Discover the joy of health qigong with Five Animals Exercise (Wuqinxi), a time-honored Chinese practice simplified for everyone by Tai Chi and Qigong master Ayato Makita. This DVD guides you through five animal-inspired movements (deer, monkey, bear, tiger, bird) combined with qigong techniques to enhance physical vitality and promote overall well-being. Designed for accessibility, this program helps improve strength, flexibility, and balance through easy-to-follow exercises rooted in traditional Chinese medicine.

What is Five Animals Exercise (Wuqinxi)?

Developed by the Chinese physician Hua Tuo during the late Han Dynasty, Five Animals Exercise is a health qigong system that draws on folk traditions. It incorporates movements mimicking five animals, organized according to the principles of Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, and traditional Chinese medicine to restore balance and vitality.

Contents

The DVD is structured into an introductory section and five chapters, each corresponding to one of the Five Elements and an animal movement, providing a holistic approach to health qigong.

Introduction: The Chapter of Qi

• Shake: Loosen the body

  • Basic Shake

  • Heaven Shake

  • Earth Shake

• Qi Ball: Cultivating energy flow

• Standing Meditation (Zhan Gong)

• Breathing Techniques:

  • Abdominal Breathing

  • Reverse Abdominal Breathing

  • Complete Abdominal Breathing

• Closing Movement (Shou Gong): Concluding the practice

1. Wood Chapter: Deer

• Antler Thrusting Movement: Pelvic floor exercise (Ti Gang)

• Heaven and Earth Salutation: Harmonizing body and environment

2. Fire Chapter: Monkey

• Monkey Basic Practice:

  • Wrist rotations

  • Elbow rotations

• Grasping Movement: Mimicking a monkey’s grip

• Agile Movement: Enhancing quickness and coordination

3. Earth Chapter: Bear

• Bear Basic Practice:

  • Looking backward

  • Swaying the upper body side to side

  • Rotating the Dantian (lower abdomen)

• Figure-Eight Swaying: Promoting fluidity

• Large Arm Circles: Building strength and mobility

4. Metal Chapter: Tiger

• Tiger Basic Practice: Stretching palms and soles

• Observing Movement: Mimicking a tiger’s stalking

• Pouncing Movement: Emulating a tiger’s attack

5. Water Chapter: Bird

• Flapping Movements:

  • Flapping 1: Rising and descending

  • Flapping 2: Opening and closing

• Takeoff Movement: Simulating a bird’s flight

Instructor

Ayato Makita
Born in 1951 in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, Ayato Makita began studying Tai Chi in 1979. From 1988 to 1995, he trained in Chen-style Tai Chi (83 New Frame) under Master Tou Dongliang in Shanghai. In 1998, he established the Hamadayama Tai Chi Dojo, and in 2003, he launched the "Roppongi Hills Morning Tai Chi" program. He is the author of The Questions Nobody Asks About Tai Chi (BAB Japan) and serves as the director of the Cosmic Dance Research Institute.

Language: Japanese

Length: 1 hour & 28 min.

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