What is Five Animal Qigong (Wuqinxi)?
这 “Five Animal Qigong” is a set of exercises created by observing nature’s animals by Hua Tuo. He combined human body functions with animal movements to invent a way to exercise.
This exercise is a type of Qi gong, which is good for the body’s health by improving the flow of energy and blood in the body’s organs.
It’s designed by studying how birds and animals move and linking it to how our body’s organs and blood circulation work.
These exercises have a distinct cultural style and are named after five animals: Crane, bear, tiger, deer, 和 ape.
The modern “Five Animal Qigong” exercises are a series of movements derived from the traditional routine, adjusted to be more accessible and suitable for modern people to practice and benefit from.
These movements are simple, quick, and well-balanced, considered as aerobic exercises. People can adjust the intensity and range of each movement according to their own physical abilities.
How to practice the Five Animal Qigong (Wuqinxi)?
The Five Animal Qigong involves using your whole body, from your head, neck, chest, waist, and back, to your legs, doing various positions like bending forward, leaning backward, lifting, and opening.
It’s important to adapt them to your own physical abilities. Older individuals, those with stiffness, or people with health issues should do the exercises within their limits and avoid pushing themselves too hard.
When practicing the Five Animal Qigong, you should pay attention to the speed of movements, the range, how often you breathe, and the duration of practice.
This method consists of 10 moves. Here, I’ll show you the standard movements of the Five Animal Qigong exercises:
GIF Tutorial of the Five Animal Qigong (Wuqinxi)
Tiger:
Exercises the toughness of our tendons, muscles, and bone structure externally.
Deer:
Primarily stretches our fascia.
Bear:
Focuses on strengthening the muscles of the limbs.
Ape:
Helps invigorate the mind and senses. For people who exercise less, practicing the Ape exercise enhances body flexibility, promotes agility, and improves balance.
Crane:
Facilitates the smooth flow of energy throughout the body’s channels, filling the body with real Qi.
Tips for practicing the Five Animal Qigong (Wuqinxi)
- 首先, coordinate your breathing with the movements: “inhale as you rise, exhale as you sink; inhale as you open, exhale as you close; inhale before exhaling, gather breath before emitting breath.” Breathing methods like natural breathing or abdominal breathing can be chosen based on the movement requirements. But whatever method you choose, it’s important to stay relaxed and not hold your breath.
- when practicing the Five Animal Frolics, do so according to your abilities and within reasonable limits. While the routine involves a lot of movement, each of the five exercises targets different parts of the body. You can choose to practice some of the movements regularly instead of the entire routine.
More to read:
What Is Ba Duan Jin? The Most Complete Tutorial For You.
What Should Qigong Beginners Know? Quick Ways To Start
Do You Know How To Meditate? The Easy Way To Do It
How To Learn Qigong? 12 初学者必须知道的事情
What is Qi Gong? How to understand it easily?
