“Green dragon rolling in water “- gathering Qi

“Green dragon rolling in water “ is an exercise that comes from the 8 Qigong set (八氣功). The purpose of the set is to cultivate and gather Chi. It is also to bring that Qi down into the lower Basin or the Dantian and control the fire ( Li Trigram ) with the water ( Kan Trigram) in alchemical terms. The direction that the palm faces helps to guide the Qi. This helps helps in guiding the Qi down as well as maintaining it in the lower Basin. These exercises are done to ensure that the tissue is changeable. It is much like soaking rawhide in water before working with it. Changes acquired without enough Qi cultivated will not be maintainable and will eventually reverse. This is called San Gong or the dispersion of skill.