The move and quiet in the routine of “thrusting the fists and making the eyes glare to enhance strength”

Introduction: Healthy internal is the basis to prevent the external, which is a very important point in the long history of the Chinese national culture of fitness regimen. At the same time, it is also widely applied to various fields of social life. Of course, this view is also a thinking tool to guide the practicers to recognize and understand the theory and methods of Health Qigong. “Sovereign-minister harmonious interaction to strengthen the internal and prevent the external” is the inspiration in practicing “thrusting the fists and making the eyes glare to enhance strength”. Plain methods include general principles. Hopefully practicers will obtain a lot from the details in the process of practicing Health Qigong and other exercises.

It should be achieved the combination of move and quiet, as well as the unity of form,qi and spirit, when practicing the routine of “thrusting the fists and making the eyes glare to enhance strength” in Health Qigong • Ba Duan Jin. The routine can play a positive role to strengthen the health of the body and resist the invasion of exogenous pathogens. It seems simple, but Plain methods include general principles. The article annalizes the interaction of the general organs in the scope of hands, namely: the liver and lungs, the minister organs, as well as the mechanism of hand guiding the circulation of qi and blood of the body to promote the physical and mental health, and then explore the interaction of move and quiet in “sovereign-minister harmonious interaction”.

I. Five characteristics of move

The move of this routine means the full range of mass motion of the human body, mind, and breath. It has a positive role for the physical and mental health, it plays a more apparent role of guiding the internal and leading the external especially for the general organ liver and minister organ lung, achieving good fitness effect, that is, the mass motion can effectively promote sovereign-minister harmonious interaction to keep body and mind health. In order to understand the relative role that the liver and lungs played, I will start with the dynamic characteristics of the routine. The practicing formulas are squatting in the horse stance, gripping the fists, holding the fists in the intercostal, and punching one arm, making the eyes glare, pulling backward and pushing forward arms alternatively, fists guiding qi around the waist, withdrawing while inhaling and releasing while exhaling, looking the fists in turn, rotating the wrist and making the fists withdrawing the waist. Thus it can be seen that there are five characteristics of the movements in this routine.

First, move slowly. When the center of gravity of the body is shifted to the right, the left foot opens out to the left, bending both knees and squatting into horse stance; at the same time, making the fists beside the waist, fists eyes upward, looking ahead. It is necessary to pay attention to overcome the non-standard actions, e.g. bowhead, bending oyer, the center of gravity being unstable, etc, as well as remember to move slowly, in the whole moving process of center of gravity, step forward, squatting and gripping.

Second, static force and relaxing. When punching the left fist forward out to the height of shoulder with static force, making fists eye upward, making eyes stare at the direction of left fist; leading head upward, making upper body upright, relaxing and lowering the shoulders, relaxing and bending elbows slightly, pinching the forearm forward from the rib with force on the fists. It is necessary to pay attention to overcome the non-standard actions, e.g. upper body bending forward, bending oyer, straight elbow, etc, as well as master static and powerful force, in the whole moving process of pinching fists, making eyes stare, lowering the shoulders, relaxing and bending elbows, exerting the strength.

Third, winding swirling. Swirling inward the left arm, left fist becoming palm, turning the tiger's mouth downwards and looking at the left palm; swirling outward the left arm, bending the elbow slightly, winding left palm to the left, making palms upward and gripping, looking at left fist. At the same time of this series of winding rotating, practicers should strive to make the ten toes grip the floor, hang Yongquan acupoint virtually, fully rotating the arms and wrist, opening the fingers, bending the fingers and gripping with force, imagining that qi movement getting through Yongquan acupoint, the pubic region acupoint and Jianjing acupoint, so that the force from the public region flowing through the shoulder and directly into the fists, so as to ensure the guiding effects of the exercise methods. Bending fingers and grasping should not be weak and feeble, and it is necessary to overcome the non-standard actions, e.g. straight arms rotating, not fully rotating the wrists, etc.

Four, change naturally. It mainly manifests in this step: bending and drawing back the elbows, making left fist slowly close to the waist with fist eyes upward, looking ahead. In other word, this routine closes to the end stance, the center of gravity of the body is shifted to the right, withdrawing the left foot recycling and standing into step touch, fists changing to palm naturally hanging on the side of the body, looking ahead naturally; at the same time, keeping the body upright, lowering the shoulders and elbows, keeping peace of mind and being natural, relaxing and quiet.

Fifth, move continuously with emphasises. It means that the move in this routine is continuous with emphasises. The emphasises include that ten toes gripping the floor, hanging Yongquan acupoint virtually; stretching arms and turning the waist, delivering force to the shoulders; looking ahead, turning the neck; rotating the arms and wrist, opening up the fingers and gripping, etc. The move with emphasises are carried out in an orderly and continuous manner, namely, guiding qi by the form, qi and mind comforting each other.

In short, the whole movements of the routine are carried out in the above several states, and  the series of movements are conducted in the practice state of positive form, smooth qi and peace of mind, which not only reflects the state of natural, relaxing and quiet, but also pulls with fully using of static force, to achieve quiet in the outside and move in the internal. It can stimulate the related meridian points, internal organs of the body, muscle, tendon sheaths and articular ligament, to reach effective training effect.

(By Wang Zhanhe)