YOUTHFUL COMPLEXION

The following is a fourteen-part exercise that promotes a youthful complexion in the practicioner. This type of self-massage is not uncommon; I personally recommend you to learn some type of self-maintenence system - and here is one to get you started.

REJUVENATING THE FACE

1) THREE STARS HIGH ABOVE

OPENING POSTURE

Stand quietly with the legs together and toes pointing out slightly. Expand the chest, pull in the abdomen, relax, and let the arms fall naturally at the sides. Breathe slowly and evenly, look straight ahead, smile and maintain a relaxed expression.

MOVEMENT

Raise the hands, palms facing the ground, arms mostly straight, and bring the hands forward and upward. While raising the hands, also begin rising on the toes and inhaling while keeping the abdomen flat. Keeping the arms extended, slowly bring the hands to a position directly over the head. As the hands reach this position, turn the palms up so the fingers point to each other. Then turn the hands and lower them, palms down, back down along their original path to the starting position. While doing this, exhale and bring the heels back to the ground. Repeat this routine three times.

POINTS OF ATTENTION

Some Taoists call the inhaled air "living air" and the exhaled air "dead air." This is an effective way to think of the breathing process. In doing the exercise three times, you are reminded of its name, "Three Stars High Above." The first time is called the "Happy Star," the second, "Fortune Star," and the third, "Longevity Star."

BENEFITS

According to Taoist theory, "Laogong" point (Palace of Labor / Pericardium-8), at the center of the palm, can attract earth (yin) energy when the palms face the ground. This energy is thought to nourish, invigorate and regulate the blood. Conversely, when the palms turn up, they can absorb heavenly (yang) energy, increasing the vital energy of the body. With diligent practice of the "Three Stars" exercise, blood circulation should improve and yin and yang energy will come into closer balance.

2) SHARPENING THE EAGLE'S CLAW

OPENING POSTURE

This exercise uses the same opening posture as described in "Three Stars High Above." Stand quietly with the legs together and toes pointing out slightly. Expand the chest and, pull in the abdomen, relax, and let the arms fall naturally at the sides. Breathe slowly and evenly, look straight ahead, smile and maintain a relaxed expression.

MOVEMENTS

The beginning of this movement is similar to the beginning of "Three Stars Above." Raise the hands, palms facing the ground, arms straight, and bring the hands forward and upward. While raising the hands, also begin rising on the toes and inhaling while keeping the abdomen flat. Keeping the arms extended, slowly bring the hands to a position directly over the head. As the hands reach this position, turn the palms up so the fingers point to each other.

Then turn the hands and begin to lower them, palms down, along their original path. While doing this, exhale and bring the heels back to the ground. As the hands are approaching the hips, bring them toward each other and bring the palms and fingers together as they reach the knees, while bending the knees and waist. Insert the hands between the hands between the knees and squeeze the hands tightly by pressing the knees together.

Gripping the hands with the knees, alternately raise and lower each heel, using this movement to cause the palms to rub against each other to generate heat. Rub the palms together eight times using this motion.

POINTS OF ATTENTION

This is the key section of the exercise for rejuvenating the face. Do the motion smoothly, continuosly, and without overly exaggerated shift of the hands. When rubbing the palms, the fingers should only move along the upper part of each other. The center of the palm (Laogong point) should not be moved beyond the outside of the opposite palm.

BENEFITS

Rubbing the hands stimulates acupoints that have corresponding organs to benefit. The nerves of the spine are also stimulated by the shoulder movement. "Sharpening The Eagle's Claw" can make the finger joints more flexible and elastic and increase blood circulation in the hands. It is also effective in dealing with headache, toothache, sweaty palms, hysteria, numbness of the wrists and hands, and angina pectoris. Raising aup the heels and lowering them stimulates various acupoints found on the foot and leg. This exercise will also help the hip, knee and ankle joints for those who have difficulty moving, especially in squatting and then coming to standing. It can also combat constipation, pains in the legs, numbness in the ankles, pain in heels, foot cramps, and cold feet and legs. Sharpening the Eagle's Claw stimulates points on the perineum and pulls at the rectum and gonads. Both stimulate the sex hormones and the movement of the joints can animate the skin cells, increasing their activity to retain freshness of the skin.

CAUTION

Pregnant women should not attempt this exercise.

3) RUBBING THE THREE PHOENIXES

After rubbing the hands between the knees, stand up with legs together, continue to rub the palms until they are warm and then cover the eyes with the palms.

