Dao Yin

Dao yin, which translates as "guiding and pulling", is the probably the oldest of the various traditional Chinese exercise systems. The full body sequence presented here is a series of simple stretches and mobilisations that we use to warm up for tai chi practice.

I've included them in the program as warm ups for the remedial sequences and to limber up before practice sessions or long gigs, you'll see references to them throughout the program. For now it's best to learn the full set, you'll only notice the cumulative effect once you've done them like this a few times. They don't need to be done in this sequence though, eventually you'll have a series of exercises that you can pick from depending on your needs.

Dao Yin leg sequence

Warm all around your knees by rubbing them with your hands. Start above your knees at the inside and outside, then below your knees, inside and outside.
Make horizontal circles with your knees.
Stand still with your hands on your knees, flex your trunk forward to stretch the backs of your legs. Bend your knees and squat into a curl before coming back up into the stretch.
Stand up with your hands at the lower abdomen. Stand on one leg, flex the opposite hip and knee and rotate your ankle a few times in each direction, then make circles from your knee, and then your hip. Repeat for the other leg.

Dao Yin lower back sequence

With your heels together and toes apart, push your hands down with the outbreath and then bring them above your head, push up from the shoulders, stand on your toes and breathe in. Sink back down with the outbreath, bring your hands behind your head and carefully arch your back. Breathe in as you take your hands back up and down into the initial position.
With your hands pushing up bring them apart and put them in the small of your back as you arch and breathe out. Bring them back up with the inbreath.
Go back into horse stance and put your hands on your knees. With your feet parallel and back straight squat down with the outbreath. Breathe in as you come back up and repeat.
Widen your stance and bend your left knee, keeping the right one straight as you come down on your left side and rotate your trunk to the right. You’ll feel the stretch inside the groin on your right leg. Breathe in, come up and stretch the other side.
Still with a wide stance rotate your trunk 90 degrees and straighten your front foot. Lunge forward onto this knee with your back straight. You'll feel the stretch in your left groin. Breathe in, come up and do it again with the outbreath. Repeat on the other side.

Dao Yin shoulder sequence

Get into horse stance. Bring your hands up in front of you. Turn to your left side, placing your left hand on the small of your back and taking your right hand across your body to the left, stretching the back of your right shoulder. Turn to the other side and stretch your left shoulder.
Bend to the left and stretch your right arm above your head. Breathe in, come down and stretch the other side.
Make circles with your shoulders. First like freestyle swimming, then backstroke, then butterfly with both arms going forward together, then both arms back together like a backwards butterfly – repeat three times each. Then start with your hands above your head. Turn to your left and take your left hand behind you in a circle, while your right hand makes a circle to the front. When they are parallel with the ground turn back to the centre so by the time you’re facing the front your hands are by your side. They don’t cross as you move to the right when the right hand comes up behind you and the left in front. When they're parallel turn back to the front, keep moving till you’re back where you started. Repeat in the opposite direction.
Make circles with your shoulders so that you push them forward and raise them as you breathe in. Bring them to the back at the top of the circle and let them fall as you exhale. Bring them back to the front at the bottom of the circle and come up again as you breathe in. Do this a few times and then reverse the direction, still breathing in on the way up and out on the way down. Remember the sensation of letting go and falling with the out breath that we learnt with the qigong exercise.

Dao Yin neck and upper back sequence

Start with an inhalation down into the abdomen, as you breathe out turn your head to one side. Breathe in come come back to the centre and then move to the other side with the next exhalation. Repeat two or three times.
.For the lateral neck muscles move your left ear toward your left shoulder and breathe out. Come back to the centre with the inbreath and to the right with the outbreath, back to the centre and repeat.
Finally take your chin forward and then down in an arc until it’s tucked up under your neck as you breathe out. Breathe in and keep your neck extended out and make a big circle with your chin until it is pointing to the sky, breathe out with the stretch.
Move slowly and incorporate your breathing with the movements, breathing out as you lengthen the muscles and in as you shorten them.

Dao Yin hand sequence

This is an addition to the standard sequence that will be helpful before you play. Put your hands together with the palms facing but about 10 cm apart and with the fingertips pushing each other. Spread your fingers and thumb as wide as you can and push your hands together. Repeat a few times and give them a good shake.