The
Yijin Jing is a manual of
Daoyin exercises, a series of cognitive body and mind unity exercises practiced as a form of
Daoist neigong, meditation and mindfulness to cultivate
jing (essence) and direct and refine
qi, the internal energy of the body according to
traditional Chinese medicine. The practice of
daoyin was a precursor of
qigong, and blended with the introduction of Indian yoga into China with the spread of Buddhism and was practised in Chinese Taoist monasteries for health and spiritual cultivation. The
Yijin Jing contains a relatively intense set of practices that aim to strengthen muscles and tendons, promote strength and flexibility, control and balance, increase speed and stamina, and improve balance and coordination and flexibility of the body and mind.
Purposes :
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The basic purpose of
Yijin Jing is to turn flaccid and frail sinews and tendons into strong and sturdy ones. The movements of
Yijin Jing are at once vigorous and gentle. Their performance calls for a unity of will and strength, i.e. using one's will to direct the exertion of muscular strength. It is coordinated with breathing. Better muscles and tendons means better health and shape, more resistance, flexibility, and endurance. It is obtained as follows: • postures influence the static and nervous structure of the body • stretching muscles and sinews affects organs, joints, meridians and Qi • torsion affects metabolism and Jing production • breathing produces more and better refined Qi • active working gives back balance and strength to body and mind (brain, nervous system and spirit). Power and endurance are of paramount importance if we look at becoming qualified in whatever practice we choose, be it
Tui na, martial arts, or simply better health and wisdom. Already another known Qigong system, Baduanjin, in its more radical and strong forms was used in the past from schools of Xingyiquan and Taijiquan as bodily preparation to fighting arts, in order to make body strong and flexible. Baduanjin still remains the first, entry-level routine to learn at Shaolin training schools in Song Mountains. We can still see today Japanese Kata like Sanchin, postures and forms like Siunimtao in Wingchun, "Iron thread" in Hung Gar and all sorts of Neigong in
Neijia. Martial artists need to be powerful in the martial practice, like non-martial people need to be healthy. But there is also something supple and flexible inside of
Yijin Jing. Movements are energetic and intense, but you can see through a kind of peace.
Yijin Jing unifies in fact Yi (intention) with Li (strength), consciousness (yang) with muscular force (yin). The mind is free from thoughts, has a correct and well-disposed attitude, the breathing is harmonious. Internal and external movement must be coordinated, like movement with relaxation. Externally must be fortification; inside must be purification; unifying matter and spirit. Some classic recurring points of
Yijin Jing can be described as follows: • Most of the movements use open palms, fists are used only for stretching the tendons. • The names of exercises change, but often the basic idea of movement remains the same. I.e. Wei Tuo greets and offers something (Nanjing Ac. of Tuina); Wei Tuo offers gifts to the sky (Liu Dong); General Skanda holds the Cudgel (Zong Wu-Li Mao). • Movements are done standing, sometimes bending forward, but never lying or sitting. • Eyes are always open, never closed. • Movements are slow but full and tensed, face and body shows relaxed attitude. • All directions of the upper body section (especially shoulders) are active and moved. • Dynamic tension rules the moves. • All parts of the body work together. • There are different ways of practicing the same Yijin Jing form, according to the basic rules, to the body shape, to the time of practice and to the general health conditions. According to traditional verbal formulas, we have that: • The first year of training gives back physical and mental vitality. • The second year enhances blood circulation and nurtures meridians. • The third year allows flexibility to muscles and nurtures the organs. • The fourth year improves meridians and nurtures viscera. • The fifth year washes the marrow and nurtures the brain. The Five rules of
Yijin Jing are: • Quietness: Like lake water reflects the moon, a calm spirit allows energy to move inside the body. • Slowness: In order to use and flex muscles deeply, to get maximum extension and move Qi and Xue, slow movements are required. • Extension: :Each movement must be brought to the maximum. • Pause: Efficacy comes through waiting and keeping tension for a longer time. • Flexibility: :Limbs and trunk must be extended so that blood and energy can circulate, so we have flexibility. Breathing in
Yijin Jing is a controversial point. Many modern sources insist on a deep, forced, reverse breathing in order to develop power and more thoroughly energize the body. Other sources suggest that this may often create excessive strain and pressure on the body. Robert W. Smith, in his article on the J.A.M.A. in 1996, suggests that there are differences between the northern and the southern way of breath. The southern variants seem not to have a developed system of regulating breathing or working on Qi. In his work on "Breathing in Taiji and other fighting arts", Smith analyses not only Taiji veterans and classics, but also known fighters out of his personal experience, and concludes that the kind of breathing which is most effective, be it for martial or for health purposes, is located between classic abdominal breathing and a slow, unconscious breathing, with scope for explosive exhalations of the kind typically used to accompany strikes in many martial arts styles.
Exercises :
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The number of exercises tends to change; some contend that 18 should be the correct one (if based on the 18 Arhats), but can vary from 10 to 24, to 30. Today the most respected routine is that of Wang Zuyuan, composed of 12 exercises, and has been adopted by the Academies of Chinese Medicine in China. Chang Renxia and Chang Weizhen jointly proposed an alternative set of 14 exercises, which can be of interest for the therapeutic effects he promises. Deng Mingdao presents a version with 24 exercises known as
Xisui Jing. In fact, another point of contention is the relationship between the
Xisui Jing and the
Yijin Jing. Some authors tend to use these two names for the same routine; others separate these practices to invoke different results and different effects on the body. Then, there are other authors that have written different books and created different theories, sometimes not simply in search for the truth. The 12 Posture Moving Exercise kept to this day is something that Wang Zuyuan learned at the Shaolin Monastery on
Mount Song. It is somewhat different from the original "Picture of stationary exercise" and the "Guide to the art of attack" (as
Guangdong sources demonstrate). Some specialists (Liu Dong) refer to a later integration of
Yijin Jing, Daoyin, Tu-na and Xingyi methods. However Wang's 12 Postures is found through practice to be a concise aid in enhancing one's physical health. As the name implies, "sinew transforming exercise" is the method to train the tendons and muscles. The exercise is designed according to the course and characteristics of Qi circulation in the 12 regular channels and the Du and Ren channels. During practice, Qi and blood usually circulates with proper speed and with no sluggishness or stagnation. Because of such efficacy,
Yijin Jing has existed for centuries as a favorite with the populace and is still widely used in sanatoria and hospitals for therapeutic purposes. Two ancient written and illustrated routines remain, one from Chen Yi's "A Collection of Annals" published during the
Ming dynasty and another more recent one published in 1882 from Wang Zuyuan's "Internal Work Illustrated". The 12 Posture Moving Exercise supposedly describes what is called the purported "12 fists of Bodhidharma" in many Southern martial arts, most notably
Hung Gar and
Wing chun. Legend states that the 12 exercises were developed based on the movements of the 12 animals that Bodhidharma studied after his 9 years of meditation. These exercises aided the health of the Shaolin Monastery monks, and contributed to many of the animal-based martial arts in China. == Popular culture ==