Tai C

hi Shiba

shi

W

ith

Hrid

aya

gita

Ta

raloka

, Bettisfield, Shrop

shire, SY13 2LD

Knots of the mind and

allow

s a na

tural state of rela

xed

alertness to repla

ce the unnatura

l state of tense frenetic

activity.

There is one other asp

ect to these exercises: they are

devised w

ith a knowled

ge of the internal energy known

as C

hi. This system of energy, or life force, m

oves around

the body in its ow

n circulatory system

supplying every p

art of the body’s orga

ns with life - susta

ining energy. You ca

n stimula

te it by moving a

nd stretching those pa

rts of the b

ody in w

hich these lines of energy lie. It is this com

bina

tion of imp

roved blood circula

tion, a re-

laxed

and

integrated m

ind a

nd b

ody, and

a hea

lthy en-ergy system

which m

akes these Shiba

shi exercises quite

exceptional.

Through the practice of these exercises you gain the flexi-

bility of a ba

y, the wisd

om of a sa

ge and the stillness of a

deep

pool. Shibashi is such a b

eautiful thing to give your-

self, it is such a wond

erous way to join forces w

ith a new

d

ay. Why w

ould you not wa

nt to do it?! H

rida

yagita

The Shibashi seq

uence wa

s first brought to us by Hea

ther W

illiam

s of RDTC

Llandrindodd W

ells. It is also know

n as Ta

i C

hi Gong a

nd Taiji Shib

ashi. It a

cts as a brid

ge betw

een Tai C

hi Chua

n and Qigong. It allow

s the practice of an ea

sy-to-learn exercise form

that is sim

ple, sa

fe and from

which b

en-efit can b

e derived in a

short time. Its gentle q

uality m

akes it

idea

l for older p

eople. Shiba

shi does not have any difficult

steps and ea

ch movem

ent involves the whole bod

y. It can

be a

useful prelim

inary to learning or studying Tai C

hi Chua

n a

s it initially builds confid

ence and

ma

kes the learning of a

m

ore comp

licated

stepping form

accessible.

There are a grea

t variety of Q

igong medita

tions and exer-cise w

ith different bra

nches stemm

ing from different

sources: Buddhist, Taoist, M

edical a

nd M

artial A

rts Qigong.

Each school ha

s develop

ed its own app

roach, functions

and

results. Now

adays a

system of Q

igong is often a com

bi-na

tion of different styles: The Flying Cra

ne, the Wild G

oose, Ta

ijishibashi a

re some exa

mp

les. The Rising Dra

gon Tai Chi

School currently pra

ctices the following Q

igong forms:

Taoist H

ealth Exercises

Va

ncouver Breathing Form

Eight Strands of Broca

de

Shiba

shi There are m

any other Q

igong systems but w

e feel that

these require a m

ore personal tuition over m

any yea

rs if p

roblems w

ith stuck energy are to b

e avoided

. We disa

gree w

ith the current pra

ctice of ma

king exercises available

through books and videos w

hich were originally, for good

rea

son, kept p

rivate and

taught on a one-to-one b

asis. The

exercises we use are for general use, are extrem

ely and

ca

n be pra

cticed alone and in safety. If a

n in depth stud

y of Q

igong is required we suggest you study w

ith an officially

recognised m

aster of the a

rt.

It is good to p

ractice these exercises a

s a seq

uence because

it is like giving yourself a trea

tment. Pra

ctise each one for the

sam

e numb

er of brea

ths so your whole system

can b

e treat-

ed equa

lly. However nothing is w

ritten in stone– you ma

y like to exp

lore putting them in a

different ord

er or pra

ctising then ind

ividually if there is one you pa

rticularly like. H

aving said

that, a

s far as Shiba

shi is concerned, the w

hole is greater tha

n the sum

of its parts. Shiba

shi is a very flexible a

nd com

plete tool. It is flexib

le beca

use it is based

around

the brea

th. Dur-

ing one brea

th of in and out you make one rep

etition or round

of each exercise. The m

ore rounds you d

ecide to do

the longer it takes to do it a

whole sequence. A

s I mentioned

ea

rlier, if you have only a short period of tim

e then just use the one brea

th, one round per exercise, then this w

ill increase the

time it ta

kes and ma

ke the sequence stronger and

deep

er. Shiba

shi is a com

plete exercise system b

ecause it is a synthe-

sis of a whole ra

nge and variety of Chi Kung styles. Ea

ch of these styles cover w

ithin them w

arm - up

s, stretches, posture -

work, brea

th, cleansing, C

hi stimula

tion, directing C

hi and the sym

bolic or universal connection to the Tao.

