Tao yin

thumb|The Daoyin Tu, a Mawangdui silk texts|painting on silk depicting the practice of daoyin; unearthed in 1973 in [[Hunan Province, China, from the 168 BC Western Han burial site of Mawangdui, Tomb Number 3.]]

Daoyin is a series of cognitive body and mind unity exercises practiced as a form of Daoist neigong, meditation and mindfulness to cultivate jing (essence) and direct and refine qi, the internal energy of the body according to traditional Chinese medicine. These exercises are often divided into yin positions (lying and sitting) and yang positions (standing and moving). The practice of daoyin was a precursor of qigong, and blended with the introduction of Indian yoga into China with the spread of Buddhism and was practised in Chinese Taoist monasteries for health and spiritual cultivation. Daoyin is also said to be a primary formative ingredient in the yin aspects of Chinese martial arts including the well-known "soft styles" of the Chinese martial arts, of tai chi, and middle road styles like Wuxingheqidao.