XU Exercise
Routine 1
(Continue from the previous movement) Unfold the palms so that they face upward. Touch the little fingers to the waist and slowly withdraw them to the sides along the waistline, looking straight ahead [Fig. 9] . Keep the feet in the original position, and turn the upper body a quarter of a turn leftward [Figs. 10 and IOA] . Move the right hand slowly forward to shoulder level. Exhale pronouncing the sound "XU." Open the eyes wider to stare fixedly in the direction of the right palm [Figs. 11 and 1 IA] .
Withdraw the right hand to the side of the waist. Turn the upper body a quarter of a turn to face forward. Look forward and down [Fig. 12] .
Turn the upper body a quarter of a turn to the right [Fig. 13] . Move the left palm forward to shoulder level. Exhale pronouncing the sound "XU." Open the eyes wider to stare fixedly in the direction of the left palm [Fig. 14] .
Withdraw the left hand back to the side of the waist. Turn the upper body a quarter of a turn to face forward. Look forward and down [Fig. 15] .
Repeat the above movements three times to the left and right, exhaling and pronouncing the sound "XU" six times.
Key points
[] The pronunciation is assisted by the teeth. The upper and lower teeth should
be parallel with each other, leaving a gap between the teeth and the tongue. Air is exhaled from the gaps between the teeth and between the teeth and the tongue, with the corners of the mouth drawn backward a little [Fig. 16] .
[] Exhale pronouncing "XU" while moving the hand forward, and inhale through the nose while withdrawing the hand. Close coordination is required between the body movements and the breathing.
Common mistakes
[] Lack of coordination between body movements and breathing.
[] Hand moving in the wrong direction.
[] The center of body weight is moved either forward or backward when turning the upper body.
Corrections
[] Synchronizing exhalation and moving the hand forward so that when the latter is completed, the breathing is finished.
[] The fingers should point to the left or right side when the hands are moved in these directions.
[] Keep the feet rooted and turn the upper body around the body's vertical axis.
Functions and effects
[] The theory of traditional Chinese medicine holds that the liver will respond when "XU" is pronounced, and that exhalation and the pronunciation of "XU" help to clear the organ of turbid Qi and regulate its function. Making the eyes glare helps dredge the channels inside the liver and improve the eyesight.
Moving the hands right and left alternately helps to promote the functional activities of the liver and improve the circulation of the blood and internal energy.
Turning the upper body exercises the. organs in the waist and abdomen. It also improves the functions of the waist, knees and digestion of middle-aged and elderly people, and dredges and regulates the Daimai meridian (belt vessel) or the channel around the waist, as well as the circulation of energy inside the body as a whole.
