, palms forward, elbows hanging down. See the photo:


Section Two:

With EMPEROR LIFTS THE CALDRON, your energy fills the sky.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

In the case of this posture, make use of the intent of the imagery rather than using a clumsy
strength, and make use of its shape rather than applying an awkward energy. This posture if
practiced often will maintain health and beauty, aid in developing the physique, smooth the energy
and invigorate the blood, and regulate the digestion.

2. Description of the exercise:

Both fists become palms, the palms facing upward, and slowly prop up from your shoulders,
your head slightly looking upward to assist the posture, the energy correspondingly emitting
upward. With fire able to descend and water pouring upward, this can diminish illness as well
as train the propping strength of your arms. See the photo:


Section Three:

PHOENIX SPREADS ITS WINGS calms your mind.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

Your arms extend level in the manner of a bird spreading its wings, hence the name. With your
arms extended level, rise and lower them, body and mind carefree. This promotes the health of the
liver and lungs.

2. Description of the exercise:

Your arms spread apart to the sides and lower until extended level, palms facing downward.
Rise and lower five or six times, then stop. The repetition will make you feel refreshed. Through
personal experience of this, you will understand it intuitively. After practicing it over a long
uninterrupted period, you will find within it true pleasure. See the photo:


Section Four:

IMMORTAL MAKES A BOW trains belly and waist. (part 1)

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

This posture precedes the actual bending over and is for dispelling fire in the triple-warmer.
Pulling up your whole body so that only your toes are touching down releases heart fire. Doing this
posture increases a feeling of ease and bliss. This can only be felt through personal experience, so
try it out and see, and if you do not concur with my words, then theyre wrong.

2. Description of the exercise:

Turn your arms over and stretch them upward, palms toward each other, and link your fingers.
When going up from below and turning over, your palms turn upward and your heels raise so your
toes are touching the ground. Lift and lower three to five times, then relax your whole body. This
posture is almost the same as in classical Baduanjins first posture: Both hands prop up the sky to
regulate the triple-warmer.


Section Four [cont.]:

IMMORTAL MAKES A BOW trains belly and waist. (part 2)

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

Practicing this posture strengthens the waist and kidneys, and especially trains the lower
abdomen to draw in rather than stick out. If you do this a hundred times every day, flabby tummy,
stomach prolapse, and intestinal inflammation will all be prevented. This posture is also of great
assistance against both impotence and premature ejaculation.

2. Description of the exercise:

From the previous posture, your arms go forward and downward, your body going along with
them by bending over downward, your legs remaining straight, and your palms touch the ground.
Lift and lower three to five times. In the beginning, some find this exercise to be more difficult than
others do. But you must not overly force it, a point which older people must pay particular
attention to. This posture is almost the same as in classical Baduanjins eighth posture: Both
hands reach for the feet to strengthen the kidneys and waist.


Section Five:

MONK BENDS HIS WAIST expels stale air.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

This posture can get all the stale air in your lower lungs to be pushed out, activates greater
liveliness in your internal organs, and stretches out your whole skeleton. It has the effect of
expelling the stale and replacing it with the fresh.

2. Description of the exercise:

Your torso slowly rises up and straightens, your arms going along with your body by lifting up to
be extended level. Your hands separate and rise up, then bend back at the waist and sway left and
right and few times to push out all the stale air. But how far you bend back depends on the strength
of your waist. You must not force the bending and should stop before going too far.


Section Six:

PUSH OPEN THE WINDOW TO GAZE AT THE MOON exercises the strength of your arms.

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

This posture is so named because of its appearance. Your hands come down then push out from
below your ribs. This exercises both shoulders and is helpful for invigorating the Gao Mang
acupoints [at the inner edge of each shoulder blade].

2. Description of the exercise:

Your arms bend in, lowering until in front of your shoulders, then go downward for your upright
palms to slowly push out from below your ribs until extended level in front of your chest, your body
at the same time standing straightened. This exercises your Gao Mang points and increases arm
strength. Your gaze is forward, arms extended straight.


Section Seven:

GOOSE LANDS ON THE BEACH stretches your legs along the ground. (part 1)

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

Usually when a goose lands, it will extend one leg and one wing as it comes down. This posture
thus looks like a goose landing on the sand, hence the name. This posture tones the tendons,
exercises the joints, and assists the blood circulation for the whole body.

