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Edit: Disclaimer added here just incase people don’t follow the website link. Disclaimer: The Hu Yaozhen Qi Clinic offers services (live & online) that belong in the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) sector. They do not serve as a substitute for a doctor’s medical advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Hello everyone, As this forum helped me meet different teachers over the years, I'm posting my lineages complete theory and practice of Hua Tuo’s Spontaneous Five Animals Play Qigong (Zi Fa WuQinXi Dong Gong) to contribute back to the dao bums community. You can access and print friendly version here: https://www.qigonguk.com/hua-tuo-spontaneous-five-animals Hua Tuo’s Spontaneous Five Animals Play Qigong (Zi Fa WuQinXi Dong Gong) Hua Tuo was a renowned second century Chinese physician and is famous for successfully performing surgical operations on the brain, when bloodletting was the main and often only medical treatment in Europe. Hua Tuo made the breakthrough in discovering how to awaken the body’s natural self-healing intelligence through the practice of Spontaneous Five Animals Play Qigong. For the last 1800 years it has been one of the best kept secrets of the ancient world, until now. For the first time in history this priceless gift from Hua Tuo will now be shared openly. There are two schools of thought regarding Five Animals Play Qigong The first being the mainstream "doing forms" methodology where practitioners attempt to imitate certain animals in a group practice and the second being the closely guarded secret of “follow the Qi”. This is where the Qi moves the practitioner spontaneously and awakens the authentic Spontaneous Five Animal Play. This art was so secret that many claimed it was a myth until recent archaeological finds in the 20th century suggest that Hua Tuo did not imitate the movements of the five animals, but the spontaneous energy flow triggered the five animal movements without the involvement of the conscious mind and the practitioners had no knowledge of the five animals. “First fix the Heart-Mind. When the Heart-Mind is fixed, the Spirit (Shen) condenses. When the Shen condenses, the Heart-Mind becomes still. When the Heart-Mind is still, you are calm. When you are calm, you do not intervene (Wu Wei). When you don’t intervene, the Qi circulates. When the Qi circulates, you move.” - Master Hu YaoZhen explaining the essence of Five Animal Play and Nei Gong There are 3 stages of progression in the Spontaneous Five Animal Play Qigong In the first stage when the practitioner begins to practice Spontaneous Five Animal Play Qigong, they learn the skill to tap into, surrender and become a vessel for the sea of energy emanating in the universe. The Teacher will transmit the awakening (觉醒) by opening the energy gates of the body and connect and align them to the five element frequency. It is like a flame being passed down that has been nurtured for generations, this will trigger the precious art. The practitioner will find that the energy starts to move their body, swaying gently at first, then leading to more vigorous flowing movements as the body’s natural self-healing intelligence awakens and the energetic pathways are cleared and upgraded. Once the energy has corrected certain imbalances it will start to flow to the lungs, kidneys, liver, heart and spleen. As the energy flows to the lungs the movements manifest as the tiger, as the energy flows to the kidneys the movements manifest as the bear, as the energy flows to the liver the movements manifest as the deer, as the energy flows to the heart the movements manifest as the bird, as the energy flows to the spleen the movements manifest as the monkey. Which animal manifests first depends on which of the five organs receives the energy first. Eventually they will appear in order and cycles many times throughout the duration of the session. Once the energy has worked on the five organs, the second stage follows with the complete opening of the microcosmic and macrocosmic circle of the Chinese energetic anatomy. First the eight extraordinary meridians fully open, the Ren Mai and Du Mai open first followed by the opening of the rest of the six extraordinary meridians allowing the practitioner to attain the true microcosmic orbit. The secret is that all eight extraordinary meridians fully open, not just the common practice of opening just two of the extraordinary meridians, those being Du Mai and Ren Mai. Then the energy will open all twelve primary meridians, the macrocosmic circle. Once all 20 meridians of the body are open, the energy will lead the practitioner to the final stage, Taoist Golden pill or Neidan 內丹术. At this stage the practitioners natural gifts will awaken such as being able to heal others with their own Qi, seeing Qi in others, the skill of distance healing and to be able to transmit the art to other seekers and fulfil Hua Tuo’s legacy. A short documentary on Spontaneous Five Animal Play Qigong done by Dr Leung who