Paida (English)

A Few Things to Note about Paida

1. Avoid directing an electric fan or air conditioner at yourself during Paida, so as not to catch cold and chills via your open pores.

2. Drink warm water before and after Paida. Warm ginger and date soup is recommended.. (Boil ginger slices and red dates for 15-20 minutes. You may add some brown sugar.) In addition to helping you stay hydrated, this will also prevent dizziness, fatigue and boost metabolism.

3. Avoid showers or baths within one hour after Paida. After one hour, be sure to shower or bathe with warm water and not cold water. On a cold day, it is best to avoid showering after Paida.

4. Those with skin diseases (such as psoriasis) are advised to do prolonged, heavy Paida for best effect. Secretion of liquid(s) is a sign of its effectiveness, so it is important to continue Paida. Do not Paida open wounds.

5. People with diabetes are less tolerant of the pain of Paida, so Paida lightly in the beginning and gradually increase intensity. Those with varicose veins and edema in the legs are advised to Paida in an upward direction to improve blood circulation.

6. When Sha appears, it is important to continue Paida to speed up the elimination of toxins from the body. Reactions such as rashes usually go away in a few days — this is normally so for those with good physical conditions such as children, young and healthy people. The elderly and the severely sick usually experience recovery reactions for a longer period of time.

How to Paida properly?

1. Paida attentively: Concentration and faith will activate the vital energy in the body. You should firmly believe that you are your own best doctor and that you can self heal. While doing Paida, you can imagine that you are injecting fresh Qi into the body and bringing out the dirty Qi. Distracting, negative thoughts could bring negative effects.

2. Paida with solid slaps: If you feel the pain of Paida, it means you are on the right path. Your health problems will gradually go away with persistent Paida.

3. Make good use of your palm and fingers: When Paida a large area such as the front of the knees, use both palm and fingers. If the area is relatively small, such as the back of the knees, you could mainly use the fingers with agile movement of the wrist.

4. Paida with force, as long as you can stand the pain: Paida can be very painful in the beginning, but the pain usually subsides after a few minutes.

5. Better recite or chant scriptures during Paida: Reciting scriptures will bring better result. You may choose your favorite ones.

6. Use your fists to avoid too much noise of Paida.

Basic Principles of Paida

High intensity + long duration + high frequency = speedy improvement

Lower intensity + shorter duration + lower frequency = slower improvement

No Paida = no improvement

Principle of Sha Treatment

Sha, i.e. poisoned blood in the body, is the colourful thing under the skin that appears during Paida.

When Sha appears, the body’s self-healing power is at work. So, continue Paida until it goes away.

Duration and Frequency of Paida

1. Paida can be done at any time of a day. You can make it your lifelong habit, and Paida in the mornings and evenings, or in the mornings, afternoons and evenings.

2. Due to different Paida intensity and people’s particular physical conditions, there is no fixed time length for when the Sha appears and disappears. Therefore, as with Lajin, the duration and frequency of Paida vary from person to person. Children, the elderly, the frail, and the severely sick are advised to Paida in the top-down sequence.

3. For overall health improvement, you can Paida from head to foot for 15-20 minutes at a time, at least once or twice a day (particularly the head, shoulders, armpits, elbows and knees for 1-5 minutes each).

Those in “sub-health” conditions can Paida the “problem areas” for a longer time besides Paida the parts mentioned above. Generally, the duration should be between 5-30 minutes, and you can do it once, twice, or more times a day.

For those with severe health problems, Paida duration should be extended to no less than one hour. After Sha appears, Paida should be continued. The body will finish the elimination of toxicants and waste as Sha disappears. That’s the secret of the magic efficacies of Paida.

4. Those who feel “under the weather” or have obvious symptoms are advised to Paida the “problem areas” for at least half an hour each time. For example, those with knee pains, frozen shoulder, neck problems, headache or sleeping disorders can Paida the knees and elbows at least once or twice a day.

5. Those with severe health problems, such as inability to lift the shoulders or walk, or those diagnosed with psoriasis, heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer are advised to Paida top-down with the focus on the elbows, hands, knees, feet and the “problem areas”. Do it for at least one hour and at least three times a day. Duration of each Paida session can be reduced when the symptoms are relieved.

6. One Paida session can be divided into several, with each session focusing on one particular part of the body.

7. After several rounds of Paida, it is not as easy to have Sha as before. Whether Sha appears or not, Paida can be a daily exercise for both the sick and the healthy. Persistent Paida helps enhance circulation of blood, keep you fit and even cure pains and diseases.