1.Health Qigong is a traditional Chinese athletic exercise integrating the adjustments of body, breath and mind.

2.The basic elements in Health Qigong are the adjustments to movement, breath and mind, which are usually referred to as “three adjustments”. Movement adjustment is the foundation, breath adjustment is the medium and mind adjustment is the dominant element. The three adjustments are inter-dependent and restrict the others.

3.The adjustment to body is to adjust the basic form and limb exercise to make it suitable to the required measurement of strength.

4.The adjustment to body can be achieved through the sound movements in tendons, membrane, bones and muscles.

5.The adjustment to breath is to actively and automatically adjust the breath type and frequency to meet the requirements of the exercise.

6.The basic requirement on breath adjustment is deep, slow, even and long.

7.The beginners of health Qigong is suggested to use natural breath when practicing.

8.The adjustment to mind is to adjust the mental activities so as to meet the requirements of the exercise.

9.The basic requirement of mind adjustment is to achieve meditation (Rujing), which means to maintain a peaceful state of mind.

10.Chinese Health Qigong Association (CHQA) released nine forms of Health Qigong. There are Health Qigong•Yi Jin Jing, Wu Qin Xi, Liu Zi Jue, Ba Duan Jin, Taiji Yang Sheng Zhang, Daoyin Yang Sheng Gong Shi’er Fa, Shi’er Duan Jin, Ma Wang Dui Daoyin Shu and Da Wu.

11.Legend goes that the monk Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen in China (about 5th century), advanced Yi Jin Jing.

12.Health Qigong Yi Jin Jing is a method of health-building exercise aiming to strengthen the muscles and tendons which is recomposed on the base of traditional Yi Jin Jing forms.

13.The practice tips for Health Qigong Yi Jin Jing are: integration of mind and body with a relaxed spirit, natural breathing, softness in toughness with the interplay of the substantial and insubstantial, and the flexibility in performance and articulation of “Hai”.

14.The routine of Wei Tuo Presenting the Pestle movement is to bend the elbows to withdraw the arms, with the fingers angled at about 30 degrees upward the lower ends of the palms located in front of the Danzhong Point(at the middle of an imaginary line linking the nipples). Keep the arm points open.

15.In Wei Tuo Presenting the Pestle movement, imagine that you are looking up when pushing the hands up, when actually you are looking straight ahead and down.

16.In Nine Ghosts Drawing Swords, the turning range of the head can be adjusted, and this routine should be light and slow for the aged and weak and those with hypertension and neck problems.

17.In Sinking Three Bodily Parts, adopt a squatting position with elbows lower. The sound “Hai” needs to be pronounced simultaneously to lower Qi to Dantian (the abandonment cavities) so as to enhance the functions of kidneys and Dantian.

18.In Black Dragon Display Its Claws, the practitioners need to turn the upper body, reach out the dragon’s claws to each side, and to bend the upper body. The movements may help to stretch and relax the sides of chest. They can also dredge the channels of the liver and Qi and smooth the mind and mood.

19.Tiger Spring on Its Pray: apply strength to the fingertips. And the waist should be bent backward in a reversed bow. Meantime, raise the head and make the eyes glare.

20.Swinging the Tail: bend the body and lower the waist. Turn the head right (left) to the back. Meanwhile, move the buttocks to the right (left). Look at where the sacrum is located.

21.Health Qigong Wu Qin Xi imitating the movements of five animals: tiger, deer, bear, ape and bird, is a group of physical and breathing exercise with a unique Chinese flavor. It combines the functional theory of visceras, meridians, Qigong and blood.

22.To practice Health Qigong Wu Qin Xi, we need to meet the requirements of the body, spirit, mind and breath.

23.When practicing Health Qigong Wu Qin Xi, try to coordinate your breathing with the physical exercises: inhale when making upwards movements to raise the limbs or stretch them outward, and exhale during movements to lower the limbs or draw them inward. Inhalation can also be done at the stage preparatory to a movement, and exhalation when a movement is about to be completed.

24.Health Qigong Wu Qin Xi is characterized by its symmetrical movements that is easy to learn, the stretching exercise on trunk and the limbs and the flexing exercise on joints, the external and internal exercises to relax the body and concentrates the mind, the combining dynamic with static exercises, and integrating physical exertion with refreshment.

25.When raising the tiger paws, the practitioners can form the paws by turning palms, flex the fingers and clench the fists.

26.The bending and extending exercise in seizing the prey exercise can improve the flexibility of the spine, increase the range of suppleness and flexion, and maintain the normal curvature of the spinal column.

27.In running like a dear movement, when shifting the weight backwards, flexing back to assume the bow like shape, and holding hips still, the practitioner should activate Mingmen (on the posterior middle line of the body and in the depression between the second and third lumbar spinal process) by Qi to communicate congenital Qi and postpartum Qi, and promote the circulation of Qi through the Dumai meridian to acticate the Yang Qi ofthe whole body.

