Grandmaster Tse’s Qìgōng Dào 氣功道 475

When we practise Dàyàn Qìgōng 大雁氣功 (Wild Goose Qìgōng), why are certain movements not practised on both sides? This is a very good question. When we look at nature, we will see trees, mountains, and people, and it is obvious that they are not identical on boths; this is natural.

In our forms, we often do not perform a movement on both sides. For example, movement 30, Recover Qì 回氣; movement 34, Look at the Moon 望月; and movement 40, Drink Water 飲水. Then there are other movements that we do practise on both sides, like movement 4, Draw Wings to the Back 折窩; movement 5, Flick Wings 抖膀; and movement 22, Cloud Hands 雲手. However, in Cloud Hands, we do not do the same number on each side, and this is more interesting.

There are many ways to move in Qìgōng to make us healthy. Some movements are part of a set sequence, while others are sets of individual movements. Individual movements, like in Balancing Gōng 平衡功 and Healthy Living Gōng 健康生活功, are practised on both sides. This is because each movement has a particular benefit. For example, Roc Extends the Wings 大鵬展翅 and Separating the Fog to Look for the Clouds 分霧看雲 are both good for the lungs and the kidneys.

Nature has all kinds of ways, and for good health, our Qìgōng needs to include many different movements.