Daoyin to conduct Qi

Daoyin is an ancient Chinese body-mind exercise, with simple routines people practise to conduct Qi within the body, originally aimed at health care as well as physical and spiritual purification. The ascetics of past time believed it could be used to obtain the "eternal youth" (changsheng bulao). The first historical reference about it appears in Zhuangzi, a Taoist text written between the 4th and 2nd century BC:

Zhuangzi

Breathing in and out, exhaling and inhaling, they get rid of the old to absorb the new. They swing like bears and stretch like birds - all this they do in order to have long life. They are Daoyin disciples, people who nourish their form seeking for longevity like Pengzu.
(Zhuangzi, Keyi)

Yangsheng, which can be translated as "nursing life”, is a Daoist term for methods to maintain health. These include taking care of the body, physical exercises, meditation, healthy nutrition, in some schools also include sexual techniques to cultivate energy.

Professor Zhang developed the DYYSG on the basis of the classical theories of Daoyin, the schools to nurse life and longevity. It is also based on the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Apart from the traditional exercises of Daoyin he further developed new exercises based on his knowledge and experience in Wushu and Taijiquan, also including findings on motion by sports science.

The system of Daoyin Yangsheng Gong offers many different possibilities for movement, suitable not only for ill people and for health preservation, but also for practitioners of Wushu and Taijiquan. Emphasis is also laid on the artistic and philosophical background of the traditional Chinese culture, indicated in the many names of the movements, very often describing stories from Chinese culture.

The system of DYYSG also includes a specific greeting gesture and a "song”. The DYYSG song is a separate form, independent from all the other methods, combining various movements of the system with Qigong exercises and Taijiquan movements to present the DYYSG system. The "song” therefore has no special therapeutic effect, but is intended as a demonstration form. Professor Zhang composed a poem which accompanies the movements together with the music.

"Health preservation Qigong” is read in Chinese as "Daoyin Baojian Gong”. The name refers to an exercise with eight movements. Officially this exercise is meant to promote health and prevent illnesses for example of the cardiovascular or digestive system.

The Exercise of 49 Movements to stimulate Qi in the Meridians consists of 49 movements for preservation of health, supporting the immune system and for a targeted treatment of various illnesses, in particular lung, stomach and intestine cancer as well as chronic disorders of the cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems.

Brain Qigong is an exercise consisting of eight movements done sitting down and self massage. Apart from protecting against ailments and illnesses such as headache, migraine, trigeminus neuralgia, facial paralysis, tinnitus and deafness can also be treated. The exercises consist of stroking and pushing massage of the face and on the head. Apart from attention to the points, the hand movements are followed attentively.