2. Description of the exercise:

Continuing from the previous posture, your left leg takes a step out to the left and squats down,
spreading outward, and your right leg lowers until it is almost on the ground. At the same time,
your hands withdraw in front of your chest, then your right hand extends diagonally downward so
the fingers are touching your right toes as your left arm extends to the right to be covering your
headtop. See the photo:


Section Seven [cont.]:

GOOSE LANDS ON THE BEACH stretches your legs along the ground. (part 2)

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

Same as in part 1.

2. Description of the exercise:

Your body slightly rises, your right leg bends and squats down, your left leg straightening to be
flattened out along the ground, your left hand extending diagonally to touch your left toes, your
right hand rising up and extending to the left over your head. This posture exercises your limbs,
head, chest and back, as well as the muscles of your whole body. Both body and mind are fully
involved, and both left and right sides are practiced, causing uniform development. The effects will
be greater still by doing several repetitions. See the photo:

Section Eight:

RIDE THE HORSE WITH EXTRA WHIPPING to get us back to China!

Explanations:

1. Significance of the exercise:

Horse-riding is the best form of exercise. Because many of our compatriots in the northwestern
part of the nation make their living by riding horses, their bodies are especially healthy. Without a
horse, practicing the horse-riding posture is equally good for health. Furthermore, I want everyone
to get healthy so we can retake the mainland that much sooner.

2. Description of the exercise:

Continuing from the previous posture, your left leg slightly lifts and shifts slightly inward to

make a horse-riding posture. Your left hand is slightly lifted as if holding a bridle, the elbow
horizontal in front of your chest, and your right hand is placed behind you, slightly grasped as if
holding a whip. Your legs lift and lower as if you are riding a running horse, your left hand moving
up and down in front, your right hand swinging diagonally behind you. Do this as many as ten
times depending on your strength. This exercise cultivates both internally and externally. It dispels
heart fire and can reduce the chances of arthritis. Return finally to the preparation posture after
this exercise.

NINE: A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE SELF-REVITALIZING TECHNIQUES

The ancient immortals had their marvelous methods of limbering and fitness, the practicing of
which could prevent illness and prolong life, and long practice would result in greatly extended life.
Zhang Sanfeng long ago made an annotated explanation on wonderful methods of nurturing life
and curing illness. These techniques emerged from the Yellow Emperors Plain Girl Classic,
Damos Muscle Change Classic, Hua Tuos Five Animal Frolics, and Peng Zus methods of
walking like a bear and stretching like a bird. They each greatly conform to human physiology,
and contain the methods of moving energy, expelling old air to take in new, internal skill, and
regulating of breath. On the basis of the limbering secrets of the ancient immortals, Zhang Sanfeng
wrote of magic limbering arts, simultaneously cultivating the internal and external, truly
treasured lessons on strengthening the body and dispelling disease. I here write of the SelfRevitalizing Techniques on the basis of such ancient methods, seeking from their principles and
exploring them thoroughly. Ji Kangs Treatise on Nurturing Life mentions that breathing expels
the old and takes in the fresh, while eating food nourishes the body. Refining your energy

nurtures your original state, preventing illness better than any injected or ingested medicine, just
as with scientific internal arts.
The Confucianists of our nation speak of nurturing energy. Mengzi said [Mengzi, chapter 2a]: I
am good at nurturing my noble energy. Yang Ming emphasized both cultivating the body and
nurturing the temperament. And then in modern Japan there are the silent meditation methods of
Gang Tian. These all have the effects of fitness and health. In compiling these techniques, I have
considered the old as a means to prepare the new, selecting from their most neutral aspects so that
sick or old people lying abed can also practice. You will see results after one month, illness will
have left the body after three months, and you will have been completely cured of disease after six
months. Rejuvenated, your body will be at ease and your spirit will be abundant. But you must
practice perseveringly, not sporadically, going through it at least once every morning so that the
desired effect will increase with each day.

TEN: SONG FOR THE SELF-REVITALIZING BADUANJIN TECHNIQUES IN SEQUENCE

Close your eyes and deepen your mind, so that all things become empty.
Click your teeth and swallow your saliva, rinsing your digestive organs.
Wash your face and beat your drum, stimulating your brain.
Hug your shoulders and twist, strengthening your waist and chest.
Massage your kidneys, increasing your vitality.
Massage the Jia Ji acupoint, between your kidneys.
Lift your rectum as you inhale, massaging your elixir field.
Dredge the well to wash your feet, flushing the Yong Quan acupoint.