So how does it w

ork? Essentially tensions in the body a

re ca

used by tensions in the m

ind. So by ea

sing and moving the

bod

y we can touch the m

ind. H

ow d

o we do this? First, w

e m

ove slowly so tha

t care and

attention can b

e brought to

bear a

llowing us to see the im

bala

nces of incorrect posture a

nd unnecessa

ry holding in the muscles of the bod

y. By cor-recting the alignm

ent of the bod

y and

releasing tension, the

circulation can flow

more ea

sily, without recourse to strong

physical exertion. This ha

s the add

ed advanta

ge that p

eople w

ith heart conditions or w

ho are not strong enough for vigor-

ous exercise can pa

rticipate in Shib

ashi.

By resting in the mom

ent, in the centre of your experience, you relea

se the mind

that is continually striving into the future

or holding onto the pa

st. This in in the long run undoes the

5. Sw

inging Arm

s 6. Row

ing a Boat

7. Lifting The Ball 8. G

aze at the Moon

9. Micro Form

10. W

ave Hands

11.scooping the Sea 12. Pushing W

aves

13. Dove Spread Wings

14. Punching

15. Flying Wild G

oose 16. Spinning W

heels..

...16. Cont...

17. Bouncing Ball with Steps

18. Palms in C

almness

Tai C

hi Shiba

shi

Stand

Quietly to b

egin, w

ith a feeling

of relaxa

tion throug

hout the joints of your bod

y.

Keep the w

eight in your feet even letting the soles of the

feet relax into the floor.

Brea

the naturally, d

o not control the brea

th.

When you a

re ready, let the m

ovements follow

the brea

th

Do not force the m

uscles, use repetition a

nd rela

xation to help

you release.

Pra

ctice the exercises in a sm

ooth flowing w

ay, ma

intain-

ing your own soft lim

it and

grad

ually increase ea

ch one from

3– 10 times.

Let the m

ovements b

e a vehicle of self expression, let

them nourish a

nd supp

ort you. Let the poise of your sp

ine show

your inner self worth.

Standing 1.The beginning

2. Opening the C

hest

3. Painting a Rainbow

4. Part the Clouds

1. The Beginning -

To bala

nce the blood p

ressure a

nd strengthen the heart. The gen-

tle flexing of joints smoothes the

channels of energy, helping to

2. Opening the C

hest - Beneficial for those suffering from

d

epression, insom

nia, hyp

erten-sion.

3. Painting a Rainbow -

To bala

nce blood p

ressure, aid

the d

igestive system a

nd relieve

stoma

ch ache.

4. Part the Clouds -

Useful in stretching the legs, stimu-

lating the kid

neys and

raising the sp

irit of vitality.

5. Swinging A

rms -

Beneficial for those suffering arthri-tis or a

sthma

.

6. Rowing a Boat -

Aid

s the digestive system and is

beneficial for ba

ckache, hea

d-a

che and the kidneys.

7. Lifting the Ball - Stim

ulates blood

circulation.

8. Turning to Gaze at the M

oon To ba

lance blood

pressure and

reduce insomnia

.

9. Micro Form

- Strengthens the sp

leen and

p

romotes leg and ba

ck energy.

10. Wave Hands like C

louds - A

ids d

igestive system and help

s p

revent arthritis.

11. Scooping the Sea and See the Sky - Rela

xes muscles, im

proves circu-la

tion, balances b

lood pressure.

12. Pushing Waves -

Strengthens the waist a

nd leg en-

ergy and is beneficial is suffering

hypertension.

13. Flying Dove spreads its w

ings - G

ood for Brea

thing, asthm

a.

Disp

els feelings of oppression in

the chest and promotes the

digestive system

.

14. Punching - A

n invigorating p

ractice

prom

oting all round body

15. Flying Wild G

oose - Strengthens the legs a

nd kidneys.

Bala

nces blood p

ressure and im

proves low blood

pressure.

16. Spinning Wheels -

Improves low

blood p

ressure, reduces ba

ck stiffness. Help

s a tired bod

y

17. Bouncing Ball with steps -

Good

for relaxing the bod

y and recovering from

tiredness. Help

s b

alance.

18. Pressing the Palms in C

alm-

ness - For calm

ing and

bala

ncing the C

h’I, can be p

ractised

on its own

for this purpose.