Qi Gong for Fitness: Five Animal Play

“Five Animal Play” (Wu Qin Xi五禽戏) is a set of aerobic exercise. There was a Chinese physician named Hua Tuo 华陀 (145-208) in Eastern Han 汉 dynasty. He was a big believer and promoter for preventive medicine with physical exercise. Hua Tuo researched many old articles on how to guide Qi (Chi 气) flow with physical and breathing exercise. There are five animals mimicked. They are a tiger, a deer, a bear, an ape and a bird. Each animal play is consisted of several postures. In current book, we will discuss a modern routine based upon old ideas since Hua Tuo’s time. We incorporated the movements from Xing Yi Quan 形意拳, Tai Ji Quan 太极拳, Ba Gua Zhang 八卦掌 and Tong Bei Quan 通臂拳 into the exercise routine. Some of the stepping methods and body movement are exactly the same as those in Xing Yi, Tai Ji, Ba Gua and Tong Bei. This exercise routine would be easier for you to learn, if you are familiar with Xing Yi, Tai Ji, Ba Gua and Tong Bei.