Carry the Moon is the seventh of the 18 qigong exercises that make up the Shaolin 18 Lohan Hands. Also known as Look Back to Carry the Moon, 回 頭 抱 月, and HUI TOU BAO YUE, it is one of the most popular exercises in the set — and one of the most rewarding when practiced correctly.
Key Benefits of Carry the Moon
When practiced as qigong — not merely as physical form — Carry the Moon offers the following benefits:
- Gives the spine a gentle but effective workout
- Beneficial for back and spine problems (for serious acute back pain, practice Lifting the Sky first)
- Enhances and supports the nervous system
- Generates a shower of vital energy down the body
- Promotes youthfulness and a supple, healthy spine
Carry the Moon as a Foundation Exercise
Like several exercises in the 18 Lohan Hands set, Carry the Moon is also a foundation for more advanced practice. Many exercises in this set build toward deeper skills — for example, 3 Levels to Ground can promote the Small Universal Qi Flow, and Pushing Mountains underpins many advanced qigong skills.
Carry the Moon specifically is the foundation for generating a shower of cosmic energy through the body — a form of deep energetic cleansing that goes well beyond the physical.
An Important Note on Form vs. Qigong
The benefits above are only available when this exercise is practiced as qigong — with a Qigong State of Mind (QSoM) and proper energy flow. Practicing the physical movements alone — the form — will not produce these results. The form is not the art of qigong.
For this reason, learning Carry the Moon directly from a qualified qigong instructor is strongly recommended. The difference in outcome between self-taught form and correctly transmitted qigong practice is significant. If that isn’t possible, your next best option is to learn qigong online. Carry the Moon is taught in full in my online course.
Next in the 18 Lohan Hands
The next exercise in the set is Reverse Hands Bend Waist — exercise 8 of the 18 Lohan Hands.
