1 Introduction - How To Use The Bagua Mastery Program PDF

BAGUA MASTERY PROGRAM
1:1 :1:

INTRODUCTION
How to Use the
Bagua Mastery Program
BRUCE FRANTZIS
Copyright 201 0 Bruce Frantzis
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Table of Contents
Welcome from Bruce ............................... 5
Section 1: How the Bagua Mastery
Program Is Structured ............................ 9
How to Make the Best
Use of the Program ................................................... 9
Training Guides ......................................................... 10
Video Instruction ...................................................... 10
Guided Audio Practice Sessions ............................. 10
Meditation Audio Practice Sessions ...................... 10
Question & Answer Sessions/Webinars ................ 11
Forum ........................................................................... 11
Survey .......................................................................... 11
Section 2: What You'll Learn ................. 13
Overview .................................................................... 13
Modules .......... ............................................................ 14
Module 1: Bagua Foundation Building .............................. 14
Module 2: Bagua Circle Walking ......................................... 15
Module 3:
Bagua Body Unification and Direction Changes ............. 16
Module 4: Bagua Energy Postures ....................................... 17
Module 5: Bagua Single Palm Change Posture ................ 18
Module 6: Bagua Dragon Body ........................................... 18
Module 7: Complete Direction Change and
Advanced Bagua Energy Postures ...................................... 19
Module 8: Bagua Single Palm Change Warm-up ............. 20
Module 9: Bagua Heaven Single Palm Change
and Changing Direction ....................................................... 20
Module 10: Bagua Water Single Palm Change
and Roll the Ball ..................................................................... 21
Module 11: Bagua Double Palm Change ........................... 22
Module 12: Bagua Wind Palm Change ............................... 23
Section 3: How Instructions
are Presented ....................................... 25
Instructions Are Basically Circular, Not Linear .... 25
Intermediate Instructions are Separate ............... 26
No Free Lunch! .......................................................... 28
Why Intermediate and Not Advanced? ................. 28
Progress Benchmarks for Beginning and
Intermediate Practitioners ...................................... 29
Safety Precautions Matter ...................................... 30
Welcome from Bruce
Hi Folks,
Welcome to my Bagua Mastery Program!
Bagua as a movement and spiritual art can
take you on an extraordinary journey. This
program, consisting of comprehensive print,
audio and video instruction as well as in-depth
guided meditation practices traditionally only
taught to students within the inner gate of
Taoism, is a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity. You can use this
program to take your bagua skill to the highest level possible-
whether you're just starting out or you've practiced bagua for
decades.
I created this program to pass down the monastic bagua tradition
/learned in China and keep this most exceptional art living and
thriving for many generations to come.
Each person learning the art of bagua approaches it from a
different point of view. You can practice bagua to generate chi for
health, martial art applications and meditation. You will likely find
that practicing bagua greatly improves your performance in other
energy arts, such as tai chi, yoga or external martial arts. Often in
China, internal arts practitioners would rotate between practicing
5
2010 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.
tai chi, bagua and hsing-i. Each internal art has specific qualities,
thereby supporting and reinforcing one another as a whole.
If I could sum up the essense of bagua in one word, it would have
to be "change." Change is at the heart of living. Many people lack
the ability to flow with change and most are uncomfortable when
change strikes. But your success in life depends on your ability to
change smoothly and fluidly-regardless of the external
circumstances in which you may find yourself.
As humanity faces more environmental, social and economic
instability, the ability to flow with change becomes an even more
important skill to hone and develop. Learning bagua can help you
deal with the increasing speed of changes in the modern world, let
go of your expectations of how things "should be" and the obsessive
need or desire to control external situations.
If you can Jearn to change quickly and smoothly, then you can
maintain your center even if everything around you starts ripping
apart at the seams.
In the Bagua Mastery Program I'll share with you powerful and
progressively deeper levels of instruction on how to practice bagua
as an art. Bagua is first and foremost about the legs, so the first
three modules cover straight-line walking and Circle Walking
stepping methods that power bagua energy postures and palm
changes-more advanced techniques to be learned in later
modules.
A Jive teaching is the best way to Jearn any movement or art form.
However. I developed the Bagua Mastery Program with the intent
of making available the benefits of a live course. Training
materials are delivered over a twelve-month period in four
installments (each consisting of three modules), so you have the
time necessary to practice, integrate the lessons in your body at a
sustainable pace and hopefully come to see me in person for an
event, where I can help solidify what you've been practicing at
home.
