Yiquan's Healing Pioneer
Dr. Yu Yongnian
(1920-2013)
A student of the founder of Yiquan, Wang Xiangzhai, an expert in the field of Zhanzhuang health preservation.
During the Cultural Revolution in China, Dr. Yu’s spine was broken due to brutal mistreatment but was miraculously recovered by Zhanzhuang. Dr. Yu lived to 93 years old with a healthy back.
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Yu graduated from Tokyo Dental University, Japan in 1941. For his medical career, Yu started as a dentist and later served as Chief Dentist and Head of the Department of Stomatology at Beijing Railways Hospital.
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In 1944, Yu began studying Zhanzhuang with Master Wang Xiangzhai and never stopped studying Zhanzhuang. He studied directly with Master Wang for over 20 years and was styled a name as “Statue” by his master.
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In 1953, Yu began using Zhanzhuang to cure chronic diseases at Beijing Railways Hospital. Yu was possibly the first medical professional who applied Zhanzhuang to managing chronic conditions for patients. He had taught Zhanzhuang to random people in Yuyuantan (玉渊坛) Park for decades. There were more than 100 exercisers taking the free lessons every day. During the Cultural Revolution, Yu’s spine was broken due to brutal mistreatment but was miraculously recovered by Zhanzhuang.
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After decades of practice, analysis, and painstaking research using human anatomy methods, Yu created many health-effect theories related to Zhanzhuang, including “Standing for Seeking Things”, “First Voluntary Movement”, “Second Voluntary Movement”. The “Second Voluntary Movement” theory, which is internal tightening and loosening movements of human “resting muscles” unveiled the mystery of the health-preserving method of Chinese martial arts.
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After having spent more than 60 years on the practice and research of Zhanzhuang, Yu combined Lao Tzu’s “Tao Te Ching/道德经”to develop his unique Zhanzhuang method for one’s health improvement and philosophical interests. Yu published the book “Zhanzhuang and Tao Te Ching” in 2011, two years before his death, explaining Zhanzhuang with modern science and classical philosophy to form a systematic, complete, efficient, and scientific health maintenance concept and easy-to-learn training system. Yu’s unique Zhanzhuang method is not only greatly promoted in China, but also widely spread in Europe, America and other countries.
"The world has different interpretations and understandings of Tao Te Ching, but the essence of the interpretation and understanding can only be truly understood through one’s self-experiencing and recognition." – Yu Yongnian
“世人对道德经的解释、理解不尽相同，但解释、理解对与否要通过自身的体认才能真正理解其精髓.”- 于永年
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The healing effect of Zhanzhuang was once not understandable to either Chinese or Western medicine. Thanks to Yu Yongnian, this unique health-preserving method has been improved and perfected.
Dr. Yu Yongnian died at 93 years old in 2013.
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Yu’s best students are Guo Guozhi (郭贵志)、Yu Guanying (于冠英), and Lin Jinquan (林锦全), to name a few. One of his most famous students is Stanley Tong(唐季礼), a Hong Kong movie director. Stanley Tong directed or produced many Jackie Chan movies, such as “Police Story 3”, “Rumble in the Bronx”, “The Myth”, “CZ12”, “Kung Fu Yoga”, etc.
Characteristics of
is a special exercise. It’s aerobic, very gentle, and doesn’t require much movement. No warm-ups before the exercise or ending routines are required. What you need is just a place (either indoor or outdoor) with good air circulation. has a large number of postures (stances are the technical term), but there is only one basic posture which can be transformed into all other postures. So, when you master the one posture, it’s only a matter of time to master all of them. From this perspective, is not a complex skill to learn.
The training time of can be adjusted by oneself. In general, practitioners start from 5 minutes and increase progressively up to one hour. However, a 5-min has health benefits, too. So is quite accessible since no minimum “dose” of time is required. In fact, men, women, seniors, juniors, the weak or strong, all can practice according to their own situation at their preferred time and place.
There are usually four stages of the learning process and there are various reactions during beginning stages of .