28.When rotating the waist like a bear, the waist and hips should be relatively fixed as the axis on which to rotate the upper body, with a feel of moving along a vertical circle.

29.In picking fruit exercise, the movements of the eyes accompanying the rotating of the neck can improve blood circulation in the brain.

30.When flying like a bird, the upthrust of the thumb and index finger stimulates the lung meridian, promotes circulation of Qi through this meridian, and improves the functions of the heart and lungs.

31.Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue is a set of Qigong exercise for health and fitness, with breathing as the mainstay and simple guiding movements accompanying the breathing routines.

32.The practice tips for Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue is adjusting the mouth forms and feeling the air flow, combining the mind with breathing and movements, breathing with slight control, coordinating breathing with slow, relaxed and gentle movements, and step by step for consistency.

33.The practice order of the six characters in Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue is XU-HE-HU-SI-CHUI-XI.

34.Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue features a unique set of special mouth forms to regulate and control the rise and fall of Qi inside the body and related inhalation and exhalation. Each breathing and pronunciation method balances the energy and the functions of the correspondent inner organ:　XU-liver, HE-heart, HU-spleen, SI-lund, CHUI-kidney, XI-San Jiao.

35.When practicing Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue， the practitioners should first adjust the mouth forms by pronouncing the sounds, and them attain the quiet breathing process by switching to exhalation.

36.The exhalation and the pronunciation of “XU” help to clear the organ of turbid Qi and regulate its function. Making the eyes glare helps dredge the channels inside the liver and improve the eyesight.

37.The character “呵”in Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue is pronounced “hē”.

38.The acts in the “SI” routine should follow the following order: first spread the shoulders and chest, and then tilt the head back a little to pull in the neck. These movements should be done step by step.

39.Hand–message of the waist and abdomen in “CHUI” strengthens the waist and kidneys, improves their functions, and prevents aging,.

40.The functions and effects of closing form is: Qi collection and regulation and rubbing the abdomen around the navel help to conduct the vital energy back to its original location, and help the practitioner to regain the pre-exercise state.

41.In health qigong Ba Duan Jin, Ba literally refers to the number eight. Yet it has multilayer meaning: first: it indicates that Ba Duan Jin consists of eight sections; second, there are many elements in the form with inner connections, the elements are conditioned by each other and can be circulated.

42.The intensity and order of Ba Duan Jin exercise are based on kinematics and physiology. It is a safe aerobic exercise.

43.The practice tips in Ba Duan Jin are being relaxed, calm, natural, accurate but flexible. It combines practice and conservation with graduate process.

44.Being relaxed, calm, natural is the basic requirement and the fundamental rule to practice Qigong.

45.In health Qigong Ba Duan Jin, being intense is a specific requirement in some actions, while being relaxed is the general rule in the whole set of movements.

46.The purpose of routine “holding the hands high with palms up to regulate the internal organs” is to animate functions of Sanjiao, the three portions of the body cavities housing the internal organs. Lifting hands up and down with the fingers crossed and relevant muscles stretched helps to ensure proper blood and vital energy circulation inside the organs.

47.Wogu(握固) refers to a hand form with thumb touching the root of the ring finger and the other fingers bent.

48.The routine of looking backwards to prevent sickness and strain is good for combating Wulao( five types of disorders related to heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys), as well as Qishang (seven types of stress resulting from anger, grief, worry and fear), which harm one’s health from the inside.

49.In the routine of moving the hands down the back and legs, and touching the feet to strengthen the kidneys, the practitioners should lift the arms first to raise the upper body.

50.In the routine of thrusting the fists and making the eyes glare to enhance strength, making the eyes glare can stimulate the liver channels so as to improve the blood circulation and help cultivate vital energy.

51.The concept of “Tianrenheyi”(Heaven-Man Oneness) should be taken as the guiding principle of heath qigong theory. Tianrenheyi concept consists of harmony between body and mind, harmony among people, harmony between human and society, and harmony between human and nature.

52.The “three adjustments” is short for three technical systems of health qigong. It consists of adjustments to movement, adjustments to breath and adjustments to mind.

53.According to health qigong theory, there are upper Dantian, Middle Dantian and Lower Dantian in human body. Upper Dantian locates in Yintang(HN3), Middle Dantian locates in Tanzhong (RN17), and Lower Dantian locates in Qihai (RN6).

54.The purpose of “Shuang Shou Tuo Tian Li San Jiao”(holding the hands High with Palms Up to Regulate the Internal Organs) is to animate functions of Sanjiao, the three portions of the body cavities housing the internal organs. Lifting hands up and down with the fingers crossed and relevant muscles stretched helps to ensure proper blood and vital energy circulation inside the organs.

55.Great disparity exists among health qigong students. Consequently Health qigong training should follow the principle of adaptation to local students: a) design suitable teaching plan; b) apply adaptable teaching method; c) differentiated course curriculum; d) step by step