Ba (8) Duan (pieces) Jin (brocade, silk)
In the BuQi® system, we use the active dantian to generate movement, and open the channels and meridians. In BuQi practice, the Ba Duan Jin, or Eight Pieces of Brocade, correspond to a body cleansing exercise. Each posture has a function, and the Chinese name of each movement indicates its function. There are eight postures, as the name suggests. Master Shenjin explains each name and the functions of each exercise. It details the movements and suggests their sequence.
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Ba Duan Jin, the legendary and historical origins:
The Eight Pieces of Brocade is a very ancient traditional Chinese practice, some trace its origins back to Bodhidharma.
The eight movements have also been associated with an archaeological discovery in a 3 excavation of a Han burial site (1973 centuries BC) in Hunan Province, China. A piece of brocade depicted movements that may be those of Ba Duan Jin.
Tradition dates these exercises back to the Song Dynasty, more than 800 years before the present day. It is said that a general, Yue Fei, which would have contributed to its development, to strengthen the body and mind of its soldiers. This practice would have evolved over the centuries. It was codified in the 19th century.
What is special about these movements and how do they relate to the BuQi® System?
They are based on Chinese health traditions and the writings of the Yellow Emperor, who codified the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Each of them is linked to meridians that need to be opened or cleared, which have an effect on the organs.
They give softness and elasticity to the body, and allow one to feel the meridians. Their practice is a health practice.
Therefore, the practice of Ba Duan Jin is very popular in China, but often reduced to simple postures. In the BuQi System®, we rely on the activation of the dantian to open the body, and we use this internal energy to cleanse the body of toxins. Of course, when we talk about the body, we include the (physical) body and the mind. The primary goal is the unity of the body and the balance of energies. We also seek to calm the mind.
Ba Duan Jin's movements are in the BuQi system®, not gymnastics, but a simple and effective practice to feel better, by generating movement from the dantian.
Master Shenjin also goes teach the sequence of the Eight Pieces, to form a complete but easy to remember set.
