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Tai Chi, Zen and Martial Arts

FLKF Martial Arts in Tempe, Arizona - Warm Up Stretches

Submitted by ashe on Thu, 03/09/2009 - 4:19pm

Breathing in and out, exhaling and inhaling, they get rid of the old to absorb the new. They swing like bears and stretch like birds - all this they do in order to have long life. They are Daoyin disciples, people who nourish their form seeking for longevity like Pengzu.
-Zhuang Zi

Every Falling Leaves Kung Fu class begins with a thorough warm up. Our traditional classes begin with a series of gentle stretching, bending and swinging exercises called daoyin (導引) in Chinese and are sometimes referred to as "Chinese Yoga".

The gentle, flowing movements are combined with the breath in order to loosen up the joints, sooth the central nervous system and prepare the body for training.

Daoyin means "to lead" or "to guide" (as in qi) and there are many different sets of exercises. Some of the most well known are baduanjin (eight peices of brocade) and wuqinxi (five animal play) and are more commonly called qigong in modern times.

The practice of daoyin for health is very old, with historical documents from China referring to it's practice as early as 500BC.

To get started today call 602-751-7003 or email us here for more information!

daoyin image

References:
1. http://chinese.dsturgeon.net/text.pl?node=2817&if=en
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daoyin
3.http://www.daoistcenter.org/daoyin.html
4. http://www.daoyin.it/e_Daoyin.htm