is a combination of stretching movements and breathing exercises

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Odds & Ends Breath of fresh air
By Lu Hong (China Daily)
Health
Updated: 2008­12­30 07:56
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One year after the
devastating
earthquake in Sichuan
province, a series of
commemorative
activities were held to
mourn the dead and
comfort the survivors.
China
Yijinjing, with a history of 1,500 years, is a combination of stretching Five people were
killed in a landslide
movements and breathing exercises. Courtesy of www.shelterpub.com
that damaged a block
of flats in northwest
Engineer Liu Sha spends long days in the office, suffers from shortness of breath China's Gansu
Province, rescuers
and easily catches colds. But her days of anguish are slowly disappearing
are searching for two
thanks to quot;yijinjingquot;, a combination of stretching movements and breathing missing people, said
exercises. local sources on
Sunday.
This technique was practiced inside the confines of the Shaolin Temple 1,500
years ago and up until 40 years ago, remained a mystery.
Bizchina
The exercises Liu practices mostly involve standing in a half crouched position China's sports
raising the arms and breathing slowly. industry is getting
more popular, more
quot;Now I have stronger breaths and a bigger appetite,quot; Liu, 31, says. quot;My neck profitable, and more
pain is also getting a little relief.quot; international.
Under the instruction of Master Liu Yuchao, the 31­year­old professional has
learned to control her breathing and can now feel qi (energy) flowing through her
body.
Breathing plays an important role in most yijinjing movements, which is similar to Multimedia
taichi, another traditional system of physical exercises. Xinjiang, China's final
frontier, has unique
She learned from a news report that a yijinjing training class had opened in the landscapes and
Lianyang International Neighborhood, just a stone's throw away from her home. colorful four seasons.
quot;I learned that yijinjing is also helpful for ordinary practitioners to replenish qi,
nourish the blood and calm the nerves,quot; she says. quot;Then I decided to have a try.quot;
Yijinjing, which means quot;limbering up exercises for the tendonsquot;, is one of the
most treasured internal exercises to come out of the Shaolin Temple in Henan
province. The temple is also the birthplace of Chinese kungfu.
According to legend, Bodhidharma Ta Mo created yijinjing about 1,500 years
ago. It blended Zen Buddhism with martial arts to help strengthen the Shaolin
monks, prolong their meditations and get them fighting­fit in order to defend their
temple from invaders.
For centuries, the Shaolin monks practiced these exercises in secret and most
Chinese were unaware of the techniques until the 1960s, when Louis Cha's
martial arts novels became hugely popular.
In these novels, the leading characters began their lives as ordinary men but after
practicing yijinjing in the Shaolin Temple they would miraculously grow into top
kungfu masters.
quot;Actually yijinjing is not as mysterious as people think. It's just like yoga, and is
good for everyday fitness,quot; says Liu Yuchao, the instructor.
Chinese medicine doctor, Liu Yuchao, from Yueyang Chinese Medicine Hospital,
opened the first yijinjing training class in Shanghai in September and Liu Sha
was one of his first students.
quot;In my clinic, I've often taught my patients some movements to practice at home,
as a way to coordinate with their clinical therapy,quot; Dr Liu says. quot;They just don't
know that I'm teaching them yijinjing.quot;
Yueyang Chinese Medicine Hospital is now launching a health campaign in the
city and Dr Liu is the yijinjing promoter.
Liu massages the neck and spine of each student and can discover their health
problems immediately. He then suggests the best movements to cure their pain.
Students consult Liu about their health problems after class and ask for advice.
Dr Liu and his promotion team want to promote yijinjing among foreigners in
Shanghai.
Their first class was at Lianyang International Neighborhood in Pudong and their
second class, which is being prepared, will be held in Gubei International

2. Liu massages the neck and spine of each student and can discover their health
problems immediately. He then suggests the best movements to cure their pain.
Students consult Liu about their health problems after class and ask for advice.
Dr Liu and his promotion team want to promote yijinjing among foreigners in
Shanghai.
Their first class was at Lianyang International Neighborhood in Pudong and their
second class, which is being prepared, will be held in Gubei International
Neighborhood.
Currently, Yueyang Hospital is not the only organization devoted to promoting
yijinjing. Shaolin Temple announced a plan in September to open yijinjing training
courses across China.
quot;Our company did have such a plan but everything is still under preparation,quot;
says Qian Xiangpeng, a project leader of Shaolin Huanxidi Company, a
subsidiary of the temple's commercial arm.
Jane Chen, editor­in­chief of a yachting magazine, has tried yijinjing because she
flies to Europe six times a month on average for business and the jetlag leaves
her exhausted. Yoga didn't help so she tried something new.
quot;I've practiced yoga for a long time. It emphasizes body stretching and twisting,quot;
she says. quot;For me, it's too simple because I have a soft body.
quot;I often feel shortness of breath, yijinjing is an exercise that emphasizes internal
breathing, and so it might work on me.quot;
(China Daily 12/30/2008 page19)