Hi Folks,

I have just released my Bagua and Tai Chi book online. You can check it out here.

Bagua and Tai Chi: Exploring the Potential of Chi, Martial Arts, Meditation and the I Ching

There are two upcoming events for bagua zhang and hsing-i in Berkeley.

You can go to this link to find out about upcoming events:

Bagua Zhang Events

Hsing-I Chuan or Mind Form Boxing is said to be the oldest of the internal martial arts of China and also one of its most effective fighting methods.

Hsing-I fuses a relaxed, open body with a clear, focused mind  that is free of any gaps or breaks in one’s intent. This creates the ability to react to a situation with the appropriate response without ever losing control of one’s stability of mind.

The goal of Hsing-I as a fighting art is to create an aggressive focused power without relying on an emotional rush to create that power.

Instead of anger or fear Hsing-I tries to use the 16 part neigong principles to generate different types of power evenly in all directions.

When I was first learning, Bruce Frantzis used to say “There is no question of aggression in Hsing-I, it is pure aggression. But it is aggression without emotional content.”

The core of Hsing-I and the “secret” of many of China’s great martial artists is the standing practice of San Ti.

All of Bruce’s teachers practiced San Ti continuously well into their seventies. Bruce reported that all the masters he met that still had power in their old age did some form of San Ti practice.

The San Ti posture is a powerful method of body and qi development (neigong) based on the Five Element theory of Taoism.

San Ti is a great compliment to any form of internal or external martial art or qigong practice as it integrates the inside and outside of the body and awakens the sense of feeling inside. As awareness of internal sensation grows, one begins to release the bound energy in the body and allow the subtle power of the internal nei gong skills to arise.

Another key aspect of Hsing-I which begins in the San Ti practice is that of recognizing the different elements within the body and how these effect the internal organs, emotions, thoughts and health of the body.

For Instance: Pi Chuan and the posture of San Ti teaches the practitioner about how to strengthen the metal element within the body, including the lungs and the spine.

San Ti is extremely valuable to anyone who practices or wishes to practice Ba Gua Zhang as it develops many of the same internal and external components as Ba Gua’s circle walking but without the added strain and difficulty of turning and twisting the waist and legs to such a great degree.

When I was struggling with Ba Gua’s walking the advice I was given was to do Hsing-I San Ti for at least a year before returning to circle walking. I followed this advice and when I did I noticed I was able to maintain power in the walking better than many of the students who did not follow this advice.

For practitioners of Tai Ji the San Ti practice can be a good way of developing leg strength, good breathing and the natural spring of the body; all integral to quality Tai Ji practice.

San Ti can also be a good antidote to the “wet noodle” tendencies of some Tai Ji pushing hands players, allowing the body to gain flexibility by opening, connecting and twisting, rather than disconnecting and bending and wiggling. Wiggling may get you away from a push but it won’t stop a solid kick or prevent you from being thrown.

Train Hsing-I with Bruce Frantzis:
http://www.energyarts.com

Introduction to Double Palm Change

The Double Palm Change is the second of Ba Gua’s eight mother palm changes and it contains the foundation of all the yin (soft) techniques of Ba Gua Zhang. The I Ching or book of change on which ba gua is based states that “the receptive (yin) completes the creative (yang)” and as such the Double Palm Change builds on and completes the Single Palm Change.

Where the Single Palm Change begins with the manifestation of yang energy, the Double Palm Change begins with the  manifestation of yin energy. Yin energy is vital for developing and activating the natural healing mechanisms of the body, it also balances the mind preventing excessive yang emotions.

In terms of the physical health of the body the Double Palm Change is similar to the method of Tai Ji Quan in that it emphasizes deep internal twisting and spiraling and a soft inward stretch rather than a yang expansion. This soft internal twisting massages and opens the body’s internal organs and soft tissues. Where Ba Gua’s yin techniques are slightly different than Tai Ji’s is that they emphasize dispersal of energy rather than absorption. This is primarily due to the fact that the feet are generally moving in Ba Gua and generally planted in Tai Ji.

For martial artists the techniques of the Double Palm Change begin to expand to multiple attackers. Ba Gua’s teaches one the ability to fight multiple opponents at the same time, which sets it apart from most other martial arts. Bruce Frantzis wrote about his teacher Bai Hua who had first hand experience using Ba Gua against multiple attackers during the Cultural Revolution.

The rapid changes of direction and vertical dropping and rising within the Double Palm can greatly expand on the martial techniques developed in the Single Palm Change and really develop strong healthy legs. The addition of low stances and multidirectional strikes vastly increases the martial arsenal of any fighter or push hands player.

