More basics
After some thought I've decided to copy a little of a book I was thinking about writing. Now I realize I don't know enough to write a book. This is mostly neigong I learned from Bruce Frantzis. I'm just going to copy it here directly from my notes so be kind...
Please remember I've posted this to a public forum. It is still my work and I hold all rights. Don't steal it and call it yours or I will find you and kill you. Beyond that I welcome comments and questions.
There is very little written about the system of Baguazhang and even less about its specific training methods. I hope this work will, in some small way, help fill that gap so that the prospective student will have some guidelines by which to practice. It should be said that the principles and exercises presented herein are not the sum total of all of Baguazhang jibengong. There are many styles of Baguazhang and some may have different concepts and ideas. In my opinion, all styles should follow the same basic principles, namely the relaxed use of whole body power, a constant connection to the center of the body (dantien), and a concentration on positioning by the use of footwork. As it is difficult for the beginner to try to train all aspects of Bagua at once, the system I teach breaks into separate parts the skills we feel are useful to learn for a complete internal art. The principles around which these various skills and learned and integrated are: separate and combine and from center to periphery and periphery to center. These principles will be discussed later in this text.
Initially the beginning student needs to learn how to release excess tension in the body and align the structure with gravity. This is done primarily through the practice of standing exercises (zhuan zhuang). Zhuan zhuang literally means to stand like a post. After gaining some facility with this practice the student will then learn how to move this relaxed, aligned with gravity structure, with the body’s movement originating in the hips. From there movement must be initiated in the waist and then the hip and waist movement is combined. The student will also learn the ability to access and lengthen the soft tissue of the body, open and close the joints and cavities in the body, and to flex and pressurize the spine and connect the spine to the limbs. As this is an introduction to the basic training of this system of Baguazhang only a few of these skills will be addressed in this book.
As previously mentioned the most important skill for the beginner to learn is relaxation. Obviously one can learn to relax in several positions including standing, sitting, or lying down. In that the martial arts are mostly used from the standing position (ground grappling excepted) this is the best posture from which to learn relaxation. This also strengthens the legs and allows the energy of the body to flow downwards.
Standing
Start with feet parallel to each other. Be sure and look down to make sure your feet are actually parallel. Often beginners go by the feel in their body instead of actually checking. My experience is that most people’s bodies are out of alignment.
The feet can be placed in varying distance from each other depending on the intent of your practice. Bruce Frantzis taught beginners to line up their feet to the side energetic channels in the body (see illustration). This position is best for self-cultivation and for circulating the qi. As the feet get 18-24 inches apart (depending on your size) you begin to work in the subtle qi body. Wider stances are for practiced for projection of the energy you develop such as for healing others and for martial arts.
The weight is in the center of the foot and the knees are unlocked. As your stance gets wider you must drop lower into your stance, but without the knees coming too far forward. Sit gently into the inguinal area as you allow the waist to come back and the lumbar area to straighten. The arms are relaxed at the sides with the area between the thumb and fore finger (tiger’s mouth) to rest at the side of the body about where you would have a seam on a pair of trousers. The elbow faces outward. This arm posture helps keep the armpits open. It also helps to keep the shoulders from rounding forward. Many practitioners I have seen have a tendency to slump their shoulders (although very relaxed) forward in an attempt to follow the classic advice to “drop the chest and raise the back”. As the head raises gently off the top of the spine by lifting the occiput, you have a feeling of being suspended from above. Note: To find the top of the head trace a line with each finger from the tops of the ears up ward to the head top. Throughout this process you should rest your tongue on the hard palate just above your top front teeth. If you say the word “la” you’ll find the right spot. This connects the governing and functional channels of energy in the body completing the “microcosmic orbit”.
Do you want more?
Buddy
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