Activate Your Body's Eight Qi Reservoirs Via Ancient Qigong Execise Routine 'Ba Duan Jin'

The location, names and extent of the body's eight Qi reservoirs are
provided together with details of their inter-relation. An overview of
the way Qi flows through these and of their balancing and regulating
functions where internal energies are concerned follows. The 'Ba Duan
Jin' (Eight Pieces of Brocade) is then introduced as a means whereby
these functions may be enhanced and the overall health of the body
improved.These reservoirs termed 'Extraordinary' Vessels are so-called
because their locations are 'superphysical' or even 'mysterious' i.e.
neither anatomical investigation nor search with a scanner will reveal
them.The human body has eight such major Qi reservoirs which
correspond to the following physical locations.i. The Du Mei or
Governing Vessel (begins from the tip of the coccyx, along the back of
the spine, overhead, ending just beneath the nose);
ii. The Ren Mei or
Conception Vessel (stretches from the perineum upwards across the
chest and thorax towards the lips);
iii. The Chong Mei or Thrusting
Vessel (from deep within the body this flows upwards along the front
of the spine);
iv. The Dai Mei or Belt or Girdle Vessel (this circles
around the waist);
v. The Yang Chiao Mei or Yang Heel Vessel;
vi.The
Yin Chiao Mei or Yin Heel Vessel;
vii. The Yang Wei Mei or Yang
Regulating Vessel;
viii. The Yin Wei Mei or Yin Regulating Vessel.The
first four Vessels are located in the torso and the second four in the
legs (each leg contains all four of these). Number iv. the Dai Mei is
the only one flowing horizontally (all the others flow vertically) and
serves to receive Qi from the upper vessels and to distribute Qi to
the lower ones. Upper and lower body meridians are also paired as
follows: ii. and vi; i and v.; iii. and viii.; and iv. and vii.; each
vessel also corresponds to one of the eight trigrams of the Pa Kua's
(Eight Sector Diagram) 'Later Heaven Array'.These reservoirs store Qi
which can flow to body parts where there is a dearth of Qi and more is
required and receive excess Qi and store this from parts of the body
where there is surplus Qi. This continuing cycle helps to maintain the
balance of Yin and Yang in the body, regulate Qi distribution
throughout the body and maintain homeostasis, or a steady balanced
state, essential to good health.The Ba Duan Jin ( Eight Pieces of
Brocade) comprises eight sections which exercise each Vessel, the
corresponding acupuncture meridian and related internal organ in turn
in a structured balanced sequence known and popular in China for
thousands of years.. A Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) silk chart
discovered in the excavation of tomb in Mawangdui, Changsha Province
in 1972 contained similar exercises. However, Ba Duan Jin's most
famous exponent is probably Sung Dynasty (1127-1279 CE) General Yueh
Fe,i also hailed as the founder of the Xin Yi and Eagle Claw Kung Fu
Styles. Yueh Fei taught his soldiers Ba Duan Jin to help them repel
the Jurchen Nomads who were attempting to invade China at that time.Ba
Duan Jin helps to provide the arm strength Eagle Claw, a Northern
Shaolin long-range Kung Fu Style, requires, particularly for hook
spear (Yueh Fei's favourite weapon). Ba Duan Jin is also practiced by
many exponents of Changquan ' Longfist' Kung Fu but the benefits of
regular practice will become evident whatever your sport or even if
you train for health and fitness purposes alone.