A BASIC DAOYIN EXERCISE FOR THE WHOLE BODY
D
aoyin — 導引 — literally translates as to “guide and pull” and consists of a series of cognitive exercises designed to develop unity for mind, body and spirit.
It is considered the precursor to qigong as well as being a primary ingredient of the so-called ‘soft’ or ‘internal’ styles of Chinese martial arts such as Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan. On the subject, Erle Montaigue tells us: ‘An exercise akin to Qigong called daoyin was popular at this time. An inscription on a relic found in the Warring States period read, ‘Take a deep breath and sink it to tantien (a point about 3’ below the navel). Hold it there for a while and then exhale it as sprouting grass until it reaches the top of your head. This causes the Yang energy to rise and the Yin energy to drop. Those whose Yang and Yin energy goes its own way will live, otherwise you will die’. This saying was part of the daoyin exercise and holds true for all Qigong nowadays including T'ai chi, pa-kua, Taoist yoga* and all of the internal arts. Found at the No. 3 Tomb excavations at Mawangdui in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, were many medical treatises and books on daoyin dating to the Western Han dynasty (206 BC — AD 24). Among these relics were pieces of silk onto which had been painted figures of men and women, young and old performing daoyin exercises. 44 pieces of silk were found. Some figures imitated the movements of the bear, ape, tiger, deer and bird which are now called ‘Wuquinxi’ or the five animal forms. All of these physical movements were combined with breathing techniques. Next to one of the figures were the words, ‘Look skyward and exhale’. Daoyin exercises are divided into two main categories: 1. Yin 2. Yang The yin exercises are subdivided into lying and sitting, whilst the yang exercises are subdivided into standing and moving. *In the West, daoyin is often erroneously equated with "daoist yoga" or "yin yoga" as "dao" — 導 — and "yin" — 引 — are mistakenly read as 'Dao' — 道 — as in “Daoism," and 'Yin' — 阴 — as in “Yin/Yang".
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