Practitioners who have studied Ba Gua Zhang for any length of time are no doubt very familiar with Ba Gua Zhang's circle walking practice. Walking the circle is the cornerstone of the art, all systems of Ba Gua Zhang practice this method and thus 'walking in a circle' has become Ba Gua Zhang's trademark. However, even though the circle walking practice is common to all major systems, a student who has studied the art from a variety of different teachers can quickly become frustrated when trying to investigate exactly how the circle walking practice is performed. https://reslistlasvers1975.mystrikingly.com/blog/mac-os-top-applications.
All forms of Baguazhang utilize circle walking as an integral part of training. Practitioners walk around the edge of the circle in various low stances, facing the center, and periodically change direction as they execute forms. For a beginner, the circle is six to twelve feet in diameter. Bagua zhang mud walking (tang ni bu in Chinese) is the central type of walking that both Tung Hai Chuan and the monastic schools emphasized within all Bagua Zhang straight-line walking or Circle Walking. It is so named because physically and energetically it resembles walking knee-deep in mud.
There are at least a dozen dif ferent circle walk stepping techniques and each teacher seems to have his or her own detailed criteria for practicing these techniques. Investigating the art of circle walking, one may run across some of the following: the lion step, the dragon step, the chicken step, the tiger step, the snake step, the crane step, the rippling step, the mud walking step, the shake step, the stomp step, the hesitation step, the continuous step, the sliding step, the digging heel step, the gliding step, and even steps such as the camel step and the elephant step. Some of these are different names describing the same step and others are steps used only for specific leg strength and body training. One will also encounter Ba Gua Zhang schools who walk the circle painstakingly slow and others who walk very fast. Then one may also encounter the lower, middle, and upper 'basin' walking positions along with a wide variety of upper body postures one might assume while walking. Additionally, there are various sizes and combinations of circles as well as different ground surfaces and apparatus (such as bricks, poles, or stones) that the practitioner will walk on. To the beginning student who simply wants to know how to walk the circle and why circle walking is important, all of this may seem very confusing.
The truth is that the circle walking technique will vary depending upon the result one intends to derive from the practice. There is no one 'correct' method. Every school of Ba Gua which is teaching a complete art will have a wide variety of circle walking methods which they practice and each method will be designed for a specific training purpose. Some practitioners, like the Daoists, practice for meditative purposes and thus the walking will be slow and steady with the mind calm and focused; others practice to build leg strength and thus the posture is very low and the step is such that the legs work very hard; others practice to improve stability and balance while in motion and thus the stepping foot is lifted high while the practitioner moves slowly; others practice to improve cardiovascular endurance and develop a high degree of mobility and thus the walking is very fast and the directional changes are frequent; others practice to develop a balanced Qi flow in the body and thus the movement and breathing is very smooth, the dan tian is stable, and the stepping method facilitates a full circulation of Qi from head-totoe; others practice to build upper body strength and full body connection and thus the various upper body postures are held for long periods of time, consequently the change of direction is infrequent and the walking position is at a middle or upper level so the legs will not tire before the arms. While some practitioners might practice only one of these methods, others practice many of them. Practice method depends on what component of martial arts development the practitioner desires to improve or at what stage of development in the training process the individual practitioner has reached.
While Ba Gua Zhang practitioners will sometimes argue about the 'correct' circle walking technique, the fact of the matter is that there is not one 'correct' way to practice this exercise. Those that believe that there is only one way to walk the circle have only been introduced to a very small portion of a vast art form. The incompleteness of their training leads to ignorance. There are, in fact, many valid techniques utilized in circle walk practice, the technique used depends on the results desired. The primary guidelines in practice involve maintaining a relaxed, comfortable posture and focused intention while walking. If these guidelines are followed, variations on the theme are endless.
Because Ba Gua Zhang is an 'internal' family martial art, the primary guidelines one will follow during practice are; (1) to allow the body to feel natural, relaxed, comfortable, and connected when walking the circle so that one can encourage a balanced flow of energy in the body and stabilize the body to improve balance in motion, (2) to walk smoothly and continuously so that the body does not waiver, bob or wobble and the overall flow of the movement is always smooth and continuous, never choppy (even when the practitioner changes rhythm and speed or executes a fa jing maneuver, the movement flows smoothly), and (3) to maintain focused intention so that the mind and body are in harmony.
