Ping Shuai Gong English Explanation

Tekson Teo | January 30, 2022

Simple and Effective

Ping Shuai Gong – The Chinese Arm Swinging Exercise

Ping Shuai Gong, the Chinese arm swinging exercise, is so simple. You do nothing more than swing the arms, and it takes you only 10 minutes to learn. If you do it consistently, you will enjoy its benefits in a matter of days. 

It is an excellent way to relax your body after a day’s work. Practice it daily over time, and it brings you many benefits. It helps you stay healthy and in shape. There are also many reports on how it helps in healing. Among them is a medical doctor who shared how it had helped him overcome the challenges of a third-stage colorectal cancer — three months after he took up the practice. Although the video is in Mandarin, it is self-explanatory. https://youtu.be/RHTUoQep-vw.  

Although the exercise has been around for more than a thousand years, thanks to Taiwanese qigong master Li Feng Shan, it has attracted the attention of millions of people.

Getting started with Ping Shuai Gong, the Chinese Arm Swinging Exercise

Basic movements:

  • Stand with your two feet apart at the shoulder width
  • Raise your arms to your shoulder level, stay calm and relaxed
  • Then, drop your arms and start swinging.

If you choose to, slightly squat your body at every fifth swing and bounce it back. Be careful not to protrude your bottom, though, because it can impede the energy flow. The squat is introduced by Master Li to make the movements less monotonous. 

Duration

As a start, you may choose to do the exercise briefly for, say, 10 minutes. If your objective is to heal, consider doing 30 minutes for each session.

  • First 10 minutes – If you can sustain for 10 minutes, or about 500 swings, you’d be able to get the qi energy in your body to flow readily to the fingertips. The fingertips are parts of our body that are furthest away from our tummy, or dantian, where our body’s qi is stored. It signals that the circulation is working well throughout the entire body. 
  • Second 10 minutes – The qi energy is likely to flow effectively and begin to help clear blockages in the body, should there be any.
  • Third 10 minutes – You’re likely to feel that qi energy in the body is active enough for healing. 

Use your discretion. Listen to you body and adjust the duration accordingly.

Combine with other exercises

You can practice the Chinese arm swinging exercise on its own or use it as a warmup for other qigong or even non-qigong activities, such as jogging at swimming. Improving the flow of the qi energy in your body makes it an excellent complement to other exercises.

Timing of practice

You can do the exercise whenever you feel like it, although many people would prefer to do it early in the morning. You may also try it at night, so long as you don’t make yourself too exciting. it helps you sleep better.

Also: Learn the benefits of qigong breathing