What is the Ba Duan Jin?
For 1,500 years, the daily practice of Ba Duan Jin Qigong has been a tradition for monks at the Shaolin Buddhist Temple in Henan, China.
The various translations of the name include the Eight Pieces of Brocade, Eight Silken Movements or Eight Silk Weaving. The translations refer to the silken quality produced by practicing this Qigong form to the body and the body’s Qi.
The Ba Duan Jin consists of eight movements that promote health and longevity for both young and old. The movements activate and benefit the twelve meridians and internal organs, so this Qigong form is an excellent addition to your daily regimen.
The movements in the Ba Duan Jin are suitable for both beginners and experts. And they are appropriate for people of all ages and levels of fitness. A practitioner can also practice this routine seated, making it suitable for anyone with physical impairments or mobility issues.
History
Several encyclopedias from the Song Dynasty (960 to 1279 AD) mention the Ba Duan Jin. The Ten Compilations on Cultivating Perfection from 1300 AD features illustrations of all eight movements.
Sources from the nineteenth century attribute the Ba Duan Jin to the Chinese folk hero General Yue Fei. Scholars believe that Yue Fei created the Ba Duan Jin as a form of exercise to keep the soldiers solid and fit for battle.
Sequence
The Baduanjin consists of eight separate exercises, each focusing on a different physical area and qi meridian. As this is a prevalent Qigong form, there is some variation in how people practice the Ba Duan Jin, but the following order is the most common.