Each module includes several hours of video and audio derived
from live trainings as well as new material/ created just for this
program. So you'll not only have access to once-in-a-lifetime
teachings, but you'll also get some idea about what it's like to
personally training with me.
The Bagua Mastery Program will provide the framework for you to
understand and embody the art of bagua. Never before has anyone,
especially a Lineage Holder, publicly taught bagua this way. I've
structured the program so that each module will progressively and
systematically teach you how to practice bagua as it has been done
for millennia in China.
I recommend that you spend time reading material in the order
released. If you have limited time to study or practice, simply save
it for later and come back to modules in the order in which they are
presented. The content of this course would ideally be offered over a
five-vear period. giving you plenty of time to embody each
progressive layer before moving on to deeper ones. So set a pace
that works best for you and don't be in a hurry with a "been there,
done that" approach.
The Bagua Mastery Program has many layers, which you can revisit
and come back to again and again. I've practiced bagua for more
than four decades, and I can tell you that it's truly a lifelong
practice that can penetrate to the core of your being. It's
sophistication and depth is unlike anything else I've ever found
in my life.
My intent is to share my knowledge with all of you in the hope that
even just a few of you will take your bagua practice to its pinnacles.
This journey will take courage and perserverance, so give it your
best effort and accept your human limitations, and the time it takes
to acquire anything of value.
I commend you for having the guts to join the program and hope to
meet you in person along The Way.
Section 1
How the Bagua Mastery
Program Is Structured
This first installment includes three modules, each one should be practiced for
one month. There are three types of media content included in each module:
Training guides with a binder
DVD video instruction
CD guided audio practices.
How to. Make the Best
Use of the Program
This is the most comprehensive program I've ever offered to give you the best
shot at establishing a lifelong bagua practice. You will have the opportunity to
learn from a variety of presentations.
9
201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.
10 Bagua Mastery Program
Training Guides
All instructional and supporting informational material is presented in-print with
an accompanying binder where you can include your personal notes, such as
from live trainings. Each module contains pictures, images and graphic aids to
provide a complete explanation of each technique.
Intermediate-level material is typically offered in separate sections within each
document. Regardless of whether you are new to bagua or an intermediate
practitioner, all other material is meant to be read by everyone.
Video Instruction
Live footage from my 2009 Bagua Instructor Training and other demonstrations
by me and my Senior Bagua Instructors will help you learn various techniques
and components of bagua and the Single Palm Change.
In general, we have presented the video Instructions in a linear fashion as they
were taught at the instructor training. Many times there will be material present-
ed that may not be in the current module. My suggestion is to focus on the way
the material is presented in the text and to follow that as your guide and to use
the video as a reference to the text.
Guided Audio Practice Sessions
Each module includes guided audio practice sessions on COs. You can copy them
to any MP3 device (ipod, iphone) or you can listen to them directly.
I've recorded two levels of guided practice sessions for each module to help you
learn the components taught in that module. The first is for everyone and the
second is for intermediates only. If you're not an intermediate-level practitioner
already I recommend you save the intermediate sessions for later when you have
a stable foundation in the basics or you'll be wasting your time.
Introduction: How to Use the Bagua Mastery Program 11
Meditation Audio Practice Sessions
Each module contains two meditations that can be used while Circle Walking.
Often the meditation sessions will have multiple themes so you may find it is
easier if you focus on one theme at a time. I would also recommend all interme-
diate students to go through all of the beginner materials before practicing the
intermediate meditations. The meditation topics are ones that are timeless and
you can come back to them over and over again.
Bonus Material
From time to time, I'll include other useful bonuses as supporting information to
the main instructional material as well as video and audio from live teachings.
Question & Answer Sessions/Webinars
Several live question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions will be offered for which you are
welcome to participate. We will also offer you an opportunity to listen to these
sessions even if you are not on the call at the time. We will notify you of these
events via email, so make sure you keep your email address up-to-date with my
staff.
Forum
As a part ofthe Bagua Mastery Program, you will have exclusive access to a mem-
ber-only forum where you can ask questions. We will also post new and revised
content here from time to time. When you become a member of the program,
you will be given a login at http://www.energyarts.com and you can access these
forums and additional content at http://www.energyarts.com/forum.
