Bagua & Tai Chi
Two of China’s great gifts to the world are the movement arts of bagua and tai chi. Although tai chi is far better known throughout the contemporary world, bagua is far older and some would say richer.
It was developed more than 4,000 years ago as a Taoist health exercise and meditation art. During the past two centuries, however, bagua has become better known as a martial art called Bagua Chang or Eight Trigrams Palm Boxing.
Tai chi was developed several hundred years ago as a martial art. During the past 100 years, however, it has become increasingly practiced for its potent health benefits and to develop such foundations for meditation as relaxation and calmness of mind. Tai chi can be used as a practical bridge towards the more profound aspects of Taoist meditation.
Bagua and tai chi share many similarities. Both practices are rooted in Taoism, a Chinese philosophical and spiritual tradition that is designed to help develop and balance one’s chi or life-force energy. They are expressions through the physical body of such Taoist concepts as yin/yang, balance and naturalness. They can be practiced for a variety of purposes, including improving health and high performance, living well as you age, becoming a proficient fighter or healer and meditation,
Although bagua and tai chi have important differences, they are wonderfully complementary brother and sister practices.
Tai chi is known as the sister because, in its initial learning stages, it strategically approaches the great art of chi more from a yin-energy approach. While in opposite fashion, bagua is the brother because its beginning practices approach chi more from a yang-energy approach.
At day’s end, both include each other’s yin and yang strengths and special qualities with only slight areas of differentiation. They equally share the ability to access and develop important and innate potential human abilities.
To learn more about learning bagua with Energy Arts click here: Bagua Zhang
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