Taoist yoga

Sedentary lifestyle

Many young people begin to lose their flexibility in their 20's and 30's and seldom regain it.
The main problem is laziness.

Sitting for lengthy periods of time is bad for the body.
It causes muscles to tighten, circulation to suffer, the eyes to become fixed and the mind to dull.
The legs, lower back and shoulders typically become weak, tight and often quite painful.
Tao yin stretching slowly reverses the problem. 

Freedom from tension

Modern living leads to most people accumulating unwanted tightness in their muscles. This limits their range of movement.
Common causes:

1. Too much sitting
2. Repetitive activities
3. Insufficient exercise
4. Straining/forcing the body
5. Sport
6. Dehydration
7. Poor sleep
8. Stress

Tao yin exercises are an excellent way to free the body and mind from tension.

Daily practice

This has been Master Waller's daily kung fu routine since 1992:

1. Strength-building
   - balls & grips
   - taoist yoga self-massage (100+ exercises)
   - ba duan jin (8 exercises)
   - reeling silk (6 exercises)
   - 16 elbows
   - moving qigong (15 exercises)
   - standing qigong - single posture (20 minutes) or full circle qigong (30 minutes)
   - taoist yoga leg stretches: day 1 or 2
   - taoist yoga postures (30 minutes)
    
2. Tai chi chuan forms (regular & mirrored)
   - slow form (regular & mirrored)
   - pao chui (regular & mirrored)
   - sabre
   - 2 person cane
   - staff
   - walking stick
   - jian
    
3. Weapons (regular & mirrored)
   - knife drills/small stick drills/stick drills/broadsword drills
    
4. Drills (regular & mirrored)
   - small san sau
   - silk arms
   - 5 pre-emptive measures
   - pushing peng/double pushing hands/da lu/penetrating defences/reflex drills
   - 3-tier wallbag
    
5. Baguazhang (regular & mirrored)
   - 8 mother palms
   - 6 direction changes
   - circle walking
   - figure of 8
   - 9 palaces
   - 8 palm changes (clockwise & anticlockwise)
    
6. Cool down
   - stretches & joint work (tao yin/taoist yoga)
   - psoas exercises
   - standing qigong (5-10 minutes)
    
7. Meditation
   - constructive rest position
   - guided relaxation
    
8. Reading/study

Taoist yoga

Tao yin refers to a wide selection of stretching exercises designed to improve circulation and boost the flow of energy within the body. It is commonly referred to as 'taoist yoga'. The stretches work the legs, back and psoas in particular.

The aim is to relax into the release the muscles, rather than force the body. In order to further release muscular tension and aid flexibility, the body is sometimes massaged during the stretch. It is encouraged to lengthen naturally. Typically the same exercise is performed a few times to enable a fuller release.

Taoist yoga is a gentle way to exercise the body:

• Simple to perform
• Easy to learn
• Improves balance
• Stress-relief
• Meditation exercise
• Encourages a calm mind and composed emotions
• Energises
• Does not strain the body
• Strength-building
• Emphasis is placed upon allowing rather than forcing
• Improves skeletal alignment and poise
• Low-impact
• No exotic/strenuous postures
• Can be practiced by most people

Tao yin

Tao yin refers to a wide selection of stretching exercises designed to improve circulation and boost the flow of energy within the body.
It is commonly referred to as 'taoist yoga'.

The stretches work the legs, back and psoas in particular.

Mild stretches

Taoist yoga is a gentle way to exercise the body:

• Simple to perform
• Easy to learn
• Improves balance
• Stress-relief
• Encourages a calm mind and composed emotions
• Energises
• Does not strain the body
• Strength-building
• Emphasis is placed upon allowing rather than forcing
• Improves skeletal alignment and poise
• Low-impact
• Can be practiced by people of all ages