they point to the ground.+o", turn the hands so that the palms face out"ards and the fingers point do"n.*n the next inhale, bring your hands up over your head and $oin them at the "rists, all "hile slo"ly tilting your head bac and turning your gae up to"ards the sy.#n this position, both palms should be facing the sy as if holding up a large bo"l.-old your breath in this posture for as long as you are comfortable, then exhale and bring the hands do"n the center line of your body "ith the palms together in a prayer position.
While eeping the hands in a prayer position, let them go all the "ay do"n belo" the naval and press the palms together to stretch the hands and the fingers; then, relax the hands as you inhale and bring the hands up to chest level.!xhale, and lo"er your hands do"n once again "hile pressing the fingers together $ust as you did before.Then, inhale as you relax and bring the palms bac up to chest level.This motion is repeated for a total of three times.!nd this motion on the exhale "ith your palms pressed together $ust belo" the naval, then slo"ly turn your hands so that your fingers no" point to the ground and drop your hands to about "aist level. This time, "ith your hands no" in an inverted prayer position, bring the hands up to chest level "ith an inhale "hile pressing the palms together.Then, "ith the exhale, relax your hands and drop them do"n to the "aist.Again, "ith the inhale, bring the hands bac up to chest level "hile pressing the palms together; then relax "ith the exhale and let the hands fall bac to the "aist. This motion is also repeated for a total of three times.!nd this seuence on the exhale "ith hands still together in an inverted prayer position at "aist level.To close, open the hands out and up above the head "ith an inhale as if to gather a large ball of air.Then exhale and bring the palms do"n the center line of the body as if to push the ball of air deep into your belly.This concludes the opening movements.+o" stand in meditation for approximately three minutes. Standing Meditation
There are three things to tae into account during the standing meditation practice& posture, breath, and intention. The posture should be tall and relaxed. The feet should be parallel and placed shoulder "idth apart "ith the "eight evenly distributed; eep the nees soft but do not allo" them to bucle in"ards. /elease the tension of the face, head, nec, shoulders, bac, rear, thighs, and feet and allo" the earth to completely support the body. The breath should be full and comfortable. Try to eep the breath slo", soft, and even at a rate of four to six breaths per minute. The external flo" of breath is a reflection of the internal flo" of energy; by regulating the breath, one can regulate the heart rate and chi flo" of the body inducing relaxation and ease. The intention should be focused but gentle. Allo" the eyes to lightly gae on the floor three to six feet ahead. 0eep the attention on the breath, concentrating it deep into the naval. Try to still the mind. Avoid distracting thoughts that tae the mind off of the present moment of practice. Dragon
From the standing meditation posture, open by raising both arms for"ard to the chest level and then dropping them bac do"n to the "aist $ust as it "as done in the opening movements. From here, turn both hands as if 1holding a ball1 "ith the right hand above the left at the level of the naval. )tep out "ith the left foot into a 1bo" stance1 "hile the right palm pushes up to"ards the sy and the left hand moves out laterally to the left as if thro"ing a frisbee. Try to turn completely around "hile eeping both feet planted firmly in a 1bo" stance.1 This is the full extent of the motion. -old this posture for three to nine seconds "hile comfortably holding a full breath and directing the eyes to the left palm.
From this position, slo"ly turn bac to the front and bring the left foot bac so that the feet are again at shoulder "idth. #n addition to the step, simultaneously circle the arms bac to 1hold the ball1 except this time the right hand is on the bottom. /epeat this motion on the right side to complete one "hole round; three rounds mae a full set. *nce a full set is complete, close by opening the hands do"n, out, and up as if outlining a huge ball. 2ather to the eye level and then drop the hands do"n into the yin yang position $ust as in the opening movements. !n$oy the standing meditation posture for approximately three minutes. Tiger
From the standing meditation posture, open the same "ay as in the opening movements and the dragon by letting the arms raise and fall in front in time "ith the breath. From here, step out "ith the left foot to assume a standard 1horse stance.1 Again, bring the arms up the front "ith an inhale, but this time dra" the hands bac so that they are near the shoulders. +o", "ith the exhale, sin deep into the 1horse stance1 "hile pressing both palms for"ard; the fingers should be bent at the tips so as to resemble a 1tiger pa".1 With the inhale, circle both hands out"ard and then dra" them bac to"ards the shoulders. Then, "ith the exhale, push the arms strait bac "ith the hands still in a 1tiger pa"1 to stretch the chest and shoulders. With the inhale, turn the hands again, and relax as the hands are dra"n bac to the shoulders in a scooping motion. This completes one "hole round; three rounds mae a full set. *nce a full set is complete, close by pushing the hands for"ard and bringing the left foot bac so that the feet are again at shoulder "idth. Allo" the hands to drop bac to the "aist and assume the standing meditation posture; en$oy this stance for another three minutes.