Tension restricts the flow of Qi and throws the body off balance; a comfortable, relaxed body and focused mind promotes a balanced flow of Qi, a stable, mobile body, and facilitates quick movement. Additionally, if the practitioner feels natural and comfortable, less fatigue will be experienced and the practitioner can practice longer. Even practitioners who practice to develop upper body and/or leg strength should try to remain relaxed and comfortable while experiencing the muscle fatigue. Important points which most teachers stress to the beginner are all aimed at allowing the body to feel relaxed and comfortable while maintaining certain structural alignments. In the chapter entitled 'Exercise Method Conforms to Natural Principles' in the book Liang Zhen Pu Eight Diagram Palm author Li Zi Ming states that,
The upper body posture held while walking the circle will vary from school to school. Typically each school will have a set of eight postures which are held in succession while performing the basic circle walking practice. These eight postures are known as the 'Eight Mother Palms', the 'Eight Great Palms', the 'Nei Gong Palms,' or the 'Inner Palms.' In the most common posture, the hips are rotated in towards the center of the circle (about 45 degree off the path of the circle), the forward (upper) palm is held at eye level and is facing the center of the circle, and the eyes are looking towards the center of the circle through the index finger and thumb of the upper hand. In most schools, the lower hand is held 3 to 5 inches below the elbow of the upper arm, however, some schools hold the lower hand down in front of the dan tian (see the 'guard stance gallery' on pages 16-17). The shoulders are relaxed and allowed to drop down, the back is slightly rounded. The elbows are bent slightly and allowed to sink down. The upper body is relaxed.
The head is positioned so that the eyes are looking straight into the center of the circle (not up, down, or to the side). Typically the practitioner will walk around a tree or pole so that there will be an object of focus during practice. The head and neck position is critical to avoid stress and strain in the neck and eyes after walking for an extended period of time. If the eyes are not looking straight and the neck is not held erect, the eyes and/or neck can become tired or stiff after 10 to 15 minutes of walking. When muscles become tired or stiff, Qi does not circulate properly and becomes stagnant in that area. When Qi becomes stagnant in the head and around the eyes, it can be dangerous. The Ba Gua Zhang classics say 'Hollow the chest, suspend the crown, and sink the waist.'
Continue: Why Walk the Circle?
To learn bagua zhang there are many schools of thought. Bruce Frantzis’s teacher, GrandmasterLiu Hung Chieh, was fortunate to study bagua with disciples of both the martial art tradition of Tung Hai Chuan (who popularized bagua zhang) and the Taoist monastic tradition, which is virtually unknown in the West. During his teens and twenties in Beijing, Liu studied with many of Tung’s students and grandstudents.
Liu teachings emphasized the monastic tradition that emphasizes theBagua Single Palm Change,where mastering this one palm change is all that is necessary to explore theI Ching’seight trigram energies of change.
Depending on the nature of the student and experience, learningbagua zhangin this tradition typically progresses in a series of five stages:
In traditionalbaguaschools, students would spend the first six months learning to walk in a line using bagua three-part, four-part and two-part stepping methods.
Energy Arts teaches a highly detailed progression of this system called theBagua Dynamic Stepping System,™which includes heel-toe stepping and traditional Chinese mud walking.
It is important to spend a lot of time drilling the fundamentals of walking because it is the foundation from which all bagua movements are derived. In addition, Energy Arts teaches theBagua Internal Warm-up Method,™a progression of eight exercises that prepare the body for Bagua Circle Walking. These warm-ups enable you to jump start your practice and make the most out of your practice time.
In Stage 2, you take the Bagua Stepping Techniques you learned in straight-line walking and put them into Circle Walking.Bagua’sdefining characteristic is its core training method of Circle Walking. This holds equally true for bagua’s martial, energetic and meditation aspects. You learn precise footwork methods for walking in circles in opposite directions.
