Five Animal Frolics

My notes on four of the five animal frolics, as learned in the Lotus Nei Gong course I just took. (The frolic we didn’t cover was the monkey, which is apparently about moving the blood.)

Tiger:

Extend fingers into claws, like gripping the top of a jar. Grab Dantian, make small circles with your hands, circling forward and unwind by going higher. Wind it in, still circling forward unwind again, and at top, lunge forward onto left foot. Pull back right arm, palm still facing down, stretching inside of rib cage; look back as you pull. Then left, then right. Then use both arms to pull back to the middle, shifting weight back some; circle arms out to the right and forward. Then same thing, but circle back to the left. Then pull back with both arms and step up with right foot.

Repeat: small circles, unwind, wind in, unwind, then lunge forward with right foot. Left, right, left, center to left circle, center to right circle.

Then: step up, unwind again and wind back.

Shift weight to right foot (or maybe step forward?), with left unweighted next to it; circle arms over so right arm is extended with claw up, left arm bent over right arm with claw down, close to shoulder. Focus on spot on left, lunge forward with left leg, swinging your arms over with right arm pointing at spot, left arm 90 degrees.

Step up with right leg, ending with weight still on left; left arm extended claw up, right arm bent over. Focus right and lunge right, coming down with left arm at spot and right arm 90 degrees over. Then left again and right again.

Come to center; unwind/wind back and then drop into Wu Ji.

Bird:

Raise arms, opening live gate; expand shoulders, imagine rubber sheet over arm, stretch the top especially at the wrist. Then go down: shoulder down, then elbow, wrist and hands go down left, stretching an elastic sheet under the wrist. Repeat twice more (3 total).

Step forward with left; flap with arms at 90 degrees, one forward and one to the side, flapping left then right then left. Then flap up with both arms forward; coming down, go up onto left food, with right foot off the ground pointing back, and with both arms going back along your back (palms up), imagine Tian Tu teaching towards Huiyin.

Repeat on other side; step forward with right, 90 degrees right left right, then both forward and back, stepping up onto right leg.

Step forward with left, twist to the left; if you’re feeling flexible, lower down until your right knee touches the floor and your butt is on your left heel. (But staying higher is fine, don’t lower your knee unless you’re flexible enough to also lower your butt.) Cross your arms in front of you (crossing on forearms near the wrists), with the right hand on top; uncross them, with the right arm kept bent and your left arm opening, pulling your right elbow away from your left hand, with your right hand pointing at your left hand. Close and do it two more times. Then step forward with your right foot, twist and close your arms with your left arm on top, and do the same thing on the right side.

Then flap three times standing on left foot; arms out to side, right foot off the ground but heavy and pulling you down on the downward flaps. Then same thing standing on right foot.

Then both arms rigid pointing out, like pole between index fingers; twisting dive bombing motion from the Dantian, starting small and getting bigger. No fixed number of turns. Then go down into Wu Ji.

Deer:

Make horns with your index and ring finger; should go up, with middle two fingers curled down but not curling at the expense of bending the fingers. Thumb also sticks out. Put up next to your head, thumbs pointing at temples, elbows further back than normal.

Send a pulse of energy up inside from pressure on your Yongquan. As it reaches the top, stretch up through your body, raising your arms, standing on your toes. Rotate your Dantian forward, turning it into a spine wave; do that twice more. Then sink down. Repeat this whole thing twice more.

Step forward with your left foot, landing on the heel. Then press up from your Yongquan on your right foot twisting pretty far to your left, led from the Qi. End up with your weight forward on the left foot (which is now flat); twist your spine (including your neck) left, looking back over your left shoulder. (Still with hands making horns by your head.)

Repeat on the right.

Do the same thing on the left, but don’t twist as hard; then do three spine waves kicked off by forward Dantian rotations. Repeat on the right.

Paw your right foot back with a sort of scraping motion, then stomp down with your right foot and lunge forward with your left foot, turning your torso to the left and sticking up your arms, with your right arm arcing over the top and giving a ribcage stretch while your left arm is more going straight in line with your body. Repeat on other side: paw and stomp left foot, lunge right and stretch arms.

End by pawing and stomping right, then stomping left next to it, then dropping down into Wu Ji.

Bear:

Raise arms to diaphragm level and let hands hang limply. Make everything heavy; as always, sink flesh around bones.

Step forward with your left foot: a relatively short and heavy step. Sink all your weight again, over your left foot; your right heel should come up naturally. Lean forward/left and fold into your Kua. Push back up from the sole of your left foot.

Repeat on right side: short heavy step, heavy weight on right, fold into right Kua, push back up.

Then similar on both sides but when you fold, lean forward so that your back foot comes up and you’re balancing over your front foot.

Then step forward with your left foot; lower your fingers so they feel like they’re sinking into your feet. Raise your arms up so your hands are beside your head; you should feel like you’re stretching out an elastic (or some mucus or something) from your fingers to your toes; you also want to feel a stretch in your chest. Your weight should remain over your front foot. Then let your hands go down. Push back up from your left foot, step to the right, repeat.

Step to the left and grab your Dantian with both fists, with palms up and knuckles touching in front of your abdomen. Drag them (and your Qi) up, still touching; when they reach your chest, arc them away and up until they’re making a circle above your head, still touching. Reverse and go down your body. Then step right and do the same thing.

Step up with your left foot, do one last bear sink, and go into Wu Ji.