Join us online or in the studio for this fun and healthful workout!

Five Animal Sports (or Frolics) is a group of ancient Medical Qigong exercises designed to bring healing energy to the internal organs.  They also happen to be lots of fun. We guarantee that you will leave class having stretched, played, learned and laughed a lot. No experience is necessary, and people of all ages and fitness levels enjoy this class.

With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, qigong is practiced to cultivate and balance qi, the Chinese word for the body's energy.  The idea behind the Five Animal Sports (one of the oldest Qigong exercise sets, dating back 2000 years) is that people have become cut off from nature, and by imitating the movements of animals we can get our connection back and keep our bodies healthy.  The five animals are integral to the Five Elements Theory commonly used in acupuncture. The Bear emphasizes the spleen, the Bird the lungs, The Deer the kidneys, the Tiger the liver and the Ape the heart. In the class, we imitate the movement of each animal with special focus on its related organ system. We also spend time in each class on mindfulness and stretching exercises.

To see a bit of the Five Animal Sports in action, watch Bill's Introductory Video.
Also watch On YouTube - with Dr. Yang Zwing Ming, Bill Buckley's teacher