ELEVEN: EXPLANATIONS FOR SELF-REVITALIZING BADUANJIN (including seven photos)

Section One:

Close your eyes and deepen your mind

Explanation:

This posture can be done either lying down, sitting, or standing. The weak or ill may lie down, the
average may sit, and the robust may stand, although sitting is the most harmonious way. Sitting
can be divided into sitting curled and sitting upright. Sitting curled means sitting cross-legged.
Sitting upright means sitting in a chair, which makes one sit comparatively straighter. Once you
are sitting, cross your thumbs over each other at the tigers mouths, your left hand over the back of
your right hand, your right palm over your elixir field.

Your eyes are slightly closed, slightly downcast (what used to be called holding court behind a
screen), making the three watchings posture the eyes watch the nose, the nose watches the
mouth, and the mouth watches the solar plexus. Your mind should be quiet, spirit settled, calm as
an autumn pond. The breathing should be steady, delicate, deep, long, leisurely, and even. Daoists
call this breathing like a baby, while Buddhists call it entering a trance, meaning that
everything is restored to its original condition, all things returned to their source. Your mind and
breath are now made safe, returned to the gates of paradise. Your breath is warm and smooth, and
your mind is in authentic void, melting into oneness with your primal state. See the photo:

Section Two:

Click your teeth and swallow your saliva

Explanation:

Once your mind and energy have become tranquil during your sitting (or lying down or
standing), knock your teeth together thirty-six times. Then press your tongue to your upper palate
for a long time to generate a large quantity of saliva, and then swallow it down, the more the better.
Teeth are the outermost expression of the bones. As they reveal the health of the body, age is
also known as the years of the teeth. The teeth also have a connection with the kidneys.
Frequently knocking the teeth together livens the body and refreshes the spirit. It is the basis of
Daoist breathing practices. Teeth are the first stage of digestion. If the teeth are not strong, it is a
great hindrance to digestion. The tongue pressing to the upper palate generates saliva to be

swallowed down with a gulp, irrigating the five organs and pouring down into the elixir field,
getting fire to descend. The ancient classics call it the wine of longevity, therefore to be
swallowed.
A tortoise breathes without interruption, swallowing its saliva, which can wash through its Ren
meridian. Every winter, a tortoise will neither move nor eat, in a state hardly alive but not quite
dead, for it is hibernating. In Daoist breathing practice, by frequently knocking your teeth together
and swallowing saliva, fire descends and can unnoticeably dispel all illnesses. This is the initial
stage of Daoist breathing practice. Your seated posture remains as in the photo above.

Section Three:

Wash your face and beat your drum

Explanation:

Rub your hands together to make them hot, then put them over your face and rub as if washing
your face until your whole face is hot. Then right away while your hands are hot, rub the sides of
your nose with the forefinger and middle finger of both hands. Then cover over your ears and pull
upward several times. Then strike the back of your head by way of a forefinger flicking off of the
middle finger thirty-six times, six flicks with each breath, then switch hands. A strong sound is
best.
The human body inherently has electricity. Generate it by rubbing. Elixir courses through to the
area at the back of your head called the jade pillow or clay pellet, which is the upper of the three
energy junctures. By covering over your ears, your Ni Wan acupoint [at the crown of your head]
hears the call of Heaven beckoning forth your life spirit, which gathers in your Ni Wan until your
hearing is keen. Rubbing the sides of your nose with your fingers unblocks your nose and prevents
congestion. Using your fingers to flick the back of your skull sounding the divine drum
refreshes your brain and benefits your spirit. It is very effective in preventing high blood pressure
and cerebral congestion.


Section Four:

Hug your shoulders and twist

Explanation:

Bend your elbows, cross your arms over each other, and hug your shoulders, covering your Gao
Mang acupoints while sitting upright. Slowly twist to the left and right ten times, looking to the
same spot behind you. The Gao Mang points are difficult to reach with acupuncture or
moxibustion. By frequently wrapping over your shoulders and twisting, you can dispel all illnesses.
This can also exercise your chest, waist, and abdomen. The benefits are enormous.
There is a saying: When illness enters Gao Mang, there is no medicine that can treat it. By
frequently covering your Gao Mang acupoints, you can keep your body healthy if already free of
illness, or you can diminish illness that you may have. Practicing this posture frequently can reduce
illness without your even being aware of it. See the photo:


Section Five:

Massage your kidneys

Explanation:

