Ba Duan Jin

[Anonymous]

Hello all,

I am wondering if anyone here (or Bruce Frantzis himself, of course) has any opinion on the benefits of practicing Ba Duan Jin, or the 8 fine exercises.

In “The Way of Energy”, Master Lam Kam Chuan says that they can be used to strengthen the body’s energy system to handle the increased flow experienced during Zhan Zhuang. I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about this.

I am interested in practicing these exercises but thought it worth checking their effectiveness, and, out of interest, why Bruce Frantzis does not teach them himself.

Best Wishes,
Jim.

[Anonymous]

I had courses with Lam Kham Chuen. Once he showed also Ba Duan Jin and put also the different postures in a circle allowing the person in the midpoint of the circle experiencing more energy.

But the single exercises you are doing in the sequence brought no special energy experience also in more advanced forms so that I dropped this non integrative part of his set shown only once.

Similar an experience by a Chinese video though the same group showed wonderful energy flow with other exercises.

Axel

[Anonymous]

Hi Jim,

I have practiced the material in the way of energy book a fair amount and have found it quite effective. It would be worth looking at the “stand still be fit” channel on youtube where Master Lam demonstrates the standing exercises and the Ba Duan Jin exercises in 10 different clips. I recently purchased Bruces Hsing i dvd collection and have found that the I chuan dvd set has made a huge positive impact on my standing practice.

All the best

[Anonymous]

I did not find the 10 different clips but only some days I Chuan or Zhang Zhuan positions. But I saw a demonsrtation of the first spleen and stomach opening exercise full of chi make it likely that the chi of the standing can be used for BaDuan Jin. Surely not part of a beginner`s training.

Axel

[Anonymous]

I did not find the 10 different clips but only some days I Chuan or Zhang Zhuan positions. But I saw a demonsrtation of the first spleen and stomach opening exercise full of chi make it likely that the chi of the standing can be used for BaDuan Jin. Surely not part of a beginner`s training.

Axel

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys, that has clarified things for me. It’s funny, I was hoping to go to classes with Master Lam, but he has just moved Stateside, making it impossible.

Cheers,
Jim.

[Anonymous]

Hi Axel,

You can find the 10 different clips with the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=5AC656794EE191C1&search_query=stand still be fit

Ying

[Anonymous]

Indeed 10 now, but all Zhan Zhuang not Ba Duan Ging.

I will download them and check again for having a fresh impression again though the insufficient cultivation and aggressiveness led me away..

Thanks.

Axel

[Anonymous]

I have checked now the 10 days. Day 4 e.g integrates Drawing the bow as warm up exercise and later also as cool down exercise.
Also the exercise opening the stomach and spleen channel is used.

I could not see a special impact on dealing with the accrued energies of these execises. They are more outside the flow in an own more ststic energy pattern.

In the courses never that many different warm up and cool down exercises were used and also not the whole set of Zhan Zhuang.

Circling the knees shown once is the main warm up and the standing with the arms on heart level, higher or a little bt lower was used and a steady group formed this way having its own Sifu now with subinstructors on this small basis for getting a deeper practice without many forms. Fight applications and pusshing hands follow.

Axel

[Anonymous]

Yes Jim,
those 8 excercises are highly effective if practised on a daily basis.
You can find drawings of them on:

http://chikungamsterdam.com/wat-is-chi-kung-qi-gong-en-wat-is-staan-als-een-boom/ba-duan-jin-oefeningen/

I’m a authorized Chi Kung teacher in the lineage of Mater Lam and use the 8 excercises in my classes. I have seen many people improving their health and internal power with them.

Kind regards, Cosima Scheuten

[Anonymous]

Hi Jim,

Master Lam Kam Chuen is still teaching in London for a few months a year! The Ba Duan Jin are not precisely Zhan Zhuang excercises, they prepare for Zan Zhuang, their meaning is to open en strenghten the channels that transport chi around in your body.

The channels are related to certain organs and elements. Every one of the BDJ has a profound impact if done well. The sensation of chi is different from your normal Zhan Zhuang training, but that doesn’t mean they do not have impact, the impact is on another ‘subject’.

There are many different BDJ styles, the one we use together with Zhan Zhuang is for building up health, openening the channels, so in the training your chi can flow better.

Enjoy!

Regards, Cosima (from Amsterdam)

[Anonymous]

I come from a Buddhist meditation background, and an instructor taught me Ba Duan Jin as an incredibly effective energy balancing technique, very good for energy overload problems I was having. Zhan Zhuang is also good for that, but I couldn’t do Zhan Zhuang until I did several months of Ba Duan Jin.

The secret is to slowly add movements one by one as you learn them and never try to push through dullness or confusion. If you start wondering, “Am I doing this right? This just got much harder and I feel very clumsy!”, STOP, and start again tomorrow.

After doing Ba Duan Jin for about six months, it was MUCH easier to do Zhan Zhuang without tensing up, because my balance was better, muscles were looser, and it was easier to release my tension in place.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Hi Cosima,

Thanks very much for your reply.

The reason I ask is that I have difficulty with Zhan Zhuang – I have found that I experience a lot of energy very quickly and it tends to burn me out after less than a minute..

Do you think that daily practice of Ba Duan Jin might strengthen my system to the point where Zhan Zhuang is possible for me (without over-stressing it)? I would like very much to do this practice.

Alternatively, how many times per day should the Da Duan Ji set be practiced to get the health and internal power benefits that you talk about in your post?

I didn’t know Master Lam was still teaching in London – thanks for letting me know!

All the best,
Jim.

[Anonymous]

Hi Visitor (not verified),

I found that very interesting. I also come from a Buddhist meditation background and am having problems with energy overload.

I don’t mean to fire endless questions at you, but I would be interested to learn how many times per day your instructor taught you to perform the Ba Duan Jin set to strengthen your system in readiness for Zhan Zhuang practice.

Thanks in advance!
Jim.

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