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Healing aspect of
In general, can correct and build a stronger body. With postures, young men with hunchbacks can be corrected. Dysfunctional feet, knees, or legs can be fixed to a great extent. The middle-aged suffering from back/shoulder/neck/muscle pain, hemorrhoids, insomnia, bad digestion, etc., can expect to get rid of those with consistent practice of over time.
is the best option for the weak or elderly as can gradually and constantly enhance their immune system – the human body’s own defense mechanisms. According to Dr. Yu’s clinical experimentation and tests, many kinds of chronic diseases such as chronic tracheitis, chronic gastroenteritis, chronic hepatitis, cardiopathy, high blood pressure(hypertension), neurasthenic, chronic rheumatoid arthritis and similar rheumatoid arthritis, adipoma, goiter, etc., may obtain unbelievable beneficial effects after practice.
We only listed some of the health applications of . There are more. Every day practitioners are discovering new benefits of this amazing exercise.
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Why can cure diseases?
is not only standing still. It is not only meditation, either. The system of training is a combination of physical and mental aspects. The physical and mental activities are not separate from each other in this exercise. Hence, both the physiological and psychological functions of the body are cumulatively strengthened. Why heals is a huge topic. Dr. Yu had written many books about it. In this article, we are going to focus on how is able to nourish the blood. We will talk more in our blog posts.
During , the body is held relatively unchanged in correct structures and there is constant contraction and loosening between muscles and bones. This will mobilize blood vessels, which promotes blood circulation. Dr. Yu listed the following figures in the book of “ and Search of Wu” (Yu Yongnian, 2005, Shanxi Science and Technology Press).
After one hour of the composition of the blood may sensibly change:
- up to 1520 000 additional erythrocytes (red blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
- up to 3650 additional hem leukocytes (white blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
- up to 3.2 gram of additional hemoglobin per cm3 of blood.
Red blood cells are able to carry oxygen so efficiently because of the hemoglobin they contain. Increase of hemoglobin can directly impact the quantity of oxygen. With this additional amount of oxygen brought to the organ systems, one will be in a special state of relaxation and wellbeing. This is why has particularly good results in treating neurasthenia, arthritis, angina, cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
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Recommended for special people
The most important characteristic of as a healing method is that there is no side-effect. From the medicine point of view, there are not so many optional exercises for people who are too weak to sit or stand and people with special diseases i.e., cardiovascular diseases. is the best option for those people. There are lying-down postures, supported postures, sitting postures, standing postures, practitioners can choose appropriate postures and control the physical effort precisely by the time of practicing.
To conclude, with thousands of years of development and the support of Yiquan martial artists and medical professionals in the last 100 years, has brought together the essence of Chinese well-being philosophies and western sciences as a mature, thorough and complete method of health maintenance and improvement. If you want to know more about as a healing method, reading Dr. Yu’s books is a good start. Here are three recommendations:
< Zhan Zhuang and The Search of Wu > (Chinese, English versions)
<Zhan Zhuang: The Art of Nourishing Life> (Chinese, English, French versions)
< Zhan Zhuang and Dao De Jing> (Chinese version)
Basic Zhanzhuang Online Course
Course Level: Beginner
This is a systematic self-study Zhanzhuang (Standing Meditation) course to develop your body and mind to a greater level. Your health condition can be improved quickly.
Advanced Zhanzhuang Online Course
Course Level: Intermediate
This course will challenge you but provide with you a new horizon of Zhanzhuang. You may obtain quicker and further health improvement.
Basic Shili(Force testing) Online Course
Course Level: Intermediate
As an interesting exercise that can be applied to health development, Shili (force testing) prepares basic movements for self-defense skills from Yiquan martial art system. This online course introduces 10 kinds of Shili training on the Parallel Step.
Friction Steps Online Course
Course Requirement: Advanced Beginner of Zhanzhuang
Friction Steps can be applied as a leg-strengthening exercise. This interesting exercise develops strong leg power, and enhanced balance& alignment for footsteps.
For those who are interested in self defense, this course will provide you with the basic footwork of Chinese traditional martial arts that can be integrated into real fights.