Ba Gua



  

  Ba Gua is a Daoist  practice, elder brother to Tai Chi and is the physical manifestation of the I-Ching (Book of Changes). It's an aerobic exercise that involves precise footwork whilst walking in a circle.

 

The Daoist Monastic Tradition

   The Daoist Monastic Tradition has nothing to do with martial arts but with developing a healthy body and still mind. This is acheived by unifying the movement of mind, blood, nerves, breath and sinking of chi.

   The Ba Gua monastic tradition is a meditative practice that has a strong emphasis on relaxing and releasing held tension (stress) in the nervous system. Modern age is trying to rev up your nervous system which develops stress related illnesses, Ba Gua is an antidote to modern living.

 1)  Health - Through a combination of correct alignments and torque you can gradually open up the body, this is ultimately achieved by releasing the nervous system. As the body becomes more unified, the legs and arms become fully connected to the spine and the body moves as one unit. This develops good chi circulation and allows you to become healthy and strong enough to do the meditative practices.

2)  Meditation – By having good chi circulation this allows the development of a still mind. The ability to remain present, as a result of a still mind, gives you the opportunity to be aware how the energies of the I-Ching are connected within you.

   If your body, chi or mind is bound this creates inertia, which stops you from moving freely and smoothly. By softening the body, developing good chi circulation and calming the mind you can overcome the effects of inertia and develop spontenaity.

Practicing  Ba Gua

   The foundation of Ba Gua is precise footwork.  It’s the walking that opens up the inside of your body by getting the soft tissues to lengthen, connecting the legs to the spine, enhancing the flow of fluids, developing the chi of the legs and smoothing out your nervous system.

   As your nervous system starts to calm the speed that you walk can be increased. Along with rapid changes in direction, whilst walking, you can get your nervous system to become smoother and your mind calmer.
  
    As you become stable in the walking you place your arms in static postures, which are held at various heights. This along with the walking unifies the body. Initially the postures are held through muscular connections but as your body becomes more unified, your nervous system relaxes and the chi then fills and holds the postures. The arms become softer the mind calmer.

   The walking and the static arm postures need to become stabilized before doing the palm changes. These palm changes are  complex and develop distinct circular and spherical movement, there is also a greater tendency to agitate that which is stuck within you whilst practicing the palm changes. The palm changes further the process of opening up your body and mind.     

 

 

 

''Ba Gua enables me to bring my energy from my busy mind into focussing on my body. Its incremental and fundamental details with postures and walking allows me also to experience my body in a different way. I find it helps keep me balanced, physically and energetically, plus the awareness of the body means I can adjust aspects during everyday life. I enjoy the slow sense of acheivement. Peter is very patient and truly dedicated to Ba Gua being able to benefit everyone''

Penny Jenkins