Differences between Wai Dan Qigong sets?

[SamanosukeAoi]

Hello everyone,

first I would like to greet you all, because I am new here. I am looking forward to sharing knowledge with you all.

I am doing some research about qigong based on publications from Dr. Yang and few other sources like books from Chinese Health Qigong Association. And I encountered few wai dan qigong exercise sets. What I would like to know is, if there is some kind of specific difference between them like purpose, focus on different parts of body etc.

Wai dan qigong sets I found so far are: 8 pieces of brocade, yi jin jing, ba dua jin, wu qin xi.

Next question, bit off topic, when doing reverse abdominal breathing, do you still "breath into Lower Dan Tian" or not. if not to where do you "breathe"?

I am looking forward to your guidance.

[joeblast]

Welcome

8 brocades = ba duan jin

Yes, focus is a little different. 8 brocades is general health, stretching...yi jin jing is muscle tendon changing, a little more focused on a particular goal. Most any chi gung will have its area of focus. I do one more focused on the spine.

Yes, you still breathe into the dantien when doing reverse breathing. While learning it, just dont place so much focus on the front of the abdomen that it messes with the motions of the diaphragm, psoas, and perineum, otherwise it undermines the compression aspect of it.

[SamanosukeAoi]

Thanks a lot for answer, and thanks for my research correction.

I will have to read more about muscle tendon changing qigong because it sounds interesting. Focus Wu qin xi(Five animals qigong) remains to be answered.

In fact I am thinking about combining few qigong sets for more complex training. What do you thing, is it good idea?

Also thanks for clearing out the question about breathing into dantian. Interesting think is, how western training methods are kinda doing same things from different points of view. I started to practice with personal trainer(great guy, with broad knowledge about anatomy) to prepare for martial arts(I am IT guy with basically no muscles and few health issues caused by life style). He told me that first we will focus on body structure and inner muscles that holds it. Funny thing is, that same things he is teaching me are often mentioned in publications about martial arts. For example when we exercise diaphragm we breathe basically into lower back on same level dantian is. It is suppose to be for maintaining better body structure and stability and to use this kind of breathing while exercising sure makes stability easier.

[yeniseri]

I am leery of the distinction between waidan and neidan, in originally what was called neigong, yangshengong, etc and now called qigong! Baduanjin, objectively speaking, is internal (a stretch based on present anatomy, exercise physiology and the like) but since the stretching of the musculature is more pronounced that in 5 animals and it is of a different degree and category, it still relies on elements of adduction, abduction, bending, etc as in any other activity. IN that sense it has the elements of western physical exercise without the jingluo or other similar meditative discipline

My take is that when you start learning any new system or qigong technology, you are concentrated on the physical elements on how to do x, y and z. As time progresses, you reach a second or terciary stage where you go beyond the physical elements and concentrate on the actual method, the why of it and the rationale of the specific method.