Xingyi, Bagua, Tai Chi - Seminar in Boulder, Colorado with Matt Autrey - November 8 & 9!

Xingyi, Bagua, Tai Chi - Seminar in Boulder, Colorado with Matt Autrey - November 8 & 9!

Training Methods

Just a little ramble about training methods I've used in the past 10+ years doing Bagua..
I am a HUGE fan of training methods.  These are the building blocks that form the structure that we build all of our skill sets on.

In Gao style Bagua we have several sets of training methods that simplify movement and allow for the mind and body to more easily grasp and refine certain skill sets.  Basic training methods provide a way to systematically refine the coordinated power of your structure from head to toe.  
These are the three sets that I most commonly use, there are other exercises that work in the same way these do, I just find these the most simple to perform. (The idea being, the more simple the movement the deeper I can focus my mind).
 These three sets are: 

1. 8 Basic Hand Methods/Ji Ben Shou Fa - This set focuses on the hand structure and coordinating it's movement with that of the torso. The 8 basic hand method exercises that I teach are used as a tool to coordinate the hands and body.  Feeling how the movements and articulations of the hands correlate with the movement of the torso/body.  The feet do not move at the basic level of this set so you can focus on just synchronizing the hands and the torso.
2. 10 Heavenly Stems - This set focuses on developing the power of the core/trunk.  The main motions of the 10 Heavenly Stems/Tien Gan are performed with more stationary footwork so you can put more focus on developing the coordinated power of the body and arms.   Tien Gan are great for developing power in the trunk and legs.  This set develops the connection between the body and the limbs.  They are most often done as a solo practice, but I'll occasionally teach as a partner exercise so people can get the benefit of having some bio feedback in their structure.
3. 8 Big Opening Palms - This set focuses on footwork and how we utilize movement to engage with others.  While there are solo exercises for this set more time is spent doing partner work and drills.  It is the footwork that is exercised in the drills that I come back to my solo practice with.  

When doing any of these sets one of the key principles I try and find in each, is how intent provides a bridge between the mind and body.  The hand shape is the expression of the mind and delivery system for the power generated by the body; this is my focus during the hand methods.  The intent that forms the hand shape must be clear and footwork that drives the motions must be as clear as the hands.  You must be relaxed enough to feel the connections of the hands and feet routing through the body, and you need to work to maintain this connectivity when you are in moving and changing.  I do this in a more static fashion with the Tien Gan and moving and connecting with another person during partner training.

One of the things I love most about this system is the process that I go through time and time again of taking a principle the the one above, (the others I'm working on a LOT lately are testing and finding the precise change points in movements) and working it until it becomes a part of what I do every time I practice. I can go through each of these exercise methods, focusing on just the hands, feet and body individually, and then linking them together to move in unison and layer in principle after principle over time.

End ramble...

Internal Arts & Integrative Meditation

Internal Martial Arts (IMA) can be a unique meditative tool that you can use to explore the connection between the mind and the body.  The methods employed can be incredibly useful as means for getting to know and cultivating oneself.  The nature of meditation in IMA takes the mind into the body which can have relaxing quality and at the same time remains connected to the surrounding environment.  In IMA you work to establish a relaxed structure and the process of dissolving tension and relaxing farther into the body can have very meditative qualities.  

Using mind body exercises has great meditative benefit and is very relevant to today's busy lifestyle.  For the majority of us, our days are filled with busy interactions with other human beings in one way or another.  If our meditation practices only pull us further inwards then we will struggle engaging with others.  I can avoid this by meditating with my eyes open and relaxed, remaining connected to the world, yet trying to lead my mind far into my body so I can feel the fine connections and subtle movements.

Over the years of training these methods I have personally experienced great benefit from this type of training.  Some of the things I've experienced in training Bagua, Xingyi and Qigong are:
- Relaxed and strong structure
- More balanced energy
- Calm mind and emotions
- Clearer thinking 

In my classes I have several approaches that I use to teach this meditative quality in practice.  First I typically give my students the tools they need to keep their body relaxed and structurally sound.  If I can establish a good structure first, then the mind will have less blocks when working it's way in.  So one of the meditation practices is the practice of dissolving tension in the body.  We do this by relaxing and feeling the areas that the body is holding tension.  We want to adjust our structure so that the pressure created by the hold dissolved and we are left with a strong structure.  It is key to not just go loose and have no structure when relaxing.  If you do, you will not be able to carry power.

Long story short is, there are many different types of meditation and it up to you to find what is the best fit for the result you are seeking.  The key is to meditate consciously - not just sit there and zone out until you are disconnected.  Meditation is about connecting and refining those connections.

Happy Training!

Carrying vs Holding

Carrying instead of holding is a principle that I have been working on in my training for at least the last 10 years and had been a big area of focus for me personally for the past few weeks.  As I get deeper and deeper into the practice it has lead me to some very insightful things within my training.  It has been an interesting process of letting go of the places that I am holding tension and allowing my integrated structure to carry my body through space.  The benefits that I have been experiencing have been quite interesting as well!  I feel that the physical training has increased mobility, providing more fluid and continuous movement and the meditative aspect clearer thinking for longer periods of time.

What is holding?
Holding is when we are physically trying to hold our ourselves together to the extent that it is impeding our freedom movement.  This can happen physically as well as mentally and both can restrict your ability to change.
There are times that we will actually create the hold because we are looking to feel something within our movements and the hold provides that feeling.  I think that we end up in the situation of holding largely because we spend a lot of time training by ourselves and we don't have the feedback that a partner gives so that we can genuinely feel our structure and learn how to apply force through it without it being compromised.  If we have a partner or some other method or resistant feedback we can begin to reduce how much we are holding and start relying on the structure as the main support and learn how to move it freely.
One of the more difficult things to do is to put the structure of the body in motion and have it maintain it's integrity.  The key to unlock this is finding out how I move my structure without trying to hold it's parts in place?  How can I move freely and rely on my structural integration to give me unified power?
If I am holding I will not have free movement.  If I am holding I will feel the hold and not the free movement.  The key is to relax enough that you can rely on your structure and feel yourself move freely.  As you get more relaxed and move more freely and are carrying your structure through space, there will be less mental distractions from tension in the body which will allow the mind to wander.
We do not want to try and hold the mind in place, over-concentrating on keeping it from wandering. We want to let the mind relax and be an integrated part of the practice.  If you focus too hard and apply rigidity to your mind it will restrict your ability to think clearly and quickly.
We also don't want to try to create feeling in practice.  Instead we need to apply the principles of integrated movement to the form and allow it to express itself.  Just let the mind genuinely feel out what your are doing.  To borrow words from one of my teachers, "Don't think about what you are feeling because all you'll feel is your thinking".  You have to free your mind enough that you are feeling the expressions of the movements come out of you.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my new blog!
This blog is to serve my new study group, "Mindful Integration - Martial Arts and Integrative Meditation".
My family and I recently moved to Arvada, Colorado and I am going to be starting a study group in the area.  I already teach private lessons in Baguazhang, Xingyiquan and Taoist Qigong, but soon hope to be leading a public study group in the Arvada area.
I hope to share some of the insights that I have discovered in the 16 years I've spent doing Chinese martial arts and 14 years doing the arts of the Yizong school.
Please contact me at 303-588-6097 or yizongcircles@gmail.com if you'd like to try a free private lesson.