18 Lohan Hands

1. Lifting the Sky This pattern is also found in many other kinds of chi kung. This is not surprising because "Lifting the Sky" is one of the best of all chi kung exercises.

2. Shooting Arrows

2. Shooting Arrows The holding of the hands is in the !ne"#inger $en% hand form& which is a typical Shaolin hand form. 'f you see someone holding the hand in the from of a fist with one finger sticking out& you can reasonably conclude that he has not learnt it in a proper way from a Shaolin master.

3. Plucking Stars

(. )lucking Stars These illustrations can only show the outward form of chi kung. !nce again& ' wish to stress that chi kung form alone is not chi kung. *hi kung is the art of energy management& and the form is +ust a tool or means to implement energy management. 'f you merely perform chi kung form& you are only doing physical exercise. 'f you wish to learn energy management& you ha,e to learn from a master or at least a competent instructor& not +ust from webpages& ,ideos or books.

4. Turning Head

-. Turning .ead 'f you think that this exercise is +ust for loosening your neck muscles& you are thinking of it as a physical exercise. As a chi kung exercise& it is used literally to cleanse your head and ner,ous system. !f course you ha,e to learn such ad,anced skills from a chi kung master& not from a physical education instructor.

5. Thrust Punch

/. Thrust )unch 0esides de,eloping powerful punches for martial art& this exercise massages and strengthens your heart. *orrect breathing and making the appropriate sound are necessary for obtaining the desired effect.

6.

err!"go"#ound

1. 2erry"go"3ound 'f you wish to re,itali4e yourself without ha,ing to take pep pills& this chi kung exercise may help you. 't stimulates your water% energy at your ming"men& or gate of life%.

$. %arr!ing the

oon

5. *arrying the 2oon 2any of my students lo,e this exercise the most. 't makes you look and feel young& and enhances your ner,ous system. 6ou can ha,e these benefits only if you can generate a shower of chi or ,ital energy down your body with this exercise.

8. &ourishing 'idne!s

7. 8ourishing 9idneys Ask a typical western doctor& and he will tell you that your kidneys ha,e nothing to do with sex. Ask a *hinese physician& and he will tell you that your kidneys ha,e e,erything to do with sex. 'n fact& the *hinese medical term generally used to describe sickness related to sex is shen"kui% which means kidney in+ury%. :hy were the Shaolin monks interested in sex;% you may ask. 8o& the Shaolin monks did this exercise not because of sex& but because 8ourishing 9idneys% also enhances their intellectual and general ,itality.

(. Three Le)els to *round

<. Three Le,els to =round As a physical exercise& Three Le,els to =round% can make your legs strong and flexible> as a chi kung exercise& it can strengthen your heart system& generate better energy flow& and increase your ,itality.

1+. ,ancing %rane

1?. @ancing *rane This exercise helps you to channel ,ital energy to your legs. 0ut the benefits are not +ust for the legs. As the body is interconnected by countless meridians& inducing better energy flow at the legs is sometimes necessary to sol,e problems in other parts of the body. Someone with kidney stones or a dull intellect may o,ercome his problem more efficiently if he incorporates this @ancing *rane% exercise.

11. %arr!ing

ountains

11. *arrying 2ountains 'f you wish to ha,e powerful arms but do not want to undergo tough and rough conditioning& or if you wish to o,ercome some chronic pain at your back& *arying 2ountain% is a useful exercise.

12. ,rawing 'ni-e

12. @rawing 9nife Ai +ing ba mai% or the eight wondrous meridians% is often mentioned in chi kung texts but seldom understood. @rawing 9nife% is an effecti,e exercise to generate energy flow to these eight wondrous meridians.

13. Presenting %laws

1(. )resenting *laws 'f you suffered from diabetes& had trouble with your digesti,e system& or often felt worried and anxious& this exercise may o,ercome your problem.

14. Pushing

ountains

1-. )ushing 2ountains ' ha,e ne,er failed to be ama4ed by the profundity in simplity of this exercise. 'f you wish to o,ercome your rheumatism& or to enhance your sex life& or to ha,e internal force for martial art& or to ha,e mental freshness " +ust to mention a few of its benefits " practise this exercise.

15. Se.arating /ater

1/. Separating :ater This is an excellent exercise for the heart and the lung systems. 't will also gi,e you powerful arms.

16. 0ig /ind1ill

11. 0ig :indmill 2any people will find it hard to belie,e& but if you perform this exercise correctly and sufficiently& you can de,elop enough internal force to break a brick without ha,ing to lift weights or strike sandbags. Those with diabetes or problems related to the li,er and spleen systems& will also find this exercise ,ery useful.

1$. ,ee. 'nee 0ending

15. @eep 9nee 0ending .ere is another excellent exercise for the lower body. 't also opens up the meridians at the legs so that negati,e energy from other parts of the body can be efficiently drained out into the ground.

18. #otating 'nees

17. 3otating 9nees 6ou may be surprised& but 3otating 9nees% may help to o,ercome sex problems& or enhance sexual performance and en+oyment. Strong& healthy knees& ob,iously& ensures that you will still be agile at eighty and beyond.