Survey
From time to time, I'll send out a survey to get feedback. Your comments will be
reviewed and suggestions will be integrated into future modules as time and
resources permit. Your feedback will not only help us to improve the program,
but also allow us to clarify any common gray areas before you move on to more
advanced instruction. So I encourage you to participate. Positive feedback is seri-
ously lacking in the world and is equally appreciated.
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Section 2
What You'll Learn
Overview
The process of learning bagua can be likened to that of learning how to read.
First, you learn the individual letters, then the alphabet. Next, you learn to use the
alphabet to understand short, simple words, which leads to an understanding of
the most basic grammar.
Expanding on the principles involved in these short words and basic rules of
grammar, you can understand bigger words and smoothly read progressively
longer sentences and paragraphs. Compounding the simple principles and
fundamentals seamlessly allows you to gain maximum value. Eventually, by
expanding on the earlier building blocks, you learn to read most anything with
varying levels of complexity.
In this analogy, the alphabet includes all of the bagua exercises within the
fundamental preparations. The components of each exercise technique act like
the letters of an alphabet, which are applied in endless combinations within all
qigong, bagua and tai chi movements.
13
The exercises of the Bagua Internal Warm-up Method are like vowels, while the
practices of straight-line walking are more like consonants.
The later exercises of unifying the torso, arms and legs in the Bagua Body Unification
Method are like the tiny words "cat" and "dog" from which reading starts. All of the
same principles and techniques are incorporated into larger words that comprise the
Bagua Dynamic Stepping System, morphing into more complex movement forms
(sentences and paragraphs), such as the Bagua Energy Posture Series and ultimately
arriving at the Bagua Single Palm Change itself.
Modules
You will learn how to perform the Single Palm Change as well as how all of
bagua's other palm changes are created from the ground up.
Module 1: Bagua Foundation Building
Module 1 starts by explaining the context of bagua and how to use this program.
One of the most important elements is knowing how to warm up your body, so
you start by learning the Bagua Internal Warm-up Method. This is a powerfully
effective approach to getting a larger return on your practice time.
Warm-up exercises by themselves can build strength and power. In the first
module, five warm-ups will be introduced, but your focus will be on only the first
three warm-ups until you can perform them reasonably well. In fact, the last two
warm-ups should only be practiced by the most experienced of practitioners
for safety reasons. They can be done perfectly safely, but only if your body has
opened to a certain degree, which can take several years.
The Bagua Dynamic Stepping System is the foundation for bagua walking
techniques. All serious students want to start by practicing and perfecting
straight-line walking.
In China, it was typical for masters to make their students practice straight-line
walking for up to a year or more before teaching them to Walk the Circle. This not
only exemplifies the importance of building a strong and solid foundation, but
also points to the commitment necessary to perform more advanced movement
sequences.
If you cannot walk in a straight line, adhering to all of the instructions with ease
and fluidity, then your body will become a series of disconnected parts when
you begin Walking the Circle or walking at higher speeds. You will likely spend a
significant amount of time practicing straight-line walking, even beyond the first
month to fully master the skill.
I've included guided audio meditations that accompany each of the stepping
practices in the Bagua Dynamic Stepping System since I can't come and sit in
your living room to train you personally. These audio sessions are invaluable if
you want to master the material. I highly recommend listening to them again and
again to solidify your foundation.
Finally, in this module, we'll jump right into using bagua as meditation since
meditation is at the heart of everything I teach. Short introductions for practicing
bagua as meditation are included along with guided practice sessions that you
can listen to while practicing each of the stepping methods.
Module 2: Bagua Circle Walking
Circle Walking can give your body all the aerobic exercise it needs. It brings up a
vortex of energy from the earth through your body, which energizes, nourishes
and strengthens your body from the inside out. It also sets the stage for using
Circle Walking in Taoist meditation.
In Module 2, we'll transition from straight-line walking to Circle Walking basics.
You'll spend some time learning the basic footwork for walking a clockwise and
counter-clockwise circle.
You'll learn inside and outside stepping techniques since you won't make a true
circle if you don't get the placement of your feet down pat. Refinements such as
how far you turn your torso and how high you raise your feet come into play.
I've also included practice tips that will help you get the most out of your training
as you go deeper into the material. For example, the considerations for a brand-
new practitioner are much different from intermediate students who may have
practiced for a couple of decades.