For students interested purely in the meditative aspects of Ba Gua Zhang the Double Palm Change begins the process of working with the etheric or “chi” body which directly effects many of the “lower” emotions.

For students who have learned the Single Palm Change, learning the Double Palm Change will be extremely valuable in that it will expose whatever gaps may exist within the Single Palm and with practice begin to fill in those gaps. Only when the energies of yin and yang can smoothly mix and integrate can one begin to work on the manifestation of the other energies that exist within the remain six palm changes.

Train Double Palm Change with Bruce Frantzis:
http://www.energyarts.com/Events/Main-Event-Category/Bagua-Double-Palm-Change.html

In our last blog we talked about the importance of recognizing breaks in one’s awareness during practice and we mentioned that the San Ti practice of Xing Yi is a great way of achieving this goal. There are two basic components to San Ti practice-the physical part and the awareness part.

In terms of the physical structure San Ti’s focus is on developing a sense of “whole body” power where every part of the physical body feels as though it is directly connected to every other part of the body. The first stage of this is developing a sense of the “Six Harmonies,” key alignments that put the body into its most optimal state of balance and resilience. There are three internal and three external harmonies. The three external harmonies are hips aligned with shoulders, knees aligned with elbows and hands aligned with feet. The three internal harmonies (which isn’t part of this article) are the heart aligned with intent, intent aligned with chi, and chi aligned with spirit.

In basic San Ti stance the weight is on the back leg, either 100% which is the ideal way for getting the maximum chi flow and developing the ability to step very quickly, or 70% which is a slower posture but develops the ability to root and “hold your ground” faster than the 100/0 method. The foot of the leg faces 45 degrees and the front foot points straight ahead, facing the same direction as your nose and bellybutton.

The arms in San Ti are similar to but not the same as the basic circle walking posture in Ba Gua Zhang. The bottom hand, which is the same side as your weighted leg, is at the height of your lower belly, palm facing the floor and thumb pointing at the lower Tan Tien. Keep it at least a fists distance away from the body. There should be as much emphasis on the lower hand as the upper one and remember to keep the elbows facing down and the armpits open.

The upper hand should be at a height that you are looking straight out through your index finger, directly in line with the center line of your body. The fingers should be open, extended, and relaxed and the finger tips should face the ceiling. There are other methods of holding the hand either flat or at a 45 degree angle which are primarily used to develop internal power for fighting. The vertical method develops a stronger energetic connection with the central channel with less of a tendency to cause people to become overly “Yang.”

The head should be gently lifted off the spine and there is a constant sense of the back of the neck lifting. The more the head lifts the more the tailbone drops and has a sense of penetrating the legs into the floor. This stretches the spine and lengthens the whole body.

As the spine lifts and the chest drops, the shoulders sink and the midriff and back of the knee open. There should be an even bend in all your limbs. To get a sense of this stand in the San Ti posture and straighten all your limbs 100%. Then, as you sit into your kwa, bend all four limbs evenly so that there is a sense that each one has an equal connection to the spine.

Once the physical posture is stable San Ti becomes the shell for all of the 16-part Nei Gung components. Because the posture of San Ti comes from Pi Chuan, the metal element it first deals with the breath. The basic process is to inhale through your nose and follow the breath from your nose down your body into your belly and let it fill up the front, back, and sides of your lower abdomen. On the exhale you follow the same path and breathe out letting your intention extend forward, and your awareness expand around you. Like a sword maker folding the layers of a katana, the metal element within us must be worked and forged to develop the proper shape.

As you continue to follow the breath notice where there are “gaps” in either the physical breath or in the awareness of the breath. The breath should be smooth and even like the blade of a fine sword with no breaks. Eventually there should be a sense that the spine also fills up with the inhale and returns to neutral on the exhale. The first phase of San Ti trainin is to bring your full attention to these gaps in awareness.  So if you wish to pursue San Ti, a few minutes per day of this practice can prove quite beneficial.

In terms of two-person work, San Ti practice is about overcoming the fear and anxiety that arises when faced with an aggressive opponent. For example, if in a sparring session you feel that you are getting frustrated with or angry at your partner, take a break and stand in San Ti for a few minutes until you feel the sense of frustration or anger subside. Then return to the practice with the goal of quieting the mind and becoming more stable when things heat up rather than “losing it” and getting upset. This ability to regain stability under pressure is at the core of spiritual martial arts and is a key element in moving past one’s animal nature.

Next time we will continue with Part Two of our look at San Ti, happy practicing!

