Rou Ti Shi Ba Shi · Eighteen Movements for Suppleness

Guiding the breath until it is even, and guiding the body until it is supple, is the core of Chinese daoyin. Laozi said the soft and yielding overcome the hard and strong. A boxing proverb says: practise martial forms without the foundation work, and a lifetime comes to nothing. Traditional practice also has the saying: lengthen the tendons by an inch, add ten years to a long life. Through stretching and drawing out, the qi and blood can be even, the breath long and quiet, and the limbs guided until they are supple and firm. So the foundation work of a supple body deserves attention.

Rou Ti Shi Ba Shi is a stretching set created by Professor Hu Xiaofei of Beijing Sport University. It takes bodily movement as its basic form, the drawing and opening of each joint as its basic content, and still, held stretches as its main character, together with the breath and the use of attention. Regular practice supports suppleness, tendon and bone, looking after the spine, a quieter mind, and staying vigorous with the years.

On this site the set is taught on camera by Professor Hu Xiaofei, professor and doctoral supervisor at Beijing Sport University. This does not replace a doctor's advice.