Shaolin Chi Kung with Sifu Joan

How these 5 Animals can help your Chronic pain and illness.

Around the 2^nd century AD, there lived a very famous Chinese Physician, who was also a Chi Kung master, physiotherapist and a surgeon.  He was known as the sage or saint of Chinese medicine and invented a set of Chi Kung exercises known as Five Animal Play. His name was Hua Tuo

It is interesting to note that he was performing surgery successfully at this time, long before Western medicine. But we are more interested in his fame as a Chi Kung master.

His invention of Five Animal Play helped people to have good health by means of Five Chi Kung exercises resembling animals, namely The Bird, The Deer, The Monkey, The Tiger and The Bear.

There are different schools of thought on how he composed this famous set, some believe he encouraged his students to imitate the animals. Other schools of thought believe that he grouped different illness and emotions from the movements, in their spontaneous flow of Chi Kung practice. which most resembled these animals.

I have seen in my own classes that some students with spinal or kidney problems often move around like a bear, others make sounds like birds or tigers and still others like monkeys all relating to different physical or emotional problems. My students may have practiced a different set of exercises to Five Animal Play but as we also practice spontaneous flow, the cleansing can be similar.

I guess I am lucky as I have received the transmission from my own Sifu, Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit, of Five Animal Play and can speak from experience.

What I have noticed in class when I teach this beautiful set is that it is such fun for all of the students. It makes it much easier to understand why it was called ‘play’!

The 5 Animals represent the five major organs, heart, liver, stomach/spleen, lungs and kidneys and their associated emotions. The heart energy represents joy, the liver energy anger, the stomach/spleen energy anxiety/worry and the kidney energy fear.

In spontaneous or chi flow, the meridians running through the organs and other areas are cleansed of bad, negative or blocked energy which may be causing ill health, pain or emotional distress leading the student back to good health and vitality again. It is very simple but very profound. It is a wonderful answer to those who suffer from chronic pain and illness as the movements are gentle and practiced in a Chi Kung state of mind.

In class it is so interesting to see the animal movements play out in spontaneous flow and it is even more interesting when I ask my students to describe how they feel after as they often feel the lightness and freedom of a bird, the strength and agility of a deer, the cheekiness of the monkey, the precision, force and patience of a tiger and the stableness of a bear.

These 5 animals are only a small group of Chi Kung exercises which can revolutionize chronic pain and illness in today’s world, but they are a very important set due to their simplicity, success and fun element. It is recorded that Hua Tuo’s students were not only fit and healthy at ninety, but their eyesight and hearing were excellent and even their teeth were strong.

With deepest respect to Hua Tuo, to my Sifu, Grandmaster Wong Kew Kit and to all past masters whose knowledge and wisdom are our richest treasures.

Sifu Joan