Shangyuan Gong and Bagua Xing Gong: Enhancing vital energy and clearing meridians

Shangyuan Gong

This exercise is said to enhance vital energy, hence the name "Shangyuan Gong" (Upper Yuan Exercise).

Its characteristic is that the external genitalia are squeezed by the base of the legs during the exercise, so it is also called "squeezing the genitals exercise". For men it is called "squeezing the scrotum exercise", and for women it is called "squeezing the genitals exercise".

I. Method

(I) Preparatory stance: Stand upright with legs apart, shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides, hands hanging down naturally, relax all muscles, and look straight ahead.

(II) Starting Posture: Slowly raise the left hand, palm facing upwards at the Laogong acupoint, fingers slightly spread, little finger at the Shaoze acupoint moving upwards along the midline of the chest, passing through the Guanyuan, Qihai, and Shenque acupoints to the Shangwan and Tanzhong acupoints on the chest. The right hand then follows, while the left hand continues to move forward and to the left. The gaze follows the left hand, moving from the Renzhong acupoint along the space between the eyebrows to the top (but the arm is not fully extended), then the palm turns downwards, changing the Laogong acupoint from facing upwards to facing downwards, resembling a "scooping the moon from the sea" posture. Simultaneously with the left hand moving upwards, the left toes move along the ground past the inside of the right foot, taking a light step and drawing an arc. Extend the left foot to the left, landing with the knee bent, the two feet 60 cm apart. The torso shifts to the left, the body weight shifts to the left leg, the right leg follows, the right foot landing at the Yongquan acupoint with the heel slightly raised, forming a left-leg bow stance and a right-leg half-bow. The inner sides of both legs are tightly clasped, creating a slight squeezing sensation in the scrotum. This is the left-side movement. Next, perform the right-side movement. Turn your torso from left to right, with your right hand's palm facing upwards and moving forward, while your left hand follows from below upwards. At the top of the movement, flip your right palm and descend in a "scooping the moon from the sea" motion. Simultaneously, turn your feet from left to right, assuming a right-leg lunge and a left-leg half-lung stance, with the inner thighs of both legs tightly clasped together. This completes the right-side movement. Repeat the same movements on both sides, but in opposite directions, alternating between sides, 8 times on each side, for a total of 16 repetitions.

II. Key Points for Performing Work

Relax all muscles, avoid stiffness, and alternate hand movements smoothly and naturally without pausing. The key to this exercise is to bring the inner thighs inward during the torso rotation, squeezing the external genitalia. This movement can be categorized into three levels of intensity-low, medium, and high-based on the range of motion and the degree of squatting. Middle-aged and elderly people, or beginners, can generally practice the low and medium levels, while young people can practice the high-intensity high level, but must start with the low and medium levels. Women should avoid practicing this exercise during menstruation and pregnancy.

III. Functions

After starting the exercise, the arms are naturally bent, which helps to unblock the arteries in the arms, promote blood circulation, improve the elasticity of joints and muscles, and prevent vasculitis. Because the movements directly affect and stimulate numerous acupoints such as Neiguan, Waiguan, Shousanli, Quchi, Jian, Huantiao, and Tianzong, it has good therapeutic effects on preventing and treating hemiplegia, senile hip and groin arthritis, frozen shoulder, and lower back pain caused by kidney deficiency. For men, gently squeezing the scrotum promotes testicular health and enhances its function, preventing hernia, varicocele, and testicular prolapse; for women, gently squeezing the vulva can prevent vulvar laxity, strengthen peristalsis, and improve the ability to expel impurities.

Bagua Form Kung Fu

The characteristic of this exercise is that the hands draw arcs along the sides of the body, and the trajectory resembles the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), hence the name Bagua Xing Gong (Eight Trigrams Form Exercise).

I. Method

(I) Preparatory stance: Stand upright with legs apart, feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides, hands hanging naturally, relax all muscles, and look straight ahead. Clear your mind of distractions and enter a state of tranquility.

(II) Starting Posture: Raise both hands from below, assuming a ball-holding posture, level with shoulders, knees slightly bent. The left hand continues upwards to above the head, while the right hand moves downwards to the right, the right arm bending behind the back in an arc shape. The body turns 45 degrees to the left, the upper body upright, left leg in a lunge position, right leg in a half-bow position. Next, the right hand draws a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) on the right side of the body, as follows: The right hand moves forward and upwards from the lower right side of the body, turning the palm backwards at the top, drawing a complete circle, returning to the original position. Then, the right hand draws an S-shape from bottom to top along the vertical diameter of the circle drawn. At this point, the right hand has completed the S-shape drawing motion. When the right hand completes the S-shape to the top, it turns the palm downwards and draws a circle forwards, the right foot stepping forward, the right leg fully bent, the left leg in a half-bow position. When the right hand reaches above the head, the left hand moves downwards to the left, then draws a Bagua on the left side of the body, the method being the same as the right hand, but in the opposite direction. As the left hand completes the Bagua (eight trigrams) movement and reaches above the head, the right hand moves from above the head to the lower right, while the right foot steps back. The left leg is fully bent, and the right leg is partially bent, beginning the second Bagua movement. The two hands alternate without pausing, performing 8 repetitions on each side, for a total of 16 repetitions, taking approximately 1 minute.

II. Key Points for Performing Work

This exercise is performed continuously. When switching between left and right movements, the body's center of gravity should shift backward. The S-shaped hand movements should be precise. Whenever the palms turn, the chest should be out, the arms drawn back, and the shoulders retracted. Simultaneously, the body should move in a coordinated manner, ensuring all muscles in the body are rotating.

III. Functions

This movement extensively involves acupoints throughout the body. The continuous rotation of the hands fully exercises the shoulder axis, shoulders, and neck, directly stimulating acupoints such as Renying, Tiantu, Quepen, Fengchi, Fengfu, and Daxiong. It is effective in preventing and treating neurasthenia, dizziness, headaches, stroke, and cerebral thrombosis. The S-shaped movement of the hands further stimulates acupoints such as the ribs, Shenfeng, and Rugen, which can prevent and treat pleurisy, myocarditis, mastitis, and may even prevent breast cancer. The arm-drawing and palm-turning movement strongly stimulates the occipital bone at the back of the head, which can clear the mind, improve intelligence, and has a particularly good brain-nourishing effect.