This essay is drawn from published discussion. It cites classical Chinese books, the words of others, or academic argument, and is meant as cultural reading on the traditional cultivation of life. What it says about the body, and about what practice may do, belongs to the sources quoted or to the original speaker. It is not a medical promise or clinical advice from the people who operate this website.
Ba Duan Jin (Eight Pieces of Brocade) took shape in the Song dynasty. It is one of the three great classical systems of ancient Chinese Daoyin arts, and the most widely transmitted. It has a long history, a deep accumulation, and a wide spread.
It rests on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, and joins stretching the sinews and bones with breathing and exhalation. Opening the meridians and regulating qi and blood were already recorded in the old books, and later research has taken them up for discussion. The original text holds that for a thousand years it has taken part in the flourishing and continuance of the Chinese people, and is an important means of caring for the body and preventing illness.
Chinese medicine has “heaven and man correspond”; traditional thought has “the way of the mean and harmony.” These ideas settle into Ba Duan Jin, and have been practiced generation after generation.
Below are the verses for each form. The verses speak of key points, not the full route of every count.
Preparatory Form
To raise the crown, sink the shoulders; draw the chin in slightly, and spirit is added.
To raise the hands, first reach downward; lengthen and send far, and spirit shows.
First Form Holding Up the Hands to Regulate the Sanjiao
To prop the palms, sink elbows and shoulders; sink qi to the Dantian, moisten blood and spirit.
To raise the head, lead with the chin; move the posture on round paths, do not lean back.
To press upward, grip the ground with the feet; draw apart above and below, without breaking the force.
To top the wrists, first draw up the waist; put force in the heels of the palms, and regulate the sanjiao.
Second Form Drawing the Bow to Shoot the Vulture
To prop upward, sink the elbows; let Baihui (translator’s note: a point at the crown of the head) lead upward, and spirit shows.
To draw the bow, thread joint by joint; sit the wrists and raise the fingers, and Huagai rejoices.
To squat the legs, first draw in the buttocks; sink the shoulders and draw up the crown, and spirit shows.
To turn the head, fix the shoulders; use force as one, and Dazhui (translator’s note: a point just below the seventh cervical vertebra) opens.
Third Form Raising One Arm to Regulate the Spleen and Stomach
To prop the palms, first rise with the legs; sink the shoulders and drop the elbows, to help the crown lift.
To raise the hands, first rise with the body; upper and lower in harmony, and spleen qi rises.
Fourth Form Looking Backward to Ease the Five Strains and Seven Injuries
To turn the head, fix the shoulders; set intention at Dazhui, and open through to the nine heavens.
To squat the legs, let Baihui lead; stand upright and press the palms, body and mind at peace.
To rise, let Baihui lead; head upright, neck straight, Ren and Du move.
To rotate the arms, press the shoulders back; Jiaji (translator’s note: the pass along the spine between the shoulder blades) and Gaohuang open together.
Fifth Form Swaying the Head and Tail to Remove Heart Fire
To top the hips, shift the center of weight; head and tail lead toward each other, and Du Mai opens.
To turn the head, move against the waist; follow the round and yield to the curve, and kidney water is raised.
To loosen the body, contain chest and abdomen; thrusting the chest and spreading the belly blocks heart and lungs.
To draw in chest and abdomen, draw in shoulders and elbows; the posture forms a standing circle, heart and kidneys join.
Sixth Form Reaching the Feet to Firm the Kidneys and Waist
To rub the back, keep the body centered and upright; draw up the crown and move the back, qi and blood flourish.
To reach the feet, raise the buttocks; both knees straight, kidneys and bladder at ease.
To bend forward, first sink the hips; raise the buttocks and lift the head, back and legs rejoice.
To lift upward, reach the hands forward; the body rises with the hands, waist and spine at ease.
Seventh Form Clenching the Fists and Glaring to Increase Strength
To squat into horse stance, sink the hips; practice within one’s strength, and spirit too.
To sink the hips, first drop the buttocks; sink the shoulders and draw up the crown, spirit bright.
To thrust the fist, fix hips and knees; twist the waist and follow with the shoulder, and force appears.
To clench the fists, sink shoulders and elbows; pick the fingers and wind the wrists, and spirit is added.
Eighth Form Seven Bounces Behind to Quiet a Hundred Ills
To raise the heels, let Baihui lead; rise joint by joint, steady and erect.
To lead with Baihui, first sink the shoulders; soft, slow, and continuous, the posture aids the spirit.
To stamp the feet, use force in measure; control the ankles, and cushion the impact.
Bounce the heels often, body and mind sound; Health Qigong, practice day by day.
Closing Form
To join the palms, first sink the elbows; the arms lead the wrists and fingers, joint by joint.
To stack the palms, form a standing circle; ease the chest and fill the abdomen, qi returns to the Dantian.