Legend has it that Bodhidharma spent nine years in meditation in a cave. During years of meditation he discovered that the lack of movement of his body and limbs over a long period of time, plus the bitter cold and wind around his mountain retreat caused fatigue, body aches and pains. His disciples also suffered the same problems and often dozed off during meditation. To combat those hazards Bodhidharma devised a set of exercises based on Indian yoga exercises, Chinese exercises of the time and his own observations of the natural movements of wild animals in their environment. Each movement was transformed into connecting movements for maximum strength and development for specific areas in the human body.
This is a similar set to the original 18 Lohan movements. There are at least 8 Pal Gye sets taught within this system, forming a comprehensive system of progressively more advanced techniques towards gaining mastery of ones Qi (chi), or vital energy.