also studied under the same Master as me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GJAX5mLk9k Have the art Energetically Transmitted vs Modern Self-Taught approach Some people for one reason or another are not in the position to have this precious gift transmitted. To keep Hua Tuo’s legacy alive, that it is every person’s birth right to be healthy and happy, the complete practice of the first stage will be revealed. If the practitioner is self-taught by the instructions below then they must practice the art exactly to the best of their ability and conscientiously once or twice a day for at least 3 months to reap the benefits. For a self-taught beginner it can take up to five years of daily practice for the Spontaneous Five Animal Play cycle to occur. When a practitioner has the art transmitted, progress is much faster. The Spontaneous Five Animal Play cycle begins almost immediately and usually occurs fully by six months of daily practice. Sessions begins with the client being seated with eyes closed for the first 5 to 15 minutes as the Teacher prepares the clients energetic body to smoothly handle the new energetic charge. This is followed by 45 minutes of Spontaneous Five Animal Play practice whilst the Teacher carries on the Qi projection throughout the practice. Tips for practice: Follow the instruction exactly as taught, don’t try to be cleverer than the Teacher by making changes, that is how these ancient arts are watered down. Allow the energy to move you, let go of any feelings of embarrassment. The energy will flow to the problem areas first. For example, if the practitioner is suffering from back pain, they will move spontaneously in a certain way to manipulate the energetic points even though they have no knowledge of the Chinese energetic anatomy. If the movements are too vigorous to the point of discomfort tell yourself to gently slow down and the energy will follow the command. If you’re on the floor too long whilst the body is earthing (releasing deep trauma) then gently tell yourself to stand and the energy will lift you back up. Do not chase certain movements or what you have seen others do, go with the flow and you will receive your tailor made movements. Don’t stop the practice suddenly and never miss the closing sequence. Practice in comfortable clothing and space, where you will not be disturbed. If anyone asks what you’re doing, tell them you’re doing “stress reduction therapy”. Breathing is natural except when instructions give specific methods at the start. Relax through the cleansing phase, you may experience old emotions surface up to be cleared or symptoms of detoxing. Traditionally the practice sessions were 45 minutes long, done 3 times a day daily. However I teach the practice in 15, 30 or 45 minutes long allowing more flexibility for the practice to be part of your daily life. If you practice daily eventually the energy will stop the practice at the right time. For steady progress have a check-up with your Teacher once a week during the first 6 to 12 months or as often as you prefer. Don’t worry if that’s not possible, you will progress through the stages, it’s only a matter of time. Qigong UK's Hua Tuo’s Spontaneous Five Animals Play Qigong: Female Version Stand relaxed with your feet shoulder width apart. Breathe in fresh air through the nose and breathe out dirty air out of your mouth 3 times. Now look ahead as though you’re looking at a beautiful view in the distance, then bring your awareness to the inside of your forehead as you close your eyes. Imagine your body is hollow like bamboo and carry this awareness through your forehead, down thorough your torso all the way to your bellybutton. Open your eyes slowly and look into the horizon and repeat this shifting of outer to inner awareness 2 more times. On the final round, with your eyes closed keep your awareness on your bellybutton. Now take your middle finger of your right hand and gently press your bellybutton 49 times. Now tell yourself "I'm very relaxed, very comfortable, very calm and happy" Imagine whole body floating in the clouds. Imagine energy (bright light) running up your back, over your head and down the front of your body. Repeat 3 times and on the third time bring your awareness to your bellybutton. Tell yourself "when I meditate for a certain time my body may want to move, I will let myself go". Now imagine the energy (bright light) travel down from the sky like a cascading waterfall and entering your head, neck, shoulder, arms, all the way down to your fingertips, down your chest, your back, your belly, your hips, your thighs, your legs and all the way to the ball of your foot. Repeat this 2 more times. Now count the middle point on the ball of your feet with your breathing 6 times (one round is one inhale and exhale). Now bring your awareness to between your eyes and count with your breathing 2 times. Now bring your awareness down to your bellybutton. Now imagine your bellybutton moving inwards to your Ming Men (rear of the spine at the same height of the belly button) with