One of the most difficult aspects of learning an esoteric art like Taoist meditation or Ba Gua Zhang is learning to feel the more subtle aspects of the physical body and how energy moves through the body. There are many layers of energy and infinite possibilities of pathways it can take and ways it can manifest.

All Taoist practices rely on the ability to feel what is happening inside your body. It is both the internal sense of awareness and the physical sensation of the body which are used to harmonize the entirety of one’s being to the natural flows around us. It is somewhat similar to a musician learning to hear individual instruments in an orchestra. At first it is nearly impossible to differentiate between the different sections let alone single instruments. Similarly, within the body there are many different things which one could focus on at any given moment. Each part and the function of each part has a distinct frequency on which it operates. In order to feel that frequency the mind must first tune itself to that frequency. This is where the forms practice comes into play. The physical movement forms are what tune your body, mind, energy and spirit to the appropriate frequency so that you can better feel what is happening.

Both the audible and silent “transmissions” in Taoism are like songs which subtly vibrate the different strings within us. In order to “get” the transmission the first thing one must do is be receptive to the idea that it is possible. Next is to just allow what is happening to occur without judgment or expectation. At this stage you can begin to notice any subtle changes in how the energy is moving in your body. At first it may just be that certain movements (energetic or physical) are easier to perform when the transmission is fresh. As you practice more, the transmissions become something beyond just a “quick fix” they become points of reference for future training. They become something you can tap into when you need guidance.

In martial arts the ability to feel subtle changes in your energy and your opponent’s energy can give you an enormous advantage. This is essentially the goal of the majority of two-person practices. In Push Hands or Rou Shou for example the beginning stages are about learning structure and technique but later they are primarily a form of sensitivity training. The “game” becomes more than just about beating the snot out of the guy in front of you, instead you try to discover how well can you feel the guy in front of you. Can you feel changes of pressure in your own body? In his? Can you feel where his energy gets stuck in his body? Are you able to put your attention in different parts of your body or his? Can you feel all these at once? At some point all the techniques martial or otherwise begin to fold into a seamless flow of circles and spirals with no beginning and no end. There is no yin and no yang, just change. You move from being a player in a small band to being the conductor of a 100 piece orchestra.

One of the most important skills you can attain from two person practice is how to lose. It is relatively easy to keep your attention on feeling when you win, but how about when you get whacked? The ability to feel what is going on is how you can learn from losing. If you can feel what went wrong you can change it. To borrow from a classic phrase “it’s what you can’t feel, that gets you.” In many ways learning to feel is easier in martial arts than in chi work. In martial arts you KNOW right away if what you were doing was successful, whereas in chi work and meditation the results are much more subtle. In martial arts someone can beat it into you, but in chi work or meditation the sense of feeling and awareness of change must come from within.

Isaac and Jess

Each of the steps of the Four Part walking drill contains a palm striking method.  These strikes for the initial basis for learning to strike in this Ba Gua system.

The first step shoots out from the body, landing with no weight. At the same time the arm shoots out in the same manner.  Do not reach and attempt to hit something, the arm merely moves through space. If something gets in the way it will be struck, otherwise the arm just ends it’s arc and stops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bvluOCtZI

The key is to make sure that no weight shifts and that you don’t lean forward with the strike. This palm strike is similar to western boxing’s jab, it is used to bridge the distance to the opponent with little commitment.  If you miss you don’t lose your balance. If they walk into it, it can be a knock out strike. In general it is good for testing and making contact with the opponent and is best followed with another palm immediately.

Begin the two-person training by having your partner stand in place. You step and strike simultaneously. He gives you a target to hit and feel the strike.  After you get it down, have the partner suddenly jump out of the way randomly to test if you are investing too much and leaning with your strike. Make sure your weight distribution is always on the back leg, entirely.

The next aspect of the Four Part Step is incorporating the upper body into the steps.  Each phase of the linear stepping has an arm movement associated with it.  By the time you’ve completed the Four Part Step you’ll have delivered three palm strikes.

The Ba Gua palm is the first and foremost strike taught in the system.  Within the Energy Arts system the primary palm used in Ba Gua is called the Dragon Palm.  This palm includes many specific details that come down the road, but for the purposes of the Four Part Step our palm will be projecting forward at chest level, palm facing forward, fingers pointing straight in the air. Palm is opened and extending from the center out, tendons flexed but comfortable. As one palm goes out the other retracts to the side of the waist, rotating so that the palm is still facing forward, but the fingers point toward the floor.  As one strikes and the other pulls back, they switch places, the fingertips point twist 180 each time to end up opposite each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhPygOmuxL8

The first palm strike coincides with the first phase of the Four Part Step. As the left foot goes forward, the left palm strikes at chest level.  Both end at the same time.  This strike is back weighted, so don’t shift at all yet.  Make this strike clear, connected and subtle. In Ba Gua all strikes are done smoothly and casually, there is no extreme effort or grunt of force.  The arm and leg merely go out. If they hit something along the way or not, it makes no difference, it’s merely an action.

