Yi Jin Jing

Yijin Jing - "Muscle/Tendon Change Classic" - Tendon - Muscle Strengthening QiGong Exercise

The Yi Jin Jing is a series of exercises that coordinates breathing patterns and movement, to enhance physical health when practiced consistently.

Yi - Change
Jin - Tendons
Jing - Methods

Strengthening the muscles and tendons, promoting strength and flexibility, speed and stamina, balance and coordination of the body.

These set of forms are the key element of the physical conditioning used in Shaolin training.

Chart by Newone - self-made Wikimedia

According to legend, the Yi Jin Jing was said to be left behind by Bodhidharma after his departure from the Shaolin Monastery, and discovered within his grave or hidden in the walls of the temple, years after he had left. It was accompanied by another text, the Xisui Jing, which was passed to a student of Bodhidharma's but has not survived to the modern day.

Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk (5thC.), is credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. He also began the physical training of the Shaolin Monastery monks that led to the creation of Shaolin Kung Fu.

The Chinese Health QiGong Association complied the set of twelve traditional routines of Yi Jin Jing. Soft, extended, even movements that invigorate the limbs and internal organs. It improves flexibility, balance and muscular strength, and have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system.

Routines:
Ready Position