your breathing in 6 steps. Now imagine your bellybutton has merged with your Ming Men spot. Now count the Ming Men spot with your breathing 6 times. Now imagine your bellybutton moving back to its natural place in 6 steps with 6 breaths. Now your belly button is back to normal. Tell yourself “I can see my bellybutton from inside, I can hear my bellybutton from inside, my whole mind concentrates on my belly button”. Now just relax and let yourself go and let your body move spontaneously with the chi for the next 15, 30 or 45 minutes. Closing sequence After around 15 to 45 minutes of practice, tell yourself “I’m going to end the exercise”. Allow you movements to come to a graceful stop. Take your hands from the side, palms facing up and bring them over your head and pass them down the front of your body as you imagine bringing the energy down from your head, torso, legs to the ball of your feet. Do this 3 times. Now place your right hand on your belly button and start making clockwise circles, small at first and getting larger until you are massaging your entire tummy region 36 times. Now make large to small counter clockwise circles 36 times, until your hand is back on the bellybutton. Now place your other hand on top of the hand on the bellybutton and imagine your bellybutton is full of energy (light), then imagine your entire body is full of energy, every pore of your body is full of Qi. Now rub your hands like your warming them up and massage your face, over your head and neck in a flowing movement 36 times. Open your eyes and enjoy your new found vitality and joy. Qigong UK's Hua Tuo’s Spontaneous Five Animals Play Qigong: Male Version Stand relaxed with your feet shoulder width apart. Breathe in fresh air through the nose and breathe out dirty air out of your mouth 3 times. Now look ahead as though you’re looking at a beautiful view in the distance, then bring your awareness to the inside of your forehead as you close your eyes. Imagine your body is hollow like bamboo and carry this awareness through your forehead, down thorough your torso all the way to your bellybutton. Open your eyes slowly and look into the horizon and repeat this shifting of outer to inner awareness 2 more times. On the final round, with your eyes closed keep your awareness on your bellybutton. Now take your middle finger of your left hand and gently press your bellybutton 49 times. Now tell yourself "I'm very relaxed, very comfortable, very calm and happy" Imagine whole body floating in the clouds. Imagine energy (bright light) running up your back, over your head and down the front of your body. Repeat 3 times and on the third time bring your awareness to your bellybutton. Tell yourself "when I meditate for a certain time my body may want to move, I will let myself go". Now imagine the energy (bright light) travel down from the sky like a cascading waterfall and entering your head, neck, shoulder, arms, all the way down to your fingertips, down your chest, your back, your belly, your hips, your thighs, your legs and all the way to the ball of your foot. Repeat this 2 more times. Now count the middle point on the ball of your feet with your breathing 7 times (one round is one inhale and exhale). Now bring your awareness to between your eyes and count with your breathing 3 times. Now bring your awareness down to your bellybutton. Now imagine your bellybutton moving inwards to your Ming Men (rear of the spine at the same height of the belly button) with your breathing in 5 steps. Now imagine your bellybutton has merged with your Ming Men spot. Now count the Ming Men spot with your breathing 7 times. Now imagine your bellybutton moving back to its natural place in 5 steps with 5 breaths. Now your belly button is back to normal. Tell yourself “I can see my bellybutton from inside, I can hear my bellybutton from inside, my whole mind concentrates on my belly button”. Now just relax and let yourself go and let your body move spontaneously with the chi for the next 15, 30 or 45 minutes. Closing sequence After around 15 to 45 minutes of practice, tell yourself “I’m going to end the exercise”. Allow you movements to come to a graceful stop. Take your hands from the side, palms facing up and bring them over your head and pass them down the front of your body as you imagine bringing the energy down from your head, torso, legs to the ball of your feet. Do this 3 times. Now place your left hand on your belly button and start making counter clockwise circles, small at first and getting larger until you are massaging your entire tummy region 36 times. Now make large to small clockwise circles 36 times, until your hand is back on the bellybutton. Now place your other hand on top of the hand on the bellybutton and imagine your bellybutton if full of energy (light), then imagine your entire body if full of energy, every pore of your body is full of Qi. Now rub your hands like your warming them up and massage your face, over your head and neck in a flowing movement 36 times. Open your eyes and enjoy your new found vitality and joy.