Ranking of Qi Gong Exercises in Shaolin Wahnam

August 1, 2023

There are countless styles, exercises and abilities in Qi Gong.

In Shaolin Wahnam, and here at the Shaolin Treasure House, we look after a lot of gems and precious skills. Some of them have always been rare and kept secret.

In our mission to preserve the treasures of Shaolin Cosmos Qi Gong and Chinese martial arts, we share them quite openly with deserving students, once they reached the appropriate level for a particular art.

Some arts are perfect for beginners and those who are sick or in pain. Further ones can increase mental and physical performance. Others are meant to cleanse the soul and experience spiritual joys.

You can discover a vast amount of Qi Gong arts to gain breadth and depth in your development.

This following list is meant to give you an overview of the various collections and skills taught in our school, grouped into the major categories of health, increased performance and spiritual cultivation.

It is ranked by intensity, depth and the amount of internal force that may be generated with it, starting with the more basic exercises and finishing with the highest arts.

It’s worthwhile to mention that an advanced practitioner would be able to generate more internal force using a basic exercise of the “18 Jewels” than a beginner using “One Finger Shooting Zen”, as the level of skill and experience play a more important role than the exercise itself.

Therefore, the ranking is based on the premise that all things are equal, i.e., the same person has practiced all arts for the same amount of time.

The same goes for the categories, which are actually overlapping and just a rough guideline. The effects of the practice depend more on the skill and aims of the practitioner than on the chosen exercise itself.

Skilful practitioners may use a powerful internal force exercise for clearing blockages and masters may choose a basic health exercise to merge with the cosmos. Though in most cases it will be more direct and goal-oriented to choose an exercise appropriate to their aims.

Health, Vitality and Well-Being

• 18 Jewels
• Self-manifested Qi-Movement
• 5 Animal Play
• 18 Lohan Hands (including the 8 Pieces of Brocade)
• 18 Shaolin Wahnam Chi Kung Techniques
• Bone Marrow Cleansing (Xi Sui Jing) - Skin Level

Enhanced Performance at Work, Sports & Martial Arts

• Grasping Sparrow’s Tail
• Lifting Water
• Abdominal Breathing
• 18 Lohan Art
• Three-Circle Stance (Zhan Zhuang)
• Golden Bridge (Zhan Zhuang)
• Iron Wire Set
• Bone Marrow Cleansing (Xi Sui Jing) - Flesh Level
• Forceful Big Windmill
• One Finger Shooting Zen
• Bone Marrow Cleansing (Xi Sui Jing) - Meridian Level
• Bone Marrow Cleansing (Xi Sui Jing) - Organ Level
• Fierce Tiger Cleanses Claws

Peak Performance, Karmic Cleansing and Spiritual Cultivation

• Bone Marrow Cleansing (Xi Sui Jing) - Bone Marrow Level
• Cosmic Shower
• Sinew Metamorphosis (Yi Jin Jing)
• Small Universe (Micro-cosmic Orbit)
• Phenomenal Big Universe
• Cosmic Breathing (Transcendental Big Universe)
• Merging with the Cosmos (Transcendental Big Universe)

This is not a complete list of all our exercises and there are many specialized skills in Kung Fu practice, like “Cosmos Palm” and “Golden Bell” not mentioned either.

But you see, there’s plenty of material to discover, ranging from health benefits to the highest Qi Gong arts, which concern spiritual development.

There are countless of our students who could regain health and well-being by practicing lower kinds of exercises. Others who excelled in their business life and sports. Some even experienced Satoris (direct experience of cosmic reality) with exercises the Shaolin monks of the past used to attain Enlightenment.

To get you started on this transformational journey, check out “The Essence of Qi Gong” where you can learn everything you need to know to start your own effective practice and develop the fundamental skills for all future development.