Bodysmith leg press hack squat combo. During Bagua Circle Walking practices, you walk around and around in a circle, regularly alternating direction between clockwise and counter-clockwise directions.
More advanced practitioners use various kinds of regular and specialized steps while simultaneously executing spiraling arm and waist movements. Windows or mac os x. This creates a vortex in the earth and into the practitioner’s body.
Eventually, as you move into Stage 3 and Walk the Circle, you start to hold your hands in variousbagua arm postures. These are are similar to, but not the same as, some of the postures used in tai chi chuan (taiji) and the standing postures in I Chuan. Holding postures while Walking the Circle is the basic method of power training in bagua zhang.
There are over 200 qigong postures that can accompany bagua zhang practice. Each posture channels and opens your body in specific ways. Traditionally, a master would work with each student individually, prescribing what they needed at any given moment in time to advance their bagua zhang practice.
Bruce has selected and designed a specific series of 12 postures called theBagua Energy Posture Series.™This series is designed to open up your body and its energy channels in a very systematic way to prepare you for theBagua Single Palm Change. These are taught in the Energy ArtsBagua Mastery Program. https://heretfiles868.weebly.com/apple-computer-repair-santa-monica.html.
The next stage of learningbagua zhangis based on a meditation method that existed within Taoist monasteries thousands of years ago: the Bagua Single Palm Change, which represents the first trigram of theI Ching,known as “heaven” (orchienin Chinese). The Bagua Single Palm Change, or Bagua Heaven Palm, signifies the essence of yang energy as the prime chi-generation method of bagua.
Once you learn the Bagua Zhang Single Palm Change, you practice with the aim to open up your body over time so that it rotates more and more into the center of your circle. This inward rotation increases the effectiveness and power generated during bagua zhang practice.
However, this process of rotating your body to the center in bagua zhang is gradual and takes time–it must be done slowly and with precise bio-mechanical alignments to prevent strain and injury. In the monastic tradition, the entire Taoist meditation process can be realized through practice of theBagua Single Palm Change.
Holding the upper body palm posture of the Bagua Single Palm Change while Walking the Circle focuses and develops the chi of the body, mind and spirit more than any other independent single technique in the world of Taoist arts of chi. —Bruce Frantzis, Excerpt from the Bagua Mastery Program
The next palm change is theBagua Double Palm Change, which represents the second trigram of theI Ching, known as “earth” (orkunin Chinese). It signifies the essence of yin energy as the prime yin or soft power generation method of bagua. It focuses on using the two palms together, coordinating them until they are as one, and moving and changing the quality of energy between them with fluidity and power.
Beyond the first two palm changes, you expand to the remaining Bagua Eight Mother Palms where each palm represents the energy, characteristics, strategies and subtle qualities of each of the eight trigrams of theI Ching.
In some bagua systems, rather than focusing on the energies of theI Chingitself, they focus on the qualities of the animals associated with each of the trigrams. There are also 64 techniques where each palm change attempts to represent the multitude of the qualities of theI Ching’s64 hexagrams.
Although many students like to learn lots of techniques or postures, developing the Single Palm Change to a high level often yields the deepest, most internal results.
The most advanced work of bagua zhang is taught by direct mind-to-mind transmissions. Although few modern-day teachers have the ability to teach in this way, the energetic and spiritual qualities of bagua zhang, tai chi and the higher esoteric traditions have always passed non-verbally between teachers and their students to the next generation.
The bagua zhang teacher—in what could be called telepathy—transmits what he knows from his own heart and being to the heart and being of the student. The purpose is to energetically and directly communicate the reality of what is being taught in bagua zhang (or other internal arts) in a totally non-verbal fashion rather than only hinting at it in words or showing the outer surface of physical movement.
Historically, the higher level chi (qi) arts were taught one-on-one, or in small groups after disciples had trained and prepared sufficiently to absorb and embody the knowledge relatively seamlessly. This is partially because, at the advanced levels of learning, disciples and lineage holders teach these practices and impart their knowledge by direct transmission of energy.
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