Receiving energy into your elixir field, rub your hands together to heat them up, bring them behind
you to the two sides of your waist to rub the acupoints on the kidney meridians, and rub thirty-six
times. The ancient classics say: When the kidneys are warm, essence is generated. Rub the
kidney acupoints to make them very hot. This automatically generates essence, but you must get it
to enter the elixir field for essence to be transformed into energy, whereupon you will begin to
obtain true benefit.
As for lower back ache or general kidney chill or kidney depletion, by maintaining warmth in
your kidneys so that chilly air does not affect them, lower back ache can be halted. When you rub,
it should be done gently and evenly. You must not use too much force or you may injure your skin.
Always with these skills you must not seek rapid results. You have to be careful not to overdo it,
which will get you no farther than underdoing anyway.


Section Six:

Massage the Jia Ji acupoint

Explanation:

This acupoint is toward the end of the spine, two sections above the tailbone [therefore lumbar
region]. Blood vessels to the whole body pass through this area. Rub with the middle finger of each
hand until it is very warm. This opens up the sacral area, and can diminish inflammation and
rejuvenate tissue, causing the kidneys to better coordinate with each other, producing limitless
benefit.
The sacral region is the lowermost energy juncture. By massaging it to make it hot, you keep it
from getting clogged up. A physiologist would [instead of energy junctures] talk of the sympathetic
nervous system [presumably the lumbosacral plexus in this case], conforming to the Daoist
concept of opening the sacral area. See the photo:

Section Seven:

 Massaging your elixir field.

Explanation:

With both hands holding your lower abdomen, inhale, causing your rectum to lift [i.e. drawing
your belly in as you inhale, which will be followed by exhaling with your belly expanding]. If your
scrotum still hangs down and you cannot get it to lift, you can use a hand to slowly prop it upward
[to get the sensation of the pelvis tilting upward]. As your rectum lifts, energy gathers in your elixir
field. When you inhale, your hands rub your lower abdomen in slow counterclockwise circles, six
times with each breath, a total of thirty-six times. Not only does this benefit your digestive organs,
it helps treat hemorrhoids and rectal prolapse.
The scrotum is the key to the health of a mans life force. It is generally the case for a man that if
his scrotum is warm and shrunk in, he is healthy, whereas if it is cold and hanging loose, he is
unhealthy. [Yin seems to have a fundamental misunderstanding of its dynamic response to
external temperature. The reality is simply that a man will have reduced fertility if his testicles are
not hung farther from his body when it is hot out or drawn closer to his body when it is cold out.]
The elixir field is like the root of a tree, which if kept moist, will not easily wither. If your scrotum is
naturally lifted and shrunk in, it is not necessary to prop it up, and it is enough to angle it upward.
[Yin either assumes women will not be engaging in this exercise or, what is surely more likely, that
they are exempt from these particular considerations.] Power gathered in the elixir field aids
digestion, encouraging the secretion of fluids to keep the plumbing unclogged. This posture has
extraordinary effects in regard to digestive ailments.

Section Eight:

Dredge the well to wash your feet

Explanation:

Using your left hand to hold up your left foot, use your right hand to rub the Yong Quan acupoint
thirty-six times, as if you are washing your foot, until the sole of your foot is hot. Then switch to
holding your right foot with your right hand and rubbing with your left hand, as though washing
your foot, until it is made hot.
On the sole of the foot is the acupoint Yong Quan [bubbling well] where energy and blood
course through. By rubbing it, you can dispel inflammation, keep yourself from feeling excessively
cold in winter, or reduce the energy in your feet during summer. Your energy and blood will be
harmonious and you will walk with vigor and vibrancy. This has a particularly marvelous effect
upon the perambulating of the elderly.

Practice these eight techniques every day after waking and before going to bed. If you practice in
this way without interruption, the results will be magical. These exercises are suitable for dealing
with ailments such as pinkeye, clogged ear, stuffy nose, cerebral congestion, lower back pain,
neuralgia, intestinal or stomach pain, heart disease, hemorrhoids, or early onset of impotence, all
of which can be prevented and treated by these means.
Much experience and experiment will bring extraordinary results. For those with any of the
above ailments, try these exercises. They are simple, easy, and effective. If anyone wishes to give
others personal instruction in these techniques, you may volunteer your services in giving
guidance, and by way of a desire to remedy those with illness or bring strength to those with

weakness, all our compatriots will be made healthy, increasing our strength for resisting the
communists!