Purpose: Stimulating and accelerating the body's energy
Center: Upper, Middle and Lower Tan Tien
Goal: Strengthening the bodily kingdom
A beginning student of oriental styles of exercise might be interested in learning the Eight Treasures. It provides a good foundation for health, coordination and spirit. In the Ni Traidition heritage, the Eight Treasures are called "Pa Kun Dao In" which means "Channeling Exercise of the Eight Old Respectable Ones" or "Shien Jia Ba Jin Tu ", which means "Eight Groups of Exercise from the Immortal School." It has been nicknamed "Ba Duan Jin,".
The Eight Treasures are a form of Dao-In that was passed down from the Yellow Emperor through 74 generations of direct lineage in the tradition of the Integral Way to myself. They are a series of short exercises patterned after natural movements which, unlike Dao-In, are done standing up. Names such as "White Crane Washes Its Feathers" and "Move the Stars and Turn the Big Dipper" suggest a type of internal exercise (Chi Gong).
You do not have to be in excellent athletic condition to do Eight Treasures. They are not as complicated as T'ai Chi Chuan, but it is not necessary to do complicated arts. Complication is only an expression of athletic condition or talent.
The Eight Treasures can be practiced by anyone at any level of fitness. People with severe health problems can benefit from practicing the method of breathing and placing less emphasis on the physical aspect. As one's health improves, the more physical part of the exercises can be emphasized. Those who are already in excellent physical condition can benefit by developing a strong center (abdominal chi) and a more harmonious flow of energy.
Certain Chi Gong styles emphasize different aspects or parts of the body. The Eight Treasures work not only on all parts of the body, but they activate all twelve channels and the eight extraordinary channels. Other Chi Gong styles may be limited to activating only certain channels. It takes between 20 and 50 minutes to perform the entire sequence of movements, depending on how many repetitions you do and your speed. |
8 Treasures 
