Eight Pieces Brocade (Baduanjin) and Eight Healing Sounds Qigong Research Updates

Here are some interesting research updates I found in the past issues of Qi Dao newsletter.

Although I am teaching the Eight Healing Sounds, I imagine the results would be similar to those of the Six Word Practice which is also a healing-sound qigong.

Two of the research reports are on Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), one is on healing sounds, and one is about the benefits of mental relaxation and slow, regulated breathing.



If you have a chronic health condition that isn't getting any better, I hope you will find the nearest qigong class and jump-start your self-healing capabilities! Practicing with like-minded people is very beneficial to your health, too! (See my earlier article on Qigong Group Practice.)


Without further ado, here are the excerpts from the Qi Dao newsletters:

July 2006

Six-Word-Practice:

Six-Word-Practice is a unique method of Qigong as people make sounds in the practice. Compared with Standing Posture Qigong, the number of heartbeats will increase when making sounds. The figures show that making sounds are closely related with abdominal respiration. Potential value of R point in cardiogram has not apparent changes when people keep still. However, the value increases significantly with sounds in practice of Six-Word-Practice. Blood flow through neck artery increases with making sounds. The flow of blood is not corresponding to the strength of sound. Increase of blood flow is not very significant for "He". The third word "Hu" is not stronger than "He", but the increase of blood flow is much higher. For "Chui", both the sound and the increase of blood flow are high.

Additionally, the maximum blood pressure in practice of Six-Word-Practice is over 160 mmHg, higher than that of Standing Posture Qigong. Although the maximum blood pressure is higher than that of Standing Posture Qigong, the duration of increase of blood pressure in shorter, which will not bring addition load for aged people. The examination of Six-Word-Practice shows shat oxygen density in blood of end blood vessels keeps decreasing. The decreasing happens in practice of "Chui" and "Xi", showing that the load is much higher in the short time. Cycle change of respiration is synchronized with cycle change of oxygen density in blood of end blood vessels, meaning that level of practice may reflect the coordination level of inner respiration and outer respiration.

The Effect of Baduanjin to the Function of Human Cardio-Vascular -- Li Yuhuan, Li Dongjun, Zhang Haibo, Hou Beichen (Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion , Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

We recruited some college students and trained them to practice Baduanjin. Then we monitored systematically six kinds of physical indications. They were blood pressure, electrocardiogram, pulse pressure, degree of oxygen saturation of blood, temperature of the limbs ending skin, the delaying time between heart beat and pulse, and do some contrast experiments, using multi-parameters recording device. At last, we got the data that Baduanjin could improve the body's cardio-vascular function and discuss its effect to the human's cardio-vascular function made by practicing Baduanjin. The result has showed that after 10 weeks' concentrative training, there were some effects to the students in the experimental group, such as the electrocardiogram, the degree of blood oxygen saturation, the temperature of the ending skin, the delaying time from the heart beat to pulse. Statistical significance could be found in these data (P<0 .05="">

August/September 2006

Effects of mental relaxation and slow breathing in essential hypertension. Kaushik RM, Kaushik R, Mahajan SK, Rajesh V. (Department of Medicine, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Rama Nagar, P.O. Doiwala, Dehradun 248140, Uttaranchal, India), Complement Ther Med. 2006 Jun;14(2):120-6.

OBJECTIVES: To compare mental relaxation and slow breathing as adjunctive treatment in patients of essential hypertension by observing their effects on blood pressure and other autonomic parameters like heart rate, respiratory rate, peripheral skin temperature, electromyographic activity of the frontalis muscle and skin conductance.

METHODS: One hundred patients of essential hypertension either receiving antihypertensive drugs or unmedicated were selected randomly. Various parameters were recorded during the resting state and then during mental relaxation and slow breathing for 10 min each, separated by a quiet period of 15 min. All parameters were recorded again after mental relaxation and slow breathing. Changes in various parameters observed after mental relaxation and slow breathing were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Both mental relaxation and slow breathing resulted in a fall in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and electromyographic activity with increase in peripheral skin temperature and skin conductance. Slow breathing caused a significantly higher fall in heart rate (p<0 .05="">0.2) observed with both the modalities.

CONCLUSIONS: Even a single session of mental relaxation or slow breathing can result in a temporary fall in blood pressure. Both the modalities increase the parasympathetic tone but have effects of different intensity on different autonomic parameters.

November/December 2006

The effects of baduanjin qigong in the prevention of bone loss for middle-aged women. Chen HH, Yeh ML, Lee FY., (American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2006;34 (5):741-7.)

Abstract: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a 12-week Baduanjin qigong training program in preventing bone loss for middle-aged women. An experimental design was adopted, and subjects were assigned randomly into an experimental group (n = 44) and a control group (n = 43). The experimental group received a 12-week Baduanjin qigong training program, whereas the control group did not. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured before and after the intervention. The results showed significant differences in IL-6 (t = -5.19, p < t =" 1.99," p =" 0.049)">

In conclusion, this study demonstrates promising efficacy of Baduanjin in preventing bone loss commonly occurring in middle-aged women. Thus, Baduanjin is valuable for promoting and maintaining the health status of middle-aged women.

January/February 2007

Qigong exercise with concentration predicts increased health. Jouper J, Hassmen P, Johansson M. Am J Chin Med. 2006; 34(6):949-57

Regular physical activity has many positive health effects. Despite this, approximately 50% of all adults are not exercising enough to enjoy better health and may, therefore, need an alternative to vigorous physical exercise.