The second palm strike takes place during the weight shift the comprises the second and third phases of the Four Part Step.  As you shift forward 70% of the way onto your left foot, the left hand withdraws halfway to the hip and the right hand extends halfway out.  Essentially the palms face each other in front of the Tan Tian.  As you then complete the rest of the weight shift in the third step of the Four Part Step, your right hand competes its strike and finishes palm facing forward, fingers pointing up at chest level.  Meanwhile the left hand is now chambered at the left hip, fingers pointing toward the floor.  You are now fully weighted on the left foot, with the right palm striking forward.

The third palm strike happens simultaneously with the final phase of the Four Part Step.  Bring the right foot up next to the left, hovering off the ground slightly. At the same instant, the left palm strikes out at chest level and the right palm comes down to the right hip.  You are now ready to do the Four Part Step on the right side.

Once you’ve done this sequence a number of times you’ll see that it covers a variety of situations- hand and foot extending simultaneously, striking while shifting, and striking with one hand while weighted on the opposite foot.  This is part of the Ba Gua training philosophy of constantly forcing your mind and body to switch from one side to the other, moving in constantly changing combinations so that you become more and more comfortable with the multitude of different striking angles and steps that are available.  Unlike more formal, linear martial arts, Ba Gua is always training you to strike and move to and from uncomfortable and strange positions.  Over time this creates extreme flexibility of mind and body to adapt to different situations without freezing up.  Awareness of the space within and around you improves as you seek to build up your ability to attack and defend intuitively.

The final phase of the Bagua Four Part Step is to swing the pelvis forward and pull the back leg forward. It ends next to the weighted leg, foot hovering over the ground slightly. As you draw the back leg forward, there is a sense of suction, as if the leg is being pulled by the torso rather than pushing off the ground with the ball of the foot. This helps develop balance on the weighted leg, as well as a sense of connecting the leg to the torso.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1CbeHuWSvQ

It’s important to draw the foot in with the whole body rather than using momentum to launch it forward. Even when moving swiftly the feet come together for an instant in time, distinct and aware, not just mindlessly lurching forward.

This drawing of the back foot next to the other is a stability point, a moment in time where one step ends and another begins. From this position your foot can shoot out in any direction, to the front, to an angle, to the side or even a certain number of degrees past 90, heading back the way you came. Unless your weight is centered on the weighted foot, without being unbalanced by drawing the back foot forward, you won’t be able to change directions or take another step fluidly.

As with each of the phases of the Four Part Step, spend a few moments in this position, finding your balance and standing calmly. Feel how the joints and bones align, and make any micro adjustments needed so that your leg feels the gentle pressure of a spring being loaded with weight. You are now in position to begin the Four Part Step starting with the foot that just came forward.

-Jess O

Now complete your shift forward, covering the last 30% of the shift. Let go of all the bend in your joints to cause the shift to happen. Like a sponge unfurls on it’s own when released from being squeezed, your joints natural opening will propel your shift forward until all of your weight is on the front leg. This is an opening, expanding movement.

At the same time, really press your back heel into the ground. Although you don’t fully lock the back leg, let the pushing of the heel help drive you forward along with the joint expansion. This reminder to keep the heel planted will add stability to your steps. It may seem easier to let the heel rise, but the step won’t work your leg nearly as much. Pressing into the heel will help glue your feet to the ground like a magnet sticking to metal. Although you remain mobile, you want a sense of connection with each step. Use the Four Part Step to develop this moving root.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c94zmnxg_U

The pressure in the heel will also help your pelvis stay planted as you shift forward. Your pelvis swinging through space carries a lot of power. Ultimately you will transfer this power from the heel into the pelvis so that your hand will carry this weight into your punch or palm strike. The arm itself will stay firm, but the strength of the strike will come from the swing of the pelvis. All the weight of the hips and torso will come out the hand, which can be a huge amount of relaxed force. This is one way that Ba Gua attempts to harness the power of the legs to strike while moving swiftly, with no set up, chambering or retraction of the hands. The stepping provides all the power, the arms are merely where it is expressed.