Shibashi 5 – Rolling the arms

This gentle rolling movement is relaxing and soothes the body. It is sometimes called “Back Swinging Monkey”.


Repeat six times on both sides.

  1. Start with right and left palm in front of the body facing each other,  Laogong “connected” to Laogong as if by an elastic band. (Left palm facing downward and right facing upwards.)
  2.  Breathe in and drop right hand down to thigh height before raising it in an arc behind you to shoulder height. At the same time stretch left handout diagonally in front of you, until both hand are facing to the heavens at shoulder height.
  3. As you exhale bring your right hand forward so your thumb  passes close to your ear, your left palm moves backwards. The palms pass each other as you move your gaze from right palm (faced downwards)and  left palm(faced upwards). Arms  continue in this rolling continuous movement as your repeat the cycle.Step 1: raise the arms on the in breath.


  • Initiate the movement from the waist like a corkscrew.
  • Keep your eyes on P-8 (palm of moving hand) at all times.
  • Allow your torso to rotate naturally to each side.

Mental focus

Focus your attention at all times on Laogong (palm of hand) moving from one hand to the other as if connected with an elastic band.

Health Benefits

  1. Benefits sufferers of arthritis and asthma.
  2. Twisting your entire body along its vertical axis, unblocks and disperses Qi within the liver and gall bladder channels, helping to relieve headaches, migraine and pain in the eyes. When you calm these channels, you can calm the pain


Ensure the movement of the torso come from the spine and not the hips.

“Once in motion, everything in motion

Once at rest, everything at rest

Tugged in motion back and forth

The breath adheres to the back

and is absorbed into the spine”

Wu Yuxiang (1812-1880)

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