Module 3:
Bagua Body Unification and Direction Changes
The simplified turn for changing direction while Walking the Circle will be
taught in this Module. It works out the basic kinks of getting used to reversing
direction-including maintaining your balance and not getting disoriented. The
complete turning method is the fundamental technique of reversing direction
germane to bagua, and will be taught in Module 7.
In the beginning, it can be overwhelming and difficult to assimilate many micro-
components without undue strain. So start by practicing the simplified method
of turning before taking on the complete-footwork turning method.
My strategy here is to ensure that when you begin focusing on the Single Palm
Change posture and Dragon Body that you have a solid foundation. Other-
wise, you'll build in a destabilizing force that can make all future complete turns
unbalanced and break the flow you generate while walking.
The Single Palm Change posture and Dragon Body will be taught in Modules 5-6.
Pactice them for a discrete period of time while using simplified footwork before
adding the complete footwork for reversing the circle's direction (to be taught in
Module 7).
You will also learn the Bagua Body Unification Method in this module,
which is comrpised of three exercises. Many move their bodies with very little
internal connection, so these unification exercises will firmly connect all parts
of your body in a relaxed way without causing physical tension. Unification
exercises open up key energy channels in the body and provide a simple and
relatively concrete path for your mind to enter into your body.
Although these connections can be achieved by Walking the Circle or practicing
qigong or tai chi, it places an incredible burden on people whose bodies are not
fully internally connected. This method makes it simpler, so you can better obtain
internal cohesion in your walking or meditation practice.
Module 4: Bagua Energy Postures
In Module 4, the circle of learning begins anew. You will learn my Bagua
Energy Posture Series. A bagua energy posture involves the position of your
arms while you Walk the Circle being relatively fixed in relation to your body, so
they do not move in space. Bagua energy postures, like the standing postures of
tai chi, hsing-i and qigong are used to develop a strong foundation for all moving
practices in the world of chi.
In Module 4, you will learn the first four postures of the series. Although many
dozens of bagua energy postures are widely practiced, all derive from the
complete system of two-hundred static arm postures within the Taoist monastic
tradition. Each posture opens up specific energy channels within the body. I de-
signed my energy postures series, consisting of twelve in total, to open specific
energy channels in a progressive manner and connect chi flows in very deliber-
ate ways to help you advance to the Single Palm Change.
All bagua energy postures are designed to serve three primary purposes:
Physically open and strengthen particular areas of the middle
or upper body.
Seamlessly connect, integrate and open different parts of the
arms with all parts of the torso, spine, head, waist, hips and
legs.
For intermediates, connect specific energy channels and flows
within the physical and etheric energy bodies.
Module 5: Bagua Single Palm Change Posture
Holding the palm posture of the Single Palm Change (SPC) 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 Taoist chi arts. It has
tremendous value on every level from health to spirituality.
Besides the formation of the palm itself, a palm posture also includes how your
arms and torso both externally and internally mold or morph to hold the palm
position. Together they are called the Upper Body Palm Posture. Both strongly
influence all aspects of your body-energy-mind while walking.
This module focuses on learning to hold the Single Palm Change Upper Body
Palm Posture while Walking the Circle and changing direction using only the
simplified turning method.
In addition, you will learn Postures 5 and 6 of the Bagua Energy Posture Series.
Module 6: Bagua Dragon Body
The Dragon Body is distinct to bagua. It should only be learned after stabilizing
the Single Palm Change posture. The Dragon Body's form has the following two
qualities as you Walk the Circle:
Waist turns toward the center of the circle.
Torso maintains the four points and all of the other alignments
of the preceding sections.
In this module, you will learn how to safely turn your waist into the center of the
circle in incremental stages.
In addition, you will learn Postures 7 and 8 of the Bagua Energy Posture Series.
Module 7: Complete Direction Change and
Advanced Bagua Energy Postures
In Module 7, you will learn the complete footwork for changing and reversing the
circle's direction.
First, you use a toe-in step to turn your torso from the waist and shrink your body
into itself, toward your body's centerline. Then, you use a toe-out step to turn
your torso to the outside of your body's centerline and in the opposite direction
from which you started.
Foot and leg movements are done in two basic ways between your toe-out
foot moving forward and finishing with a footbrake. Both ways are guided and
created by the outward turning movement of the waist. In some bagua styles,
the turning circle of the waist can be exceedingly tight and minimal or very large.
