Origins and Development of Liu Zi Jue- Part Two

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The term Liu Zi Jue first appears in a book called On Caring for the Health of the Mind and Prolonging the Life Span , written by Tao Hongjing of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589). A leading figure of the Maoshan School of Taoism, Tao was renowned for his profound knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. "One has only one way for inhalation, but six for exhalation--CHUI, HU, XI, HE, XU and. SI. CHUI gets rid of heat; HU sweeps away wind; XI eliminates worries; HE promotes the circulation of energy; XU drives away cold; and SI reduces stress," he writes in the book. He explains further: "Those with heart disease should practice CHUI, and HU, to drive away cold and heat. Those with lung disease should practice XU, to relieve swelling. Those who have spleen trouble should practice XI, to eliminate stress. As for those who suffer from a liver disease, HE will help to cure it."

Zou Pu'an, of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), was a major contributor, in terms of theory and practice, to the transmission of the exercises. In his book titled The Supreme Knack for Health Preservation--Six-Character Approach to Breathing Exercises , he recommends, "Don't listen to anything when pronouncing the sounds. Close your mouth, lower your head after finishing, breath in fresh air from the universe slowly through the nose. Don't listen to anything when inhaling." He also recommends such preparatory movements as tapping the teeth, licking the front of the teeth with the lips closed and swallowing saliva.

No body movements accompanied the Liu Zi Jue exercises until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when Hu Wenhuan and Gao Lian wrote books on the subject. For instance, they both included in their books the summary of Liu Zi Jue for dispelling diseases and prolonging the life span, which combines controlled breathing with physical exercises, "Open the eyes wide when doing the XU Exercise for the liver. Raise the arms when doing the SI Exercise for the lungs. Stick head up and cross the hands when doing the HE Exercise for the heart. Keep the knees level when doing the CHUI Exercise for the kidneys. Thrust and round the lips when doing the HU Exercise for the spleen, and lie down when doing the XI Exercise to drive heat from Sanjiao."

There are a number of schools of exercises which incorporate elements of Liu Zi Jue , including Yi Jin Jing (Tendon-Muscle Strengthening Exercises), E Mei Zhuang (Emei Stake Exercises), Xing Yi Quan (12-Animal Shadow Boxing), Ba Gua Zhang (Eight-Diagram Palm) and Da Yan Gong (Wild Goose Exercises). But the sounds are used as an aid to physical exercises in these dynamic Qigong, which is different from Liu Zi Jue. An authoritative work on the subject is Ma Litang's Liu Zi Jue Health and Fitness Exercises for clinical application.

The theoretical basis of the Liu Zi Jue exercises is in line with the ancient theories intrinsic to traditional Chinese medicine of the Five Elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) and the Five Solid Viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys). They tend to be on common ground on such issues as mouth forms and pronunciation methods, and the direction of body movements and mind follow the inner circulation law of the meridians of traditional Chinese medicine. Yet, the standardization poses a problem as there have been different points of view on such issues as the pronunciation of the sounds HE and SI, the correct mouth forms and whether the sounds should be pronounced at all, the correspondence between the sounds and the internal organs and the order of these sounds in practice. There are special relationships between the pronunciations and accompanying movements, but they need to be proved by scientific theories and tests. The authors of this book did a lot of research in this respect before compiling this new concept of exercises which are easy to learn and practice.