Qigong offers a gentle way to exercise the body. A questionnaire sample of 253 participants was collected and correlations with the variable health-now were analyzed. Results showed that health-now was positively correlated with number of completed qigong courses (p <>

Summing up meditation

Since the meditation series spanned more time than I would have liked due to my computer problem, I thought I’d do a bit of a summary to bring it all back together.

Meditation is the introduction to what meditation is and what it can do for you. The rest of the series describes the major styles of meditation from most active to most contemplative. I know you can find one that is just right for you!

Walking Meditation tells you how to synchronize walking with breathing, and discusses two forms of walking meditation: random and labyrinth or pattern walking.

Standing Meditation introduces you to zhan zhuang qigong, the energy practice of “standing like a tree.” To learn more about qigong, see Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong. I will also be talking more about qigong in the future, so stay tuned!

Journaling and Mandala Meditation is about stream-of-consciousness writing and art. This post contains links to several sites with free mandala drawings you may print and color.

Mantra and Mudra Meditation discusses the use of sound and vibration in meditation, and the use of hand acupressure to stimulate the flow of your qi, your internal energy.

Focus and Visualization Meditation are two different sides of the Art of Paying Attention.

Breath and Seated Meditation, the most contemplative of the meditation methods, discusses how to sit (and why!), and several breathing styles.

The wonderful Tree of Contemplative practices picture is courtesy of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. They have made available several sizes of the image for download. Thanks to JLB for letting me know about this image…I just love it!

Standing Meditation

In honor of the Festival of the Trees, today's technique introduces the meditation and wellness practice of Standing Like a Tree Qigong. (Qi means energy, and gong means practice or work.)

My love for spending time in the forest is partly an emotional recognition of the physical healing nature of plants since I use herbal medicine exclusively; I feel comfortable and comforted spending time among these elders of the herbal kingdom.

(Photo courtesy of Jade Blackwater)

I love to sit with my back against a tree in seated meditation; it's very grounding and centering. Even better is to practice Standing Like a Tree qigong among the trees. That is just an amazing experience…like becoming One with the forest. (Not to mention cultivating exceptional good health and wellness at the same time.)

Li Nianzu L.Ac., founder of the Song Ho Health Center, calls this qigong "Pine Tree Meditating." Even though the Chinese calligraphy characters are slightly different, Pine Tree is a fitting image for this practice because as you stand, your fingers are splayed out like the needles of a pine tree, and the pine tree is a Chinese symbol of longevity which this mind-body-energy practice certainly promotes. On his website, Martial Artist and Teacher Michael Garofalo of Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan lists the name as "Enter the Heart of the Trees." Doesn't that sound like it would be an amazing experience?

zhan zhuang qi gong

"Standing like a tree" qigong, zhan zhuang qi gong in Chinese, is one of the few Asian wellness and energy practices in which continuous movement is not integral to the form as it is in the popular "Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan" or Baduanjin qigong (which I previously wrote about). In the zhan zhuang form, you do literally "stand like a tree;" your arms assume positions resembling the branches of a tree while your feet and legs remain motionless. Some instructors include the visualization of roots reaching out from the soles of your feet and spreading into the soil.

Like all qigong, the intent of this form is to maintain the free-flow of your internal energy (qi or chi) since stagnant or blocked energy is at the root of most illnesses. Zhan zhuang delivers the added benefit of actually increasing your internal energy and making you stronger as you stand while holding your arms in each of the five basic positions. It is recommended that you begin with five minutes and build up to standing for about thirty minutes each day. At the height of my practice, I was standing for forty-five minutes every day; I've toned it down a bit since then.

(Photo courtesy of free Adobe Acrobat book available on the YiQuan website.)

This is the second of the five basic postures. As you can see, it looks as if the practitioner is hugging a tree, and indeed the position is called cheng bao zhuang, "support by embracing tree," and is reported to bestow remarkable recuperative powers. (I assure you, it can.)

I had a marvelous experience standing like a tree during one of the world-wide meditations in which I participated. At the appointed hour, I stood in the cheng bao zhuang position with my eyes closed. In a dream or a vision, I'm not sure which, I saw a tree in the distance….an enormous tree with millions of widely-reaching branches. The tree was bare of leaves, but there were hundreds of colorful birds scattered among the branches. To add to that avian population, the sky was filled with chirping birds flying toward the tree from every direction. It was noisy, but pleasantly so, not raucous. As I approached the tree, I saw that all the birds had human faces portraying every race and color on the Earth, and we all were coming together on the branches of the tree. When I ended the meditation, I wondered if that had been the World Tree, and if the birds represented all the people meditating together!

"Standing Like a Tree" can be very challenging at first because as you stand, most of your muscles are naturally contracted. About 100 days of dedicated practice using the powerful intention of your mind to relax your muscles while mastering the five basic postures brings the rewards of complete physical relaxation and vibrant health (or improvement in most chronic conditions), as well as improved mental concentration, control, and stamina. There are also four advanced postures, and a very advanced practitioner may develop the ability, as is shown in the book, to create an energy circuit enabling her to experience the circulation of qi between herself and a tree. Perhaps that is why Mr. Garofalo calls this practice "Enter the Heart of the Trees."

You too can practice "Standing Like A Tree" by following the instructions of Master Lam Kam Chuen in his book The Way of Energy, ISBN 0671736450, which you can see in the sidebar on the left.