What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about exercise?
Most would think about running or moving enough to cause sweating and become out of breath. Which definitely is one way of exercising, but there are other possibilities when you don’t want to sweat, overheat, or are afraid to move due to chronic pain.
Swinging the Arms (Bai Bi) by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming
This is an exercise based on the principles for Yi Jin Jing. Although the exercise is very simple, the results in strengthening the body and curing illness are significant. Theoretically, when you repeatedly swing your arms, the nerves and Qi channels in the shoulder joints are stimulated to a higher state, and this Qi will flow to the areas of lower potential to complete the circulation. Because a number of the Qi channels connected with the different organs terminate in the hands, swinging the arms increases the circulation in these channels. Arm swinging will not only increase the Qi circulation, but the relaxed up and down motion will also increase the flow of blood.
From the last 70 years of experience, we know that a number of illnesses can be cured simply by frequent practice of swinging the arms. For some cancers, the increase in Qi circulation will help the degenerated cells to function normally and may help cancer. According to Qi theory, cancers are caused by the stagnation of Qi and blood, which results in changes to the structure of the cell. Several types of cancers that may be cured by swinging the arms are cancers of the lungs, esophagus, and lymph. Other kinds of disorders that can be helped by swinging the arms are the hardening of the liver, paralysis caused by high blood pressure, high blood pressure itself, heart trouble, and nervous disorders.
The method is very simple. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with the tip of your tongue touching the roof of your mouth. Swing your arms forward until they are horizontal with the palms facing down, then swing them back as far as possible. Keep your entire body relaxed. Start with two hundred to three hundred repetitions, then gradually increase to one or two thousand, or up to half an hour.
Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming “Qigong for Health and Martial Arts“