How Does Qigong Work:  The Secret

The Way of Longevity   The Old "Way"   The New "Way"  The "Secret" (Qigong Therapies)
"Scientific Explanations"

Roots of Eight Brocades
The first therapy is the method of massage:
such as the patting and pressing aspect of Heavenly Drum, rubbing the kidneys,
 heating the hands, the pressing activity within Shaking the Heavenly Pillar,
and the massaging of the yung ch'uan cavities.
The second is the use of sound:
as in the tapping of the Heavenly Drum, listening to the breath, hearing the sound of ku ku ku, and using the five half coughs.
The third is the therapy of visualization:
as in imagining a fire burning in the lower stomach and producing light in the
yu chen cavity, and imagining the ch'i circulating in the body.
The fourth is the method of twisting and stretching,
as seen in Shaking the Heavenly Pillar,
The Windlass,and Supporting Heaven and Grasping with Hooks.
The fifth is the method of breath control:
of which four main types are used: Cleansing Breath (Ching Hsi), Natural Breathing (TzuHsi),
Tortoise Breathing (KueiHsi), and Closing the Breath (Pi Ch'i).
The sixth therapy is that of swallowing,
which begins with the saliva and later on the breath itself.
The seventh therapy is the use of meditative (ching tso) techniques.
The eighth therapy is the circulation of ch'i through the jen mo and tu mo meridians (hsiao chou t'ien, or the Lesser Heavenly Circuit).