At our martial arts and Qigong events, we teach the 8 Animals Qigong and elemental relationships. Each animal of the 8 Animals Qigong set has a relationship with different natural elements. All of these elements come from the I Ching as each animal is based upon one of the eight trigrams. Each trigram is related to one of the Five Elements of the Wu Xing. Each of the Five Elements within the Wu Xing is related to a different organ, emotion, mental quality, season, and time of day. We go beyond the simple movements. Let's break down each element for a greater understanding.
8 Animals Qigong and elemental relationships
Animal: Snake:
Trigram: Kan ☵
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iChing: Water
Element: Water
"Each of the Five Elements within the Wu Xing is related to a different organ, emotion, mental quality, season, and time of day."
Organs: Kidneys, Bladder
Negative Emotion: Fear
Positive Emotion: Will Power
Mental Quality: Spontaneity
Time: 3pm-7pm
Season: Winter
Elemental Breakdown:
8 Animals Qigong and the Trigram:
The trigrams come directly from the I Ching. Baguazhang is based off of the I Ching principles. The solid lines represent Yang and the broken lines represent Yin. For Snake Qigong the trigram is ☵ (kan) It consists of Yin on the bottom, Yang in the middle and Yin at the top. This is the symbol of water in the iChing.
8 Animals Qigong and the Element:
The element is related to the Five Elements, known as Wu Xing in Chinese. Each animal is related to one of the Five Elements in the Wu Xing. Snake is related to the Water element.
8 Animals Qigong and the Organs:
Each animal movement has a relationship with a specific organ of the body. The Snake Qigong’s movement will benefit the kidneys and bladder among others.
8 Animals Qigong and the Emotions:
Each of the 8 Animals Qigong has the power to aid you in transformation of your emotions. They can aid in transforming negative emotions into positive ones. Snake Qigong can aid you to transform fear into will power.
8 Animals Qigong and the Mental Quality:
Each of the 8 Animals has a relationship with arousing a certain mental quality. Snake arouses the mental quality of spontaneity.
8 Animals Qigong and Time:
Every animal of the 8 Animals Qigong is related to a time of day. Snake Qigong is related to the hours between 3pm to 7pm. This could be the most beneficial time of day to practice.
8 Animals Qigong and Season:
Every animal also has a relationship with a different season. Snake Qigong is related to the winter. This could be the most beneficial time to practice Snake Qigong.
As you can now clearly everything within the 8 Animals Qigong system of Baguazhang is deeply interrelated. Adding one trigram to another, meaning adding one animal with another will create a Gua. Take a look at our Qigong events page to discover our 8 Animals courses, or take a look at our 5 animals e-book.