XINGYI BAGUAZHANG – Defined Posture
	XINGYI BAGUAZHANG – Life Posture
	XINGYI BAGUAZHANG – Varied Posture

There are three different walking levels in “Walking the Circle” in Xingyi Baguazhang, they are: defined posture, life posture and variable postures.  For beginners , one needs to start with defined posture in order to build a solid foundation in pursuing more advanced levels.

Master Xu demonstrates Bagua Sword   –  “Hui Tou Wang Yue” pose

“Defined Posture” requires practitioners to practise according to its specifications adopting the 8 positions in bagua to proceed with turning and spinning actions in “Walking the Circle” exercise.  One needs to require relaxing the whole body, breath naturally; slow in its movements and need to familiarize with one form before moving onto the next.  Usually in practising “defined posture’ certain movements need to be practised repeatedly until you are skilful in them.

At this stage, it mainly focus in training in walking “Walking the Circle” exercise slowly step by step by using “Walking on muddy ground” method.  Be patient, no pain no gain.

During this stage, it is unnecessary to care about the coordination between the movements with the breathing and the application of strength.  It only requires to use “Walking on muddy ground” method by landing on and rising from the ground flatly with the outer foot arc in and the inner foot step forward.  The movement of each strike and action should be standardized and well versed.

Most beginners cannot maintain stability and sway between left and right during the practice as they are not familiar with the turning and spinning actions which cause dizziness and an imbalance of Yin and Yang inside the body.  If the above symptoms occur, it is useful to adopt “Hit and Slap Regulatory Method” to regulate and rebuild the balance inside the body which will enable a self-regulating balance of yin and yang.  The underlying principal is, at the time of exercise, the blood vessels will increase the excitement of the sympathetic nerves and the secretion of adrenalin thereby large of amount of oxygen is required in order to cope with the increase in heart beat, dizziness and uncomfortable.  At this time, it ought to proceed with “Hit and Slap Regulatory Method” by using slight and rhymptic self-hitting and slapping actions to adjust the imbalance of the sympathetic nerves and the parasympathetic nerves. This can generate a self-regulating effect of the body organisms for circulation of blood to the heart and to eliminate dizziness.

XINGYI BAGUAZHANG – Life Posture©

Master Xu's students practising Bagua Sabers

At this stage, it specializes in the training of application and shifting of strength.  The movements cannot be too fierce and stiff. If they are too stiff, they will easily be snapped and cannot be too soft, they will not have enough strength, therefore the two strengths should be mutually supportive to each other.  It carries soft strength in a stiff movement and stiff strength in a soft movement.  The unique “horizontal and vertical strengths” in Xingyi Baguazhang can be applied in sport to mutually control and extend its usage in assisting the body, palm posture and footwork to form into a “twisting power”.  Moreover, it can increase the elasticity of the muscles by way of protection of the body.  This can accelerate the excitement of the nerves in the blood vessels to generate the hidden energy to accustom to the change during exercise.  This will make the whole or part of the body organisms internally and externally produce an “embracing power”.

When you twist your waist in conjunction with the footwork, body movement and palm posture, a strong and powerful “spiral strength” will be produced. This kind of rolling power possesses a digging force and the digging power possesses a rolling force.  Therefore one must gradually experience the various changes of the different strengths during “Life Posture” practice.

When a power is going to diminish, another power begins, thus forming into a complex combination of strengths.  From this, one can gradually experience the changes of strength in “Life Posture”.

You should follow “Walking on muddy ground” method in the footwork practice in “Life Posture” and accompany by natural breathing that is, lower the abdomen when inhale and raise the lower abdomen when exhale. After you are accustomed to natural breathing, shift to using reverse abdominal breathing that is, raise the lower abdomen when inhale and lower the abdomen when exhale.

Apply reverse abdominal breathing method at the time of changing style in “Life Posture”.  The speed of inhalation should cope with the speed of stretching the palm forward or outward during the change.  When stretching reaches its utmost, it should be the end of the inhalation.  On the other hand, when it comes to retracting the palm posture, the speed of exhalation should cope with the speed of retraction. The above two breathing methods should be well-versed in practising “Life Posture”.  At the same time, the mind control the thinking in guarding left, right, yin and yang during the turning actions will motivate the air movement in the “Dai Mei”  By means of breathing method, it will concentrate and unite the shen (spirit) and thought together, enrich your abdomen, clear your chest and achieve a smooth flow of air inside the body.

One should practise each movement slowly in “Life Posture” at the beginning to enable to get hold of the speed and power of the movement before moving onto faster motion. Therefore from fast to slow and vice verse.  Thereby you can experience the connection between the movements, respiration and thought and encounter a lifely and full of spirit practice.

XINGYI BAGUAZHANG – Varied Posture ©

“Varied Posture” is the advanced level in practising Xingyi Baguazhang.  It is based on the foundation of “Fixed and Life Postures” to make further changes in the movements.

When one attain perfection in Life Posture, you have already got off the track of formats and procedures. You can practise according to your own desire and does not restrict to practise on the circle.  Once the circle is in your mind, then the circle exists.  At this time, your movements are totally under the mind control and your mind commands the movement of qi and qi can enforce power.  Whenever there is a “will”, there is “qi”, and there is “qi”, there is “power”.  Under the mind control, the true air (vital energy) can easily reach to every part of the body according to your desire.  This can generate a better qi circulation, enrich your body and breath freely. Once you apply the strength, no one will notice its unbeatable change and direction. The mystical point is to apply soft power when encounter hard force and do not apply muscular power. 

The “Varied Posture” in Xingyi Baguazhang dazzles people. No matter it is a twisting or blocking, intercepting or smashing, pushing or supporting, thrawing or lifting, tricking or digging and binding or kicking action, it is so quick that makes people hard to stay away from its attack It moves so freely as if having high windchill that makes people scare.

All the movements in “Varied Posture” are under mind control. The formats in practising are to combine with the thought and true air together, that is your mind commands the movement of true air thereby the post-heaven and pre-heaven air can rely on and motivate each other.  Accompany by breathing and the mind guarding the left and right internally will produce “thought”, it can link up the palm, eyes, body, footwork and leg movements during walking the circle exercise.  Thereby guarantee a concrete, smooth and continuous movement when twisting the waist, arms, shrinking the body, sinking the hip, embracing the shoulders during the turning actions, and the upper part contradictory to the lower part.  At the same time, when your mind controls the reverse abdominal breathing, it can generate the co-vibration of air inside “Diantien” and “Ming Mun” to achieve wisdom through a working mind so that air can penetrate into every pore.  If you can store the air in the pores, then you can realize the benefits.  It is in your best interest to inhale when you retrieve a fist and exhale in an outgoing fist.  The “Qi” can be distributed to different parts of the body.  It can also be stored at one place, suddenly group together and suddenly separate according to your desire.  If “Qi” cannot move to the tendons, then the fist is nevertheless ineffective. Whenever there is the possibility to attack, apply the qi to the fist.  Don’t just sit down and wait for the chances to come.  Therefore ancient and modern wushu althelets must firstly emphasize on the cultivation of “Yi” (thought) and “Qi” (vital energy), as they realize the importance of Qi in its application and the advantage of storing them.  If you can achieve the above, you can master them easily.