I teach the classic bagua method for changing direction, as traditionally it has
shown itself to be the best way to develop the expansive energy qualities of
mud walking in the legs, allowing the chi to circulate all the way to the toes.
After these two qualities are stabilized in a practitioner's body, the toe-out step is
incorporated into bagua energy postures and the Single Palm Change with more
complex combinations of waist turning and straight-stepping, toe-in and toe-
out footwork.
The toe-in and toe-out steps ultimately drive and amplify all the physical twisting
and spiraling actions of the arms and waist. Both steps emphasize the depth and
power of horizontal rotating, twisting and spiraling.
You will also learn the final four postures (9-12) in the Bagua Energy Posture
Series. These four postures develop your energetic body to its highest level,
opening up and working with the channels of your body. So they should only be
practiced by intermediate practitioners who have a solid grounding in the first
eight postures.
Module 8: Bagua Single Palm Change Warm-up
In this module, you will learn a physical and energetic warm-up that will help
make the Single Palm Change one single, fluid movement as you change direc-
tions while Walking the Circle.
The Single Palm Change warm-up can be thought of as a sequence of energy
postures that fluidly go from one to the other, using all the principles mentioned
in Module4.
The central goal of the Single Palm Change warm-up is to integrate arm
movements with foot movements as you Walk the Circle. Later, because you'll
be familiar enough with the movements already, changing direction won't be so
overwhelming.
Module 9: Bagua Heaven Single Palm Change
and Changing Direction
All of the techniques and principles in the previ-
ous modules will now be applied as one integrated
whole while you Walk the Circle and change direc-
tion using the Single Palm Change.
This module puts all of the components you have
Heaven Trigram
learned together so you can do the Heaven Single Palm Change correctly. Once
you have reached this module, you will have already built a solid foundation from
which to learn the Single Palm Change.
The Bagua Heaven Single Palm Change has many layers. It often takes those
who practice regularly many years to truly realize its full potential. Over time the
Single Palm Change can:
Open the hidden capacities of your body, mind and spirit.
Develop into a compact, lifelong exercise program that can be done
almost anywhere without equipment or apparatus of any kind.
Maintain your health and well ness.
Develop and embody all the chi methods created and
systematized in China.
Advance your internal martial art skills.
Lead you to understand natural energy flows that can enable
you to heal others by focusing and directing your own personal
chi and the Five Elements of the environment.
Heal and make free the deepest needs of your human soul,
including the ability to flow with rather than resist the natural
process of change.
Learn to meditate in the Taoist way.
It will take many years to actualize the Single Palm Change. This module is a step
toward what is possible. In terms of the energies of the I Ching, the core of the
Single Palm Change is the Heaven trigram and hexagram where heaven is on top
of heaven (six straight lines on top of each other). In terms of chi, its salient qual-
ity is to produce very powerful, clear and pure yang energy within the body and
mind.
Module 10:
Bagua Water Single Palm Change and Roll the Ball
The Water Palm Change trains the complexity of
the spiraling arm actions. Although they are best
learned through live instruction (due to the often
hidden complexity within its arm and waist move-
ments), learning to perform this palm change well
has immense value, including:
Water Trigram
Fully loosening the shoulders in a time when neck and
shoulder pain and stiffness is pandemic.
Completely opening up the rotation, twisting or spiraling of
the arm's soft tissues. This trains great flexibility and strength
into all the joints of the arms and relieves arthritis.
Providing the foundation for extreme fluidity of movement for
which bagua is justifiably famous.
Enable the twisting or spiraling of the arm's soft tissues in
progressive stages to connect to and enable the same motions
within the neck, entire deeper anatomy of the abdominal
cavity, pelvis and eventually the legs.
Provide the physical infrastructure to more fully open the
spiraling of energy within the practitioner's body, which is
a major energetic goal of all forms of bagua.
Give your internal organs a workout above and beyond that
which the Heaven Palm is normally capable. Eventually, you
will loosen and connect the energy of the internal organs.
Provide the basis of an extremely wide range of martial
applications, especially those regarding being attacked from
the rear, using your hands to change the angle of an
opponent's body and fighting multiple opponents.
In this module, you will also learn a more advanced body unification warm-up
called Rolling the Ball. Only for intermediates, practice can significantly advance
your Single Palm Change or significantly upgrade the other palm changes of
bagua zhang's martial tradition.
