Eight Brocades

Eight Pieces of Brocade – Powerful Exercises to Strengthen Your Mind and Body

The eight brocades are a very effective external set of Tai Chi exercises that will strengthen your body and increase your qi within your body. This powerful Chi Kung exercise set will enhance your Tai Chi to great effect. Work through the eight brocades slowly and methodically and listen to your body very carefully.

How many repetitions should I do? 

Please start with 3-5 repetitions and gradually increase your amount, when you are more comfortable you can build up to 18-36 repetitions for each piece of the eight brocades. Please take your time and work through each one very carefully.
Listed below is a short explanation of the main benefits for each exercise in the eight brocades:

OVERVIEW OF EACH EXERCISE FUNCTION

First Piece

Supporting heaven with both hands

Exercise Function

This exercise primary aim is to control your tri-heater or triple warmer, which helps your lungs, heart, and back, relieving any tiredness that you may have.

Second Piece

Bending the bow, as though shooting a hawk

Exercise Function

This exercise makes the muscles of your chest, arms and shoulders strong. It also works on your kidneys and waist area. It improves the circulatory function in your body and improves its respiration.

Third Piece

Single handed push up to heaven and down to earth

Exercise Function

This exercise helps to control your spleen and stomach meridians, working on your internal organs, shoulders, upper back, and upper arms, whilst helping to prevent gastro-intestinal disorders in your body.

Fourth Piece

Turn the head and look back to prevent illness/injuries

Exercise Function

This exercise helps to control the function of your five yin organs (liver, lungs, spleen, heart and kidneys) and injuries or lesions caused by the seven emotions (anger, joy, sorrow, love, desire, hate and happiness).

It also helps to increase the strength in your neck and chest muscles, whilst working on the function of your internal organs.

Fifth Piece

Sway the head and swing the tail to rid heart-fire

Exercise Function

This exercise role is to help prevent heartburn that you may have, due to poor food intake, whilst controlling excessive amounts of qi in your body. It helps when you have not had enough sleep and when you breathe in polluted air, by helping you to breathe more slowly and evenly. This moves the fire into your lungs to expel it from your body. Additional benefits are strengthening of your thighs and improving your overall flexibility.

Sixth Piece

Bend from the waist and hold the feet with both hands

Exercise Function

This is a wonderful exercise which will gradually increase the flexibility in your spine, back, hips, kidneys and adrenal glands. It helps to unblock your kidney meridians by massaging them internally.

Seventh Piece

Screw the fist with fiery eyes – to increase qi li (muscle)

Exercise Function

This exercise is marvellous for raising your spirit (shen); strengthening your qi flow and overall building muscle tone, strength and stamina. It improves your concentration, stimulating your nervous system and circulation, helping all your body fluids to move more freely.

Eighth Piece

Keep all diseases away by raising the heels

Exercise Function

The vibrations or jolts down your back help to prevent and cure illness. This exercise will develop your calf muscles, smoothing your chi from top to bottom. It will also work on your six leg channels which link to your internal organs. The End

You have now a basic understanding of what each exercise function does in the eight brocades. This will help you visualise the area of the body that you are working on.