Yi Chin Ching

[Jeffoo]

OK there's no real need for a video here for this. The old Shaolin Yi Chin Ching are quite simple. This first one is my 10 year old daughter doing the first exercise.

The official version says to look east, so ok..look east when you start.



Stand at attention with both arms slightly bent at the elbow. Fingers together and tips facing forward, they should be parallel to the ground. Palm along the side of your leg. Count from 1 to 49. On each count raise the finger tips up and press the palms down. you should not relax the hand between counts but continue to push the finger tips up and the palms down. There should be little external movement, but you should feel extreme tension in your wrist and lower forearms. Breathing throughout this should be normal.



A close up of the hand position.

That's it. None of the rest of the 12 positions are a great deal harder, but try it and you will feel exactly where this works.

[Piercinghammer]

Jeffoo:

Very cool, have you ever seen these exercises done with a certain amount of body/ torso movement done with them, similar to making the chest and back work like pumping a bellows, for lack of a better description. just wondering.

Thanks
Mike Biggie

[Jeffoo]

Jeffoo:

Very cool, have you ever seen these exercises done with a certain amount of body/ torso movement done with them, similar to making the chest and back work like pumping a bellows, for lack of a better description. just wondering.

Thanks
Mike Biggie

Oh Hey Mike...I just watched your Hok Fu Gao Cha on youtube. Almost identical to the way I learned it. Very well done.

I have not seen these done this way. The way it was explained to me is these are meant to isolate the areas that you are working and any other movement reduces the effect. Of course when I learned it, my teacher's way was the only way, but as I have traveled and seen how others do it, I see that there are many differences (most small) in how it is done. To see them done, the Yi Chin Cheng are rather boring to look at...lol but when you do it you can't deny the effects...


Maybe I'll just put all 12 up here since it's pretty easy to do and to explain.

[Oso]

cool, same first position as our version

we aim for complete contraction of all the muscles in the body at the same time while exhaling all the breath through the mouth while the tongue is touching the roof of the mouth

[cjurakpt]

we aim for complete contraction of all the muscles in the body at the same time while exhaling all the breath through the mouth while the tongue is touching the roof of the mouth

why?

.......

[Shaolin Wookie]

Because that's the way I Chin CHing are done, even in SD...LOL.....

We've got 49 of the suckers, and if you do each one 10 times, by the end of all 49 you feel like you've just run a marathon.

[Jeffoo]

why?

.......

It's common place for the tip of the tongue to be on the roof of the mouth to complete the "Grand Cycle" of chi circulation. I found this to be kind of a moot point with these particular exercises and with the Lohan Gong as well since those are all basically dynamic tension types of exercises.

But many teachers who teach Qigong do teach that ALL drills have the tongue placed this way.

[SouthernTiger]

cool, same first position as our version

we aim for complete contraction of all the muscles in the body at the same time while exhaling all the breath through the mouth while the tongue is touching the roof of the mouth

That is interesting... I learned that the tension was more "internal" if you will, and not just contracting muscles in the body. If you relax all the muscles during inhalation then this method is remarkedly similar to Maxalding "muscle control".

But is that how the Yi Jin Jing is supposed to be performed? Perhaps, it depends on what you want to accomplish with the practice...

Hopefully we can get more insight on this from other forum members who have studied this chigung. Maybe Dale Dugas or Steve Hamp??

-Blake

[Seppukku]

I only stiffen one muscle when I do the I Chin Ching. I'll let you guess which one. Ever wonder why it's called the Bone Muscle Classic? What did you think "Marrow-washing" was?

[Jeffoo]

That is interesting... I learned that the tension was more "internal" if you will, and not just contracting muscles in the body. If you relax all the muscles during inhalation then this method is remarkedly similar to Maxalding "muscle control".

But is that how the Yi Jin Jing is supposed to be performed? Perhaps, it depends on what you want to accomplish with the practice...

Hopefully we can get more insight on this from other forum members who have studied this chigung. Maybe Dale Dugas or Steve Hamp??

-Blake

The muscle tension is internal and the muscles and tendons being worked are not relaxed a bit during these exercises.

There are 12 postures, each held for a 49 count. Each posture works different muscles. At the end you are indeed tired.

I have found that each teacher teaches these very differently, so I ultimately go back to the original Shaolin Authentic to review each posture and method.

[cjurakpt]

Jeffoo:

Very cool, have you ever seen these exercises done with a certain amount of body/ torso movement done with them, similar to making the chest and back work like pumping a bellows, for lack of a better description. just wondering.

are you talking about Turtle Breathing?