Beautiful illustrations of Dao Yin 導引 “guiding and leading” exercises from the Qing dynasty text “Illustrations of Nourishing Life, Qi Gong and Guiding and Leading” 養生氣功導引圖. Although this exercise tradition may superficially bear some similarities to Yoga, and indeed is likely to have absorbed some influence from India over the years, the aims and results of this kind of training are unique in their own right, with their roots in China stretching back at least to its first mention by Zhuangzi 莊子 nearly 2500 years ago. Although often linked to Daoism, it was also practised by Buddhists, Confucians and lay people, and well as being employed to cure disease and maintain wellbeing.
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