Rolling the Ball enables you to begin a new bagua journey by giving you a
pragmatic tool for making your movements dramatically more circular and even-
tually spherical. This practice is invaluable for tai chi practitioners who want to
become better acquainted with the fundamental principle of circularity upon
which the movements of tai chi chuan are based.
Module 11 : Bagua Double Palm Change
The Bagua Double Palm Change is represented by
the second triagram of the I Ching, known as "earth"
(or kun in Chinese). It signifies the essence of yin
energy as the prime yin or soft power generation
method of bagua.
Module 12: Bagua Wind Palm Change
The Wind Palm Change develops the spinning
techniques of bagua whereby the practitioner's
body spins like a whirlwind. Bruce will be teaching
a course on the Wind Palm Change in the Spring of
2011. This Bagua Mastery Program will include live
footage and transcripts from this training.
- -
-
- -
Earth Trigram
Wind Trigram
Section 3
How Instructions
are Presented
Instructions Are Basically Circular,
Not Linear
Bagua and tai chi are primarily circular or spherical rather than linear movement
arts. Instructions are deliberately structured to conform to this circular rather
than linear way of learning.
Therefore, some of the material presented in each lesson will not necessarily
follow normal conventions of linear instructions. For example, the definition of
some terms may not be fully explained when first referenced.
When a term is defined in its appropriate place in the learning circle, it will yield
more of its deeper implications. This is true for each go-around in the circle. The
challenge in teaching material that includes many layers is that sometimes terms
have to be used before it's the right time to define them. Moreover, if the term is
defined, it is usually forgotten without the proper context. Definitions will make
dramatically more sense and therefore can be absorbed when provided at the
stage of learning for which they relate.
This strategy is based upon my forty years of experience teaching thousands of
students. Experienced practitioners that have more background will most likely
know what is being discussed without needing initial definitions.
The circular teaching approach is Eastern and not particularly Western. It is based
on, to paraphrase an old saying: Telling too much too soon before it's time stunts
the creative growth of understanding and acquiring real knowledge.
The instructional text is written so that with each read, the larger context of
how the art of bagua (and by extension tai chi) are manifested and their highest
potential can be revealed. The details of any art form cannot be explicitly stated.
Stating the full complexities from the beginning would likely make it dramati-
cally harder for most people to genuinely absorb lessons.
Intermediate Instructions
are Separate
All instructions are multi-level from the initial warm-ups to the concluding
Bagua Single Palm Change. For these to relate and make sense at their appropriate
locations within each level, it's helpful to know how the instructions are
structured.
As the list of instructions gets progressively longer, each next step will provide
either:
The best learning sequence so that each new piece fits into,
expands and fulfills the previous instruction's promise.
Or, it will provide the best order of the internal qualities that
will bring about the step's full potency within each learning
sequence.
The foundational level is the first phase or instruction set in learning the skill.
Regardless of skill level. you should read foundational material. Foundational
material should be the focus for those who ask the simple questions: What should
I do to get started and how specifically should I do it? How do I master the core
elements?
The instructions are simple enough to be assimilated. The foundational level is
critical to completely master before attempting any of the intermediate levels,
so unless you have practiced bagua with a competent, well-trained instructor for
several years, you are advised to skip intermediate sections.
The intermediate level of learning is for those who want more in-depth instruc-
tion and are willing to make a serious commitment to their practice. Genuine
excellence and mastery requires real commitment since nothing less can get you
there. Most people will not be willing to put in the energy and effort or sacrifice
what is required to walk down this path.
Intermediate instructions teach you how to develop chi, internal power and Taoist
meditation techniques within bagua (and by extension qigong and tai chi). Each
progressive instruction in the sequence is in effect a more advanced instruction.
It carries the presupposition that you can do the previous instruction reasonably
well, so do not skip ahead until you can perform all of the previous instructions
comfortably.
You must be able to perform the gross physical movements of foundational in-
structions easily and while remaining relaxed before attempting the intermedi-
ate stages. Likewise, if your interest is primarily to enhance another practice, for
example tai chi chuan, you must have practiced the physical movements of your
form sufficiently that you can do it without strain or trouble remembering the
sequence of movements.
In the intermediate stage, you expand upon and implement internal chi or
neigong (components of internal power) content to correlate within the exact
same instructions that you received for the preceding foundational stage.