Leopard
From the standing meditation posture, open in the same manner as in the previous movements and circle the hands to 1hold the ball1 "ith the right hand "ill be on the bottom. )tep out "ith the right foot into a 1bo" stance1 and let the left hand remain stationary as the right hand moves out laterally to the right side as if thro"ing a frisbee. *nce fully extended to the right, sin into a 1horse stance1 as the right hand pushes bac, behind the nec and over to the left side; in time "ith this movement, allo" the left palm to face up as if to protect the right armpit. This is the full extent of the motion; try to hold it comfortably "ith a full breath for three to nine seconds "hile the eyes remain fixed on the extended right hand.
From here, allo" the right hand to drop do"n as the body returns to a 1horse stance.1 #n a continuous motion, bring the right foot bac to shoulder "idth and circle both hands bac to 1hold the ball1 "ith the left hand no" on the bottom. /epeat this motion on the other side to complete one round; three rounds mae a full set. After a full set, close in the same "ay as the dragon by opening the hands do"n, out, and up as if outlining a huge ball. 2ather to the eye level and once again assume the standing meditation posture. -old this stance for another three minutes. Snake
From the standing meditation posture, open again in the same "ay as the other movements. After the opening, dra" the left hand bac and the right hand for"ard as if outlining t"o circles. While stepping the right foot out into a 1bo" stance,1 bring the left hand over to the right side as the right hand drives laterally, palm up, over the left palm. From here, turn the right hand over so that it is no" palm do"n and move the left hand do"n as the body sins into a 1snae creeps through grass1 posture. While remaining lo", shift the "eight to the left side and lead "ith the left hand as the entire body leans over to the left side. From here, move the right hand behind the head, and over to the left side over the left hand. This is the full extent of the posture. -old it "ith a full breath for three to nine
seconds "hile eeping the eyes focused on the right hand. From this posture, simply drop the right hand so that the body is no" in position to repeat the same movement on the other side. 3ompleting the motion once on both sides maes one round; three rounds complete a full set. After a full set, the closing movements are made by standing bac up and moving the right leg bac to a shoulder "idth position "hile the arms gather in the same manner as the dragon and leopard movements. !nd "ith the hands in yin yang position and en$oy standing meditation for another three minutes.
rane
From the standing meditation posture, again, open in the same "ay as the other movements. After the opening, allo" both hands to open out to"ards the sides until they are parallel "ith the ground. From here, lift the left nee above the "aist and extend the leg strait out "ith the toe pointed for"ard. 4alance on the right leg as the left leg circles out, around, and bac. (ean for"ard to lift the left leg as high as possible "hile eeping the head up and the arms level. This is the full extent of the motion. -old this posture "ith a full breath for three to nine seconds.
From here, slo"ly drop the leg and return bac to the standing position before bringing the bac do"n into the yin yang posture. To do the motion on the other side, simply raise the arms out to the sides; it is not necessary to do the opening movements again. 3ompleting the movements once on both sides maes one full round; three rounds mae a set. *nce done, repeat the closing movements three times before bringing the left foot in next to the right and letting the hands rest along the sides. This concludes the Wudang Five Animal Qigong. Prin!iples "or pra!ti!e
4reath& 4reath is probably the most important part of the Wudang Five Animal Qigong practice. Qigong can be literally translated as 1breath "or1 or 1energy sill,1 and as mentioned earlier, the external flo" of breath is a direct reflection of the internal flo" of energy, therefore it is very important to be mindful of the breath. 5uring practice, the breath should remain natural and comfortable; it should never be strained or stressed. #n addition, the breath should also be in time "ith the movements; the inhale and exhale of the breath should act as the push and pull behind each motion. 'roper breath is essential for effective igong practice. !nvironment& *nly a small amount of space is needed to practice the Wudang Five Animal Qigong, but it is advised to find a clean and uiet environment for practice. Areas such as a beach, forest, or mountain side "here the air is fresh and clean are ideal. )paces that are cro"ded or busy are not recommended for it "ill be far too easy to be distracted.
Time and Freuency& The full set taes approximately thirty to forty%five minutes to do correctly. #f the time needed to do the "hole set is not available, than only do a portion. #t is far better to do only a fe" movements "holeheartedly than to rush through the entire set in a half%haard manner. Furthermore, a consistent practice is necessary in order to experience real benefit; therfore this exercise should be practiced at least once every day.
