Wang Ji Wu was a renowned exponent of Xing Yi Quan during the last century. He lived to be over 100 years old, and many of his top students reached their mid to late 90s. Among internal martial artists, including Tai Chi and Ba Gua Zhang masters, Xing Yi Quan masters are known to live the longest. Not only did they live long, but they also remained strong and healthy in a turbulent world.
The 16 Xing Yi Nei Gong exercises are simple to learn and easy to remember. They don’t require much space and are safe to perform. Their purpose is to build health, unite the mind, body, and spirit, and establish a foundation for the practice and mastery of the martial art known as Xing Yi Quan or “Form and Will Boxing.” The movements help calm and stabilize the mind, assisting the Qi (vital energy) to sink to the center of the body, or Dan Tian. If the Qi can be guided to the center of the body, accumulated, and then gently coaxed to spread throughout the whole body and limbs, robust health and strength for martial arts can be the result. Building the Qi at the center of the body is core to the traditional practice of Xing Yi Quan.
At first, the concept or theory of guiding or concentrating one’s Qi may sound completely abstract and fantastical, and not grounded in real experience. The truth is that the whole Qi cultivation process requires a shift in one’s focus of awareness and the calming of the mind. Without calming the mind and concentrating it, the ideas of condensing and gently guiding the Qi are mere words.
Master Wang Ji Wu around 100 years old, performing staff with his student.
Master Wang Ji Wu in his late 80s demonstrating Swallow Stance, showing real Kung Fu!
The 16 Xing Yi Nei Gong exercises are precisely how people have learned to feel, guide, concentrate, and spread their Qi for centuries. These exercises provide a full and complete set of physical practices that strengthen you both viscerally and muscularly. However, their deeper function is to give you the tools to coordinate your mind, breath, and body during movement, and then use them to gather, absorb, concentrate, and spread your Qi, healing your body in a marvelous fashion.
These exercises are a precious inheritance from the Xing Yi Quan lineage that can benefit everyone, whether they study Xing Yi Quan or not. However, for students of both Tui Na massage and Xing Yi Quan, they hold special value and relevance. I am excited to share this Qigong method in our Qigong Healing Mastery Course. More details for registration will be coming soon!