No Free Lunchl
As a bagua lineage master, a word of caution is in order for future bagua practi-
tioners who may have certain new-age sensibilities or believe in the proverbial
"free lunch":
Within the ultimate non-dualistic Eastern spiritual or meditation perspective, all
levels of accomplishment can be thought of as equal. Any specific level is only a
little more or a little less of what is essentially the same since "all is one:' There is
no place to arrive, only a continuum of being. Being closer or farther away from
any goal is not relevant, as any goal is only a part of a continuous flow of being.
This viewpoint, although very high and lofty, is almost impossible to implement
for most people. Some even use it as an excuse for never getting anywhere. After
all, why practice or exert any effort if you're there already?
The bagua practitioner who sticks to basic training before moving on to more
esoteric topics will ultimately excel much more quickly than one who doesn't
stabilize their current practice before trying advanced work.
Why Intermediate and Not Advanced?
Given the range of valuable internal content within bagua and tai chi, which I
personally experienced in China as a practitioner within the martial art commu-
nities of bagua, tai chi and Taoist meditation, it is my opinion that within this text
there is no truly advanced material.
That said, especially given the limited amount of material and qualified instruc-
tors available, much of the intermediate instructional content could be consid-
ered quite advanced. For example, "having money" is different for a millionaire
and billionaire.
Progress Benchmarks for Beginning
and Intermediate Practitioners
In bagua and Taoist meditation, some level of internal and/or external bench-
marks are necessary to know whether you're progressing toward a goal. It takes
more to get more and you get less if you put out less. Each new step of an
intermediate instruction presents a more valuable benchmark for which you may
choose to aspire.
Intermediate instructions imply benchmarks related to questions such as:
How much chi do you want to cultivate within yourself?
Is being healthy sufficient or do you wish to go the extra mile
and become energetically vibrant and physically stronger?
At times, intermediate instructions can be quite lengthy.
They build and expand upon the same basic external
framework and content of the beginning instructions.
They take your practice to a higher and more beneficial level
for you.
They create progressively higher benchmarks, which enable
you to achieve the potential opportunities and the internal
content that is inherent in the practices.
The sequence of intermediate stage instructions is not set in stone, but rather
is based on the best way for the majority to practice. The ideal order for each
individual student can ultimately only be sorted out by a competent instructor or
master-someone familiar with the specific conditions and possibilities present
within the learning curve of an individual or group.
Safety Precautions Matter
Why will I keep strongly emphasizing safety procedures and explaining the tech-
niques necessary to implement them? Why are some safety precautions overtly
stated while others are implied?
Lack of safety precautions is an age-old problem. Today, the science of intelligent
sports training is gaining ascendancy. However, for thousands of years it was
quite uncommon because a significant number of serious athletes got injured.
Sometimes this was only for months or years and sometimes with permanent
injuries that lasted a lifetime.
In the twenty-first century, most practitioners involved in low-, medium- or high-
level bagua or tai chi practice primarily for health benefits. Taoists think it is great
for people to become physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually healthy by
practicing energy arts.
BRUCE'S EXPERIENCE WITH SAFETY PROCEDURES
In the 1970's, Hung I Hsiang was an authentic martial art bagua
master with whom I trained extensively in Taiwan. I trained what I
Jearl]ed for thousands of hqurs and taught it to many of my
students in the 1970'sand early 1980'sln New York City and Denver
and Boulder, C6/ordao.
As a result of the practices, however, for many years I underwent
very severe painin my., sacrum and along the outside of my thighs.
201 0 Bruce Frantzis- AII Rights Reserved.
>> For years following, I was puzzled over how this situation came
about as none of Hung's Chinese students had these problems. At
first, I thought it might have been a language problem.
It turned out, that there were at least five missing physical pieces to
the puzzle. My thighs and buttocks muscles are huge-genetically
and from hard training. Twisting pressures from the legs only went
to my thighs and below, rather than all the way up to my buttocks
as they should have done.
This in turn caused the twisting, which did not happen in my
buttocks, to localize pressure in my sacrum and consequently
irritate spinal nerves with something like sciatica. What should
have happened is that the twisting pressures should have been
fully dissipated through my buttocks and transferred into my back
muscles.
This might not have happened if I had spent my youth squatting
on the floor (using squat toilets)- as was the case with virtually all
Taiwanese of that era who learned these arts.
