Yi Jin Jing

[taai gihk yahn]

the yi jin jing that I learned has 43 distinct "exercises", many of which I have never seen done in any other school of qigong, and has numerous postures that are very similar to yogic asanas, including a few floor-work ones; as to their origin, I couldn't say, although my sifu likes to point out that in Cantonese, "yi jin" is pronounced "yik gan", which sounds not entirely unlike "yo ga"...

[Fa Xing]

Shi De Qian (RIP) taught a fantastically detailed version of the Yi Jin Jing.

You can get a VHS or DVD copy from MartialArtsMart here in this site!

I highly recommend it.

I think there was a poster of him doing all the movements too, to use as a memory jogger.

I actually have both and they are fantastic; one my most favorite qigong sets and I don't even do Shaolin.

[mickey]

Greetings,

I had the opportunity to practice a Shaolin version, learned from a friend, a long time ago. The real question is does it do what it is supposed to do? From my experience it does. I noticed increases in strength and endurance. When preceded by meditation it becomes incredibly alchemical through the compressing of the cosmic energy into the physical body, raising the body's frequency to that of the cosmos (oops, did I say too much here?). One can argue Shaolin or Wudang. It is the same science with varied approaches and varying results. Please keep in mind that the Shaw Brothers movie mentality did not really exist between the temples. There was a lot of cross pollinization. I would sooner go to Wudang or Omei to learn anything Shaolin these days than to go to Shaolin itself.

Now Sal,

What would be of interest to me is whether the Yi Jin Jing was influenced/inspired by the frescoes found in the Tun Huang caves. I have yet to find a book that shows the original frescoes. I saw some shown on the Yoga Journal many years ago and the frescoes looked painted over. They depicted extensive martial and internal hygenic/alchemical practices.


mickey

[Sal Canzonieri]

Greetings,

I had the opportunity to practice a Shaolin version, learned from a friend, a long time ago. The real question is does it do what it is supposed to do? From my experience it does. I noticed increases in strength and endurance. When preceded by meditation it becomes incredibly alchemical through the compressing of the cosmic energy into the physical body, raising the body's frequency to that of the cosmos (oops, did I say too much here?). One can argue Shaolin or Wudang. It is the same science with varied approaches and varying results. Please keep in mind that the Shaw Brothers movie mentality did not really exist between the temples. There was a lot of cross pollinization. I would sooner go to Wudang or Omei to learn anything Shaolin these days than to go to Shaolin itself.

Now Sal,

What would be of interest to me is whether the Yi Jin Jing was influenced/inspired by the frescoes found in the Tun Huang caves. I have yet to find a book that shows the original frescoes. I saw some shown on the Yoga Journal many years ago and the frescoes looked painted over. They depicted extensive martial and internal hygenic/alchemical practices.


mickey

Yes, that would be interesting to see.
There's a VCD out of these Daoyin movements. Someone followed the movements and made a video of it.

[uki]

my sifu likes to point out that in Cantonese, "yi jin" is pronounced "yik gan", which sounds not entirely unlike "yo ga"...

this is where someone chimes in about damo's indian origins.

[Sal Canzonieri]

Yes, that would be interesting to see.
There's a VCD out of these Daoyin movements. Someone followed the movements and made a video of it.

http://neigong.net/wp-content/gallery/qigong/daoyin.jpg

[Scott R. Brown]

http://neigong.net/wp-content/gallery/qigong/daoyin.jpg

So here is a semi-serious question,

“How is all that different from:

“You put your right foot in…..you put your right foot out…..

You put your right foot in…then you shake it all about….

Do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around…..

THAT’S what it’s all about!”

In my mind there isn't much difference, other maybe more controlled breathing.

[uki]

So here is a semi-serious question,

“How is all that different from:

“You put your right foot in…..you put your right foot out…..

You put your right foot in…then you shake it all about….

Do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around…..

THAT’S what it’s all about!”

In my mind there isn't much difference, other maybe more controlled breathing.

well done.

[SifuPaladin]

So here is a semi-serious question,

“How is all that different from:

“You put your right foot in…..you put your right foot out…..

You put your right foot in…then you shake it all about….

Do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around…..

THAT’S what it’s all about!”

In my mind there isn't much difference, other maybe more controlled breathing.

The hokey pokey is a childish dance that is more focused on the beat of the music than anything. Yi Jin Jing is a form specially designed to stretch the muscles we don't often use, and to move the chi in certain ways as to give us several physical advantages (balance and flexibility are certainly high among them, but there are more advantages than just those.) So to answer your question, Yi Jin Jing is a science (so to speak) of enhancing physical ability.

[kfson]

Check out FIT YOGA magazine, April 2009, page 30:
CHANNEL SURFING- Meridian Yoga helps keep your life-force energy in optimal balance. By Lori J. Batcheller


I have practiced Indian yoga and Yi Jin Jing. I don't know which is better, but will guess the Yi Jin Jing may be more refined.
My Yi Jin Jing instructor says he knows old people who have been practicing Yi Jin Jing all their life. Some of these only need to practice in their minds to get results.

[mickey]

Hi Sal,

Those paintings (wood cut?) look nothing like the stuff I saw in the yoga journal several years ago with regard to the Tunhuang frescoes. Even though the caves were considered a "20th Century find" I believe that the place was a well known place, seldom discussed to members outside the spiritual community.

mickey

[SifuPaladin]

Yes, while I was able to recognize a couple of the gestures depicted in that image, I have to say that the artist took quite the artistic license in drawing it in my opinion. For the most part I found the moves rather unrecognizable, and found many entire parts of Yi Jin Jing not depicted (so far as I could tell that is) at all.

[Scott R. Brown]

Yes, while I was able to recognize a couple of the gestures depicted in that image, I have to say that the artist took quite the artistic license in drawing it in my opinion. For the most part I found the moves rather unrecognizable, and found many entire parts of Yi Jin Jing not depicted (so far as I could tell that is) at all.

Let me get this straight.....you are being critical of cave paintings or frescoes from hundreds of years ago, because they don't conform to your young and limited experience?

Did it ever occur to you that perhaps you don't have complete instruction or that the instruction has changed over the centuries or perhaps your instruction was incompetent, or etc.......?

Take THAT coming from a guy who thinks they look like the Hokey Pokey!

[Scott R. Brown]

P.S. I did save a copy of it to my hard drive!

[uki]

all this talk on the set makes me want to start doing it again... LOL... i even have my own portable clock for it, only the second hand is broken on it now... *sigh*