Course one
The Desk Reset
A 12-minute Baduanjin follow-along for people who sit all day.
12 min · Beginner, no experience needed
Hours at a screen leave the neck stiff, the shoulders hunched and the chest closed. The Desk Reset takes the parts of Baduanjin (Eight Silk Brocades) that move exactly those areas and teaches them slowly, one at a time, then lets you flow through them once.
Old Pine and Brother Stone demonstrate in three quiet settings: a temple courtyard at dawn, a stream in the woods, a mountain summit. They do not speak. An English narrator explains each movement, the breath that goes with it, and the one mistake most people make.
Who it is for
- Desk workers, developers, students and anyone who sits for most of the day
- Complete beginners: no flexibility, fitness or Chinese vocabulary required
- People who want a calm ten minutes, not a workout
What you will learn
- The basic standing posture and how to breathe with the movement
- Five Baduanjin forms chosen for the neck, shoulders and spine, plus the closing
- How to make every movement smaller, higher or seated when your body asks for it
- A short routine you can repeat between meetings
Inside the course
- 11:03
Welcome and safety
What to expect, how to use the course, and when to take it easy.
- 20:21
Preparing form: stance and breath
Feet, knees, shoulders, crown: how every form begins.
- 31:45
Form 1: Two Hands Hold Up the Heavens
A long upward stretch that opens the chest and lengthens the spine.
- 41:40
Form 2: Draw the Bow
Open the chest and draw the shoulder blades together, left and right.
- 51:07
Form 3: Raise a Single Arm
A side stretch that lengthens one side of the body at a time.
- 61:20
Form 4: Look Backward
A slow, small head turn that eases the neck. Never forced.
- 71:38
Form 5: Sway the Head and Shake the Tail (optional)
A gentle sway. Skip it or make it much smaller whenever you like.
- 80:37
Form 8: Rise on the Toes
Seven soft heel drops to shake out the whole body.
- 92:07
Flow through once
On the summit: all the forms linked, with almost no talking.
- 100:44
Closing form and farewell
Hands to the lower abdomen. Stand quietly. Old Pine bows.
Not in this course: Forms 6 and 7 (Reach for the Feet, Clench Fists): they come with the full course; Medical advice: this is gentle exercise, not treatment.
Questions
Are the lessons videos or audio?
Video, narrated in English. The videos are being filmed now. While you wait you can read each chapter's key points and listen to the narration clips in your course page.
What if it is not for me?
Email us within 30 days of delivery from the address on your account and we refund you in full through Stripe.
Is it safe?
It is gentle exercise, not medical advice. Every form has an easier version and the course tells you when to stop. If you are pregnant, injured, recovering from surgery or managing a health condition, ask your doctor first.