Frolics

Overview:

The famous Five Animal Frolics are the legacy of Hua T'o (110-207 A.D.), one of the great physicians of the Han Dynasty, and represent the only known remnants of his outstanding medical lore. They were transmitted to posterity by his disciple Wu Pu and to this day are a living testament to Hua T'o's dream of benefiting the health of all people. They are a gift of incalculable price. -Paul Gallagher, "Drawing Silk"

Frolics- Crane:

1. Cane breathing

2. Crane's beak

3. Crane spreads both wings

4. Crane squat

5. Crane stnads on one leg

6. Crane spreads wings behind

7. Crane Walk: arms forward and push back palms

8. Crane Walk: arms open sideways and return to dan tian - "Crane Prepares to Soar Aloft"

9. Crane Walk: arms open sideways and press behind

10. Crane walks along the river bank, spreading wings forward and back

11. A variation with raised knee

12. Flying Crane

Frolics- Bear:

1. Bear turns (twists)

2. Bear pushes behind

3. Bear pushes down

4. Bear puts out claws

5. Bear double push with palms

6. Bear double push to ground - bending forward side to side

7. Bear double push to ground - sit back as you push out

8. Bear Walk: - Bear amles through woods

9. Bear Walk: - with fists

10. Bear Walk: - pointing at the Sun, holding up the Moon

11. Bear Walk: - plucking berries

Frolics- Monkey:

1. Monkey grasping branch - holding and pulling

2. Monkey looks behind

3. Monkey offers fruit

4. Palms extended forward

5. Fingers widely opened in front of chin

6. Monkey offers fruit twice

Frolics- Deer:

1. Deer standing

2. Deer walks through woods - turns head

3. Dear turns head behind - palm to dan tian

4. Deer stretches down

5. Stag leaps up

6. Wild stag twists and sits

7. Deer parts the grasses

Frolics- Tiger:

1. Tiger searches for food

2. Tiger seizes prey

3. Tiger leaps from den

4. Tiger leaps from den twice

5. Wild Tiger roams the Steppes