One method of opening the 9 Gates & Filling of the 8 Vessels, is with the practice of Ship Pal Gye or Ship Par Gay, which is a Korean version of Chinese Shaolin Lohan Qigong, meaning “18 chi movements” or what were supposedly the original 18 drills that Bodhidharma introduced to the Shaolin monks. It is reputed to be the basis for the Shaolin Kung Fu, which in turn, greatly influenced the developments of all branches of Asian fighting arts. For the martial arts student it is essential to appreciate that Lohan Qigong is not just another Chinese exercise to be introduced to the West; it is possibly the original ‘blueprint’ for Shaolin Kung Fu, from which the more familiar Karate, Aikido, Jujitsu, Taekwondo, Tai Chi, Hsing I, Baguazhang, etc. systems evolved or drew inspiration.
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.