Shaolin 18 Lohan Hands – Qigong Exercise: Shooting Arrows
Pattern number 2 of the 18 qigong exercises that make up the Shaolin 18 Lohan Hands set is Shoot Arrows Left Right, 左 右 開 弓, ZUO YOU KAI GONG – also more popularly known as Shooting Arrows. It is one of the more technical of the 18 qigong exercises, but once you get it, it feels great.
This pattern uses the One Finger Shooting Zen hand form which is a special technique (see diagram). It is especially beneficial for the lungs and can bring relief to people who are sad, suffering from hyper tension or depression. It improves all respiratory problems, benefits the skin and strengthens the arms. People who have trouble remembering or who lack confidence will benefit from the practise of this pattern.
I remember the first time I learned this qigong exercise, I got it all wrong. Virtually all qigong exercises are performed in a relaxed and gentle manner. But I was performing it like a kung fu set! Fortunately my mistake was quickly pointed out to me.
Again, this is the benefit of learning qigong exercises under the supervision of a qigong master or a competent instructor. If I hadn’t I could easily have done myself more harm than good.
It’s important to get the hand form right when performing this pattern. Also like quite a few of the qigong exercises that make up this set, it utilises horse riding stance and it is important that you sit down into the stance properly. This is not the right format to explain the subtleties of horse riding stance. It’s really very simple, when you learn it directly from someone who knows what they’re doing.
The next of the qigong exercises we’ll be looking at is Plucking Stars Change Galaxies. See you then =)
Marcus James Santer
