Shibashi 18 Movement Qi Gong
About Shibashi
Shibashi means (“Eighteen Types, Forms or Styles”)
Shibashi Qi Gong was initially created by Professor Lin Housheng in the late 1970s, and then further developed in the 1980’s and 1990s.
Lin Housheng created the first Shibashi set of 18 movements in 1979. Over subsequent years he went on to create a further seven Shibashi sets. The final, eighth set, however, is a selection of Lin Housheng’s favourite exercises from the first seven sets.
If you want to know more about Lin Housheng, you can visit his website at Lin Housheng's Qigong - Home. The site is a bit limited but it does give you some interesting background about Shibashi and its founder and there are some resources and articles that you can buy through the site. These resources are more for the Qi Gong enthusiast and I’d recommend using the vast range of information about Shibashi and Qi Gong that is available for free online.
Whilst Shibashi is a popular and widely practiced Qi Gong method, only the first few sets have become popular and you will find that most Qi Gong teachers will only teach the first set of 18 exercises.
Google Shibashi and most of what you will find is about the first Shibashi set. Some teachers will teach the second and third sets but it is rare to find anyone who teaches beyond the third set.
If you are reading this and you teach any of the higher sets, please get in touch, I’d love to find out more.
Many of the exercises that are included in the Shibashi sets are not unique and what Lin Housheng did was to:
1. Incorporate movements from the Yang Style Tai Chi forms.
For example:
Shibashi begins with a version of the first movement from most Tai Chi forms ‘Step Out, Raise and Lower Hands.’
Shibashi Set 1, no. 10 has ‘Riding a Horse and Swaying Arms’ which resembles a Tai Chi movement ‘Waving Hands Like Clouds.’
Shibashi Set 1, no. 12 has ‘Undulating Waves’, which resembles the final pressing movement of the ‘Grasp Birds Tail’ Tai Chi movement.
Shibashi Set 2, no. 4 has ‘Detecting Needle in the Sea’, which resembles the ‘Needle at Sea Bottom’ Tai Chi form.
2. Include exercises taken from existing, and often much older Qi Gong sets.
For example:
Shibashi Set 1, no 14. has ‘Punching with Outstretched Arms’ which is the same as ‘Punching With Angry Eyes’ from the Ba Duan Jin Qi Gong sequence.
Shibashi Set 2, no 10 has ‘Shooting Arrow’, which resembles ‘Draw the Bow to Shoot the Eagle’ from the Ba Duan Jin Qi Gong sequence.
Shibashi and Tai Chi
The close connection between Shibashi Qi Gong and Yang Style Tai Chi is one of the reasons for its popularity.
Not only do many of the Shibashi exercises resemble the movements from Tai Chi forms, the body alignments, shifting of weight and the connection between movement and breath are somewhat similar. Because of this, many Tai Chi instructors teach Shibashi Qi Gong as a warm up for their Tai Chi classes.
There are many different styles of Tai Chi and even within similar Tai Chi styles there are many variations in the way that Tai Chi is taught and practiced. In fact, it is often said that there are as many different Tai Chi forms as there are Tai Chi instructors.
Therefore, each of the different Tai Chi, styles, schools and instructors may teach Shibashi in a slightly different way. The overall sequence of the 18 movements is broadly the same, but different teachers will emphasise different ways of doing the movements.
Tai Chi instructors will also change the way they teach Shibashi to meet the needs of their students. For example, a teacher with older students or those with health issues may teach a very gentle form of Shibashi with small stances and easy weight shifting, whilst a teacher with younger, more able students may teach a more demanding form of Shibashi, with longer stances and bigger shifts of weight.
Another big difference in the way that Shibashi is taught will depend upon the emphasis the teacher places on the martial/combat aspects of the Tai Chi. The vast majority of Tai Chi instructors will teach Shibashi for health and relaxation but a small minority will emphasise the martial aspects of the movements from the Tai Chi form, and this is reflected in the way they teach Shibashi.
One of the interesting things about Shibashi is the way that its creator Lin Housheng demonstrates the sets.
The movements are basically the same as those taught to me by my teachers and demonstrated on most of the Shibashi videos you will see online. However, Lin Housheng demonstrates the exercises at quite a fast pace, in an active, calisthenic manner. From a Tai Chi perspective, the quality of the movements displayed is quite poor.
My advice would be not to get too hung up on the type of Shibashi you are being taught. Enjoy what you are learning and practice it diligently.
My own approach as a teacher of Tai Chi and Qi Gong is to teach the first Shibashi set to new beginners alongside teaching the first part of the Yang Chang Fu long form. As students progress, I shift my approach to concentrate on older and more advanced Qi Gong.
The Founder of Shibashi, Lin Housheng demonstrating the first 18 movement set.
Shibashi Movements
Here is a list of the names of the movements of the first Shibashi set. These names are taken from Lin Housheng’s book on Shibashi, which was published in a mix of Chinese and English. The book includes the first 4 Shibashi sets, but only the first two are described in English, which may go some way to explaining why only the first couple of sets are widely taught.
Like many Shibashi teachers, I use different names for some of the movements and I’ve included these in brackets.
Commencing form and regulating breathing. (Raising the Qi).
Expanding your chest. (Opening the chest)
Painting a rainbow.
Circling arms separate the clouds. (Separating the clouds).
Swinging arms at stationary position. (Rolling the arms).
Rowing a boat in the middle of the lake.
Holding a ball in front of the shoulders.
Turning to look at the moon.
Twisting waist and pushing palms.
Riding a Horse and Swaying Arms. (Cloud Hands).
Scooping from the sea and looking at the sky.
Undulating waves. (Pushing the wave).
The flying dove spreads its wings.
Punching with outstretched arms.
The wild goose flying.
Spinning wheels. (Turning the wheel).
Bouncing a ball with steps.
Pressing the palms in calmness. (Closing the Qi).
Lin Housheng’s Shibashi Book - Published in a mix of English and Chinese. Only the first 2 sets are described in English.