QI GONG ( Chi Kung ) - Secrets of the Use of Breath - Qi in Shaolin Practice

Shaolin Kung Fu

On the Necessity to follow the True Methods
It is necessary to follow techniques during training. The old tutor Su Xi says: "A good tutor brings up a good disciple." If you rely only on hard toil and persistency, but do not follow the rules, you may turn into sideways and spend efforts equal to efforts of nine buffaloes and two tigers, but all the same you will not attain perfection. Therefore, it is necessary to do the true exercises and for this purpose you should ask a good tutor to admonish you and persistently do exercises with due regard to the admonishments of elders. You must correct your own shortcomings and persistently perfect yourself, in that case you will enjoy success without fail.

On Importance of Mind concentration on the Cinnabar Field
Control your breath and concentrate at the frontier post of Guan Yan, try to come back to the initial point in the Cinnabar Field. The mind guides and propagates the breath into the four extremities so that the weakest man is able to lift the Taishan mountain and to move a thousand zins with both hands and feet. It is the Cinnabar Field where the source of force located. When the mind guides the breath, the weakened press strains and you feel warmth; an effort is made with movement and thus force is borne. It means the Breath Qi leaves the cinnabar Field.
The Law of the Cinnabar Field is the base of Breathing exercises, the force emanated from the Cinnabar Field is equal to the tiger's force!

The Breath Qi Rushes from the Cinnabar Field
When your mind guides the Breath Qi, the Breath sinks into the Cinnabar Field and slowly accumulates in it. As a result of it the abdomen goes inside, the Guarding Breath Wei-Qi and the Initial Breath Yuan-Qi are preserved in it. If you take actions and make rapid movements after it, the Breath Qi rushes from the Cinnabar Field. The hieroglyph with the meaning "to rush" implicates that it is a directed effort. When the right side moves, the rushing effort reaches the right side at once; during the movement of the left side the rushing effort reaches the left side at once. If it is an up-movement, the rushing effort also moves up, if it is a down-movement, the rushing effort moves down. All hundred joints of the body move together, the rushing effort is erupting like a volcano; that motion permeates all joints and articulations, its force is like a thunder strike, its speed is like a lightning.

Connection of Outer Movement with Inner Rush
Movements and Rushing Efforts propagate simultaneously and they are closely connected with each other. However, that connection can get success only after a long practice. At first the hand starts moving, then the foot moves. After several days of practice you can move your thigh, elbow and knee. Then you train the body and muster jumps. Exercises during a long time give a great strength. Gradual training of the hands results in the ability to break a tile with a hand and a brick with a palm, the ability to pierce a wall with a finger. The ability to do the exercise called "The diamond fist" and "The metal finger" appears. After it you can pass to such exercises for feet and thighs as "I carry iron tiles" and "Sand bags hung up to legs". You master jumps, flights, soaring up to roofs and flights across abysses that are executed easily and naturally after training.

Shaolin Kung Fu  OnLine Library

Shaolin Kung Fu  OnLine Library

A secret of setting into Motion the Breath Qi
You set into motion the Breath Qi. When it moves down, it reaches the center of the foot, and when it move up, it reaches the top of the Kunlong Mountain. The legs move forward and backward, the feet move hither and thither, the torso rotates to the left and to the right, raising and lowering with opening and closing - all is connected with the Breath Qi, body movements copy the life, arms and legs move according common laws.

It is also necessary to comprehend the position of the eyes and the arms, unite inhalation and exhalation to do movements harmoniously. As the most important thing in the movement of Breath Qi is smoothness, the most important thing in the use of the Breath Qi is sharpness. When you returns outside, you should exhale, when you accept, you should inhale. Your body moves like a rolling wave and your arms take wing, as if waves roll. When you strike, even the shadow is not seen; one must quickly defend, one must quickly strike back. So, the great secret of the art of movement lies in the unity of inhalation and exhalation.

When a movement is done, the tongue touches the palate, the main Breath Zun-Qi of the whole body is concentrated inside. The Breath Qi is set into motion and reaches the top of the Kunlong and then very smoothly goes down, reaching the center of the foot. Raising and lowering, opening and closing - all is permeated with the single Breath Qi, upper and lower, left and right parts of the body are interconnected. The Breath Qi leaves the Cinnabar Field - Dantien and reaches the tips of the fingers. The Breath Qi returns to the lung, the arms and the legs become tensile. A quick movement of a hand, and the Breath Qi with its all-crushing force goes out. The body moves quickly, the Breath Qi is collected and preserved in its movement. The secret of Shaolin Technique Qi Gong ( Chi Kung ) lies in exercises. If you persistently train for a long time, your strength like a wave will be able to raze a mountain!

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