Press the palms to the eyes and release the pressure eight times.

Keeping the eyes covered, release the palms so they are cupped loosely over the eyes. Open the eyes and roll them clockwise eight times and counterclockwise eight times.

Without moving the hands, move the eyeballs up and down eight times.

POINTS OF ATTENTION

Keep the hands in the same position while the eyeballs are moving.

BENEFITS

Transferring energy from the hands to the eyes and then moving the eyeballs makes this exercise very good for maintaining healthy eyes. It can improve conditions such as night blindness, cataracts, pain in the eye, near-sightedness, twitching of the eyelid, glaucoma, inflammation of the retina (retinitis), neuropapillitis, and inflammation of the tear glands. There are acupoints in and along the eye related to different organs that are also stimulated.

4) REPLACING HEAVEN

Using the fingertips of the index, middle and ring fingers, massage along the ridge just above the eyebrows. Start from the area just above the bridge of the nose and work your way outwards to the temples. Repeat for a total of eight times.

This can prevent and relieve nasal conditions, tightness or soreness around the eyeball, headache, dizziness, insomnia, high blood pressure, and facial nerve pain (trigeminal neuralgia).

5) TRACING THE PHOENIX TAIL

Place the heel of the hand at the outer corner of each eye. Use the ball of the thumb to rub all the way from the corner of the eye to the temple. Repeat for a total of eight times.

This can relieve facial pain, paralysis, tics and the like.

6) TRACING CHEEKS

Rub the palms to generate some heat, and place the warm palms on the cheekbones. Rub from the cheekbones down to the chin eight times.

7) PRESSING ON THE EARTHLY STORE

Stand erect in a natural, relaxed manner. Bend the left elbow to raise the upper arm and place the center of the left palm over the mouth with the tip of the thumb closing the left nostril. The fingers will lightly cover the right cheek. Bring the right hand up, cupping the chin, and the right elbow placed on the right breast.

Move the hands counterclockwise eight times. As you do this, the left thumb moves rhythmically with the hands, pressing in the dent on the left of the nose eight times. Move the tongue in the same direction as the hands eight times. Coordinate all three movements while breathing in through the right nostril.

Switch the position of the hands and do the same routine, clockwise, pressing right thumb into the corner of the right nostril, eight times while rotating the tongue to follow the hands.

8) STICKING OUT THE TONGUE

Stand erect in a natural, relaxed manner. Place the hands on either side of the nose and mouth, with the index fingers pressing on both sides of the nose, the thumbs pressing the cheeks, and three fingers over the mouth and nose to leave a little space in front of the mouth.

Open the mouth and stick out the tongue and pull it back. Do this eight times. Then move the tongue freely eight times. Click the teeth together eight times.

9) SUCKING JADE LIQUID

The beginning of this exercise is identical to that of the preceeding "Sticking Out the Tongue." With your hands in position, Move the lips left and right and up and down eight times. Then close the lips tightly and suck inward. When the mouth is filled with saliva, swallow it. Do this three times.

10) STRIKING THE DRAGON'S FACE

Stand relaxed and rub palms together until they are warm. Tap the entire face with the finger tips, including your forehead, cheeks, cheek bones, mouth and chin for one minute.

11) GOOD HEARING EARS

Stand relaxed and rub palms together until they are warm. Place the center of the palms over the ears and rub the ears with a back and forth motion eight times, with a little more force going back than forward.

Then, using the middle finger, bend the outside of the ear forward and rest the index finger on the middle finger. Tap down on middle fingers with the index fingers three times, lightly beating the outer ears and ear lobes with a percussive movement. (If you are familiar with these types of exercises, then you should recognise this as a variation of Beating The Heavenly Drum).

12) RUBBING THE DRAGON'S HEAD

Standing relaxed, use the finger tips and nails as a comb, combing the scalp by pushing all ten fingers back fron the forehead to the nape of the neck.

13) CULTIVATING THE HEAVENLY POND

Stand erect and put the left hand behind the neck. Rub and squeeze the back of the neck from right to left eight times. Switch to the right hand and rub and squeeze from left to right eight times.

14) GREATER SUCCESS

Stand naturally and put the hands in front of the chest. Rub the palms to make them warm and then rub the center of the palms, backs of the hands, fingers, wrists and arms as if scrubbing yourself in the bath.