One of the main reasons so many predominantly elderly people attend the classes are the reported powers with which Tu's qigong can cure ailments relating to the liver, kidneys and bladder that effect the elderly.
"I used to have a problem urinating. I'd have to get up three or four times a night to go to the bathroom. Since I've been practicing this form of qigong I've learned to control this problem," he said. "I also had a problem defecating, but now this has been cured as well."
There are many important therapeutic aspects to Tu's qigong, yet the most widely publicized feature of the art, which has been dubbed "Iron Penis" by a leading a US-based martial arts publication, remains that of genital hanging qigong and the benefits it plays in increasing virility.
After an hour of warm up qigong exercises Shen and his fellow students don special light blue mini-skirts and make their way into an adjacent room where a selection of iron weights ranging in size from 1kg to 20kg lay scattered on a specially cushioned floor. And here the real business of yin diao gong begins.
Before yin diao gong can be practiced the students must first massage, slap and pull their genitals and the lower abdomen warmed up by striking it with a device that resembles a heavy metallic cake whisk. Only after these fundamental exercises have been completed and the qi is flowing freely can a yin diao gong practitioner begin pulling exercises.
Comparable to weightlifting, in some aspects, newcomers like Shen begin by using 1kg weights. Once affixed to their genitals with a blue silk ribbon that is looped around the base of the penis, these weights are then swung slowly back and forth for roughly 10 minutes in order to allow the qi to flow smoothly throughout the body. With years of training the students will be able to lift weights over 150kg with their penises.
"As a beginner I can only lift the smaller 1kg weights at the moment. It doesn't hurt at all, in fact, it's quite comfortable," said Shen, who, while happy to talk about his exercise regime declined to be photographed while genital hanging. "The practice is very good for elderly men and helps with premature ejaculation and other genital-related problems that arise when men reach their golden years."
While sex-related issues are not the primary focus of Chiu Chiu Shen Gong qigong classes, the sexual benefits of yin diao gong cannot, said Shen, be ignored. One 82-year-old student of Tu's reportedly fathered a child a couple of years ago and Shen's wife has, according to the sprightly and reconditioned sexagenarian, also been stunned with the results.
"I lifted the skirt we practice in one day and the only thing she could say was `Oh! I'm surprised how much of a difference the yin diao gong has made,'" Shen said with a smirk.
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