This is a fresh take on one of the most popular Chinese Qigong routines-The Eight Pieces of Brocade. The Eight Pieces of Brocade or Ba Duan Jin in Chinese, has been popular for centuries. Its popularity spawning many variants, with typical explanations of the routine concentrating on its physical aspects.

Those physical aspects are important, but they are only part of the story. The real message of the routine lies in its engagement of the body's bio-energy system. The body's bio-energy or qi and its cultivation via the acupuncture points and meridians are literally "where it's at" for...