Wudang Daoist Sleeping Exercise – Five Dragons Coiling the Body

Approximately one-third of a human life is spent in sleep, making it profoundly significant for health preservation. Daoist health cultivation has extensively studied human sleep and created a unique set of sleeping exercises—"Five Dragons Coiling the Body Exercise" (Wu Long Pan Ti Gong)—a treasure within the Chinese heritage of health preservation and medicine.

The Xing Ming Gui Zhi (性命圭旨, "Anthology of Cultivating Nature and Life"), in its "Heng Ji" section, records the Daoist-transmitted "Five Dragons Coiling the Body Method." The exercise formula states:

"Sleep with head to the east, lie on one's side,Coil like a dragon, curl like a dog.One arm bent, pillow the head;One hand straight, rubs the navel.One leg stretches, one leg draws in.Sleep the eyes before the mind sleeps.Reach utmost emptiness, guard profound stillness.Spirit and Qi naturally return to the root;Breathing naturally contains and nourishes.Without regulating the breath, breath self-regulates;Without subduing Qi, Qi naturally submits."

This method holds an extremely important position in the practice of Daoist internal alchemists (Nei Dan Jia) for dispelling sleep disturbances and demons (Shui Mo).

The term "Five Dragons" does not refer to five mythical dragons, but rather to our two arms, two legs, and torso. During sleep, these five parts should coil and curl like dragons, hence the name. No matter how busy one is daily, sleep is inevitable. Thus, this method is especially suitable for those who have no free time beyond sleep. Of course, this doesn't imply it's ineffective for others; if you already live a regular life, practicing it will yield even more wonderful results.

The method of practicing the Five Dragons Coiling Body Exercise is simple. The movements are largely similar to ordinary sleep, requiring only posture adjustments:

1. Bed Direction: Ideally, the bed should be oriented east-west. Sleep with your head pointing east.
2. Sleeping Position: Lie on your side, facing either left or right. Ancient texts say "Left for the Azure Dragon (Qing Long), Right for the White Tiger (Bai Hu)." Sleeping on the left side is called "Dragon's Slumber" (Long Mian), on the right is "Tiger's Crouch" (Hu Wo). Both are good postures for practice, though ancient practitioners generally favored the right side more. (Note: There's also the saying "Side like dragon, crouch like tiger, lie flat like a corpse" – but the supine position is not used for this exercise).
3. Pillow: Use a pillow of moderate height, generally about the height of your own fist, soft and comfortable.
4. Head & Face: Close your eyes naturally. Close your lips and gently press the tongue against the upper palate (Tian Chi).
5. Arms & Hands:Upper Arm (bent): Bend the elbow of the arm you are lying on (e.g., right arm if lying on right side). Rest the palm facing upwards on the pillow, fingers naturally slightly curled.Lower Arm (straight): Bend the other arm (e.g., left arm if lying on right side) towards your abdomen. Place the palm over the navel area, ensuring the center of the palm (Laogong point) aligns with the navel (Shenque point).
6. Legs:Lower Leg: Extend the leg corresponding to the side you're lying on (e.g., right leg if lying on right side), keeping it naturally bent for relaxation and comfort.Upper Leg: Bend the knee of the top leg (e.g., left leg if lying on right side) at approximately a 45-degree angle.Feet: Slightly curl the toes of both feet inward (using intent, not force).
7. Torso: Slightly round the chest (Han Xiong) and allow the body to curl naturally inward, forming a bow-like shape.
8. Mind & Breath: Gently close the eyes. Breathe naturally. Relax the whole body. Clear distracting thoughts. Focus on regulating the breath, with the intent on "listening to the breath" (Ting Xi), paying attention to each breath returning to its "root" (Gen). The "root" is the Qi cavity (Qi Xue, often referring to the Dantian). Make the breath deep, long, even, fine, and slow—like a silkworm spinning silk, thin and silent. Merge the mind-intent (Xin Yi) with the breath-energy (Qi Xi). Unify intent, breath, and body form into one. Naturally transition to forgetting the breath, even reaching states where you only inhale without exhaling, or only exhale without inhaling. Allow it to change automatically. With deep skill, you may enter Embryonic Respiration (Tai Xi).

As seen in the latter part of the formula, this exercise is practiced combined with sleep. Its direct purpose is to promote sleep and improve its quality, "achieving the forgetting of both body and mind, where form and spirit are sublimely unified, leading to deep absorption (Ru Ding)." Because when "form and spirit are both settled," dreams are reduced, leading to deeper, more restful sleep. Practicing before sleep combines the exercise with sleep itself—using the exercise to enhance the effects of sleep, and using sleep to extend the benefits of the exercise. Sleep is inherently a marvelous method for nourishing Yin, nourishing blood, nourishing the heart, nourishing the spirit, resting, and recuperating. When paired before sleep with the divine skill of "Five Dragons Coiling the Body," their exquisite effects naturally fuse, creating an unparalleled method for nourishing Yin, cultivating Yang, protecting the body, and regulating the spirit!

The Daoist Five Dragons Coiling Body Exercise is especially effective for calming the heart (An Xin) and nourishing the spirit (Yang Shen). It is particularly well-suited for busy urban office workers who suffer from mental overexertion. For those experiencing poor memory, insomnia, excessive dreaming, slow thinking/reaction, and for middle-aged and elderly people, it is an excellent prescription.