I also didn't understand that the leg twisting at the knee should
only occur at the back of the knee and not in the front or sides of
it-otherwise this could cause real problems, such as the leg pain I
experienced or even worse, damaging the joints of the knee, hip or
sacrum.
I didn't understand that leg twisting should have only occurred
in the soft tissues of the legs and should not have twisted the leg
bones themselves.
I didn't understand the leg twisting was not just about twisting the
muscles themselves. Rather it had to proceed in parallel with
and the lower including
tendons ana fascia, as well as 8/fpg blood fully to the
various depths of the leg between the skin and bone. This is some-
thing which necessitates the leg twisting itself and should only
progress very gradually. Otherwise, you only increase the intensity.
As you feel each deeper layer, you then comfortably open up, >>
>> increase the intensity of the twist and move yet deeper toward
the bone.
Later, around 1990 when I visited Taiwan, in conversations among
Hung's senior students, I found this was not the case. All of them
were equally stumped, including Ong Shen Ming with whom I was
a good personal friend and arguably Hung's most intelligent senior
student. All of them missed it and I figured if Ong missed it, they
simply didn't know it.
I also didn't understand the precise method of aligning the joints of
my legs, called threading the needle in China. If must occur
simultaneously with twisting the legs if potential problems are to
be avoided with heavy training, especially in bagua where the knee
can curve inward to the inside of the ankle

Taoist chi practices are adamantly against any kind of regular physical practice
that damages any energy body of an individual in the name of achieving some
high-performance skill. Safety precautions aim to prevent people from getting
unwittingly injured from not knowing what needs to be present in their practice.
A fitting analogy is that everyone who invests wants to make money, but
they often don't consider how much they can lose. This is a common situation
encountered by many who practice sports, yoga or dance. If they don't know
how to protect their bodies or minds, they often suffer for it later.
In the Taoist tradition, the responsibility of a good teacher is not only to give their
students the "goods;' but also to do their best to prevent students from unknow-
ingly causing themselves harm.
Many of my earlier teachers, including Wang Shun Jin and Hung I Hsiang, at least
with me, did not always apply due diligence in this area. Whereas Liu Hung Chieh,
who was a martial art and Taoist master, definitely did. During my many years
as a qigong tui na Chinese doctor, I fixed injuries sustained by martial artists.
Most of them could have been avoided-along with the accompanying pain and
suffering-if simple safety procedures were followed.
Many see the external moves of bagua and tai chi, but don't know what is inside
the complete package. Like a car, they drive it without knowing how they might
be trashing the transmission or otherwise damaging the engine. Putting oil in
the engine is important, for example.
Today, the foundational safety protocols are more likely to be taught in qigong
and not within more complex arts like bagua, tai chi or hsing-i, as was traditional-
ly practiced. Many instructors and advanced students don't take the time to learn
the details of the safety material-especially when the specifics don't necessarily
relate to their body type or disposition.
Many assume they've got it right because they haven't been hurt practicing a
specific technique. They can't figure out why their students get hurt doing the
same thing they did when they were learning.
Traditionally, the safety protocols were folded into and specifically taught inside
internal power (neigong) training and the bagua and tai chi forms themselves.
The same principles were shared, so each mutually reinforced the other. Not
teaching safety precautions was unacceptable, as it ultimately diminished the
maximum amount of internal power a student could manifest downstream.
Over time, as maximum internal power standards have declined in many schools,
so has the emphasis on safety precautions. Consequently, many instructors are
unclear about how some techniques should be practiced or taught and therefore
don't emphasize or pass them down to the next generation clearly. The result is
that an essential ingredient in learning the authentic arts is slowly forgotten.
My urgings to train with a competent, well-qualified instructor is advice that
could very well determine how far you are able to advance in your own practice.
It is better heeded than ignored.
LIU'S VIEW OF SAFETY
Liu explained how safety procedures were explicitly taught in his
youth at Beijing's last original bagua school. If he "screwed up" and
forgot to do them, it was not uncommon for a senior in the school
to hit him with a wooden weapon. It was the method for "remind-
ing" him about where he was failing to pay attention. From time
to time, Liu also used this method on me when I practiced in front
of him. It was not done in the spirit of abuse, but rather of genuine
compassion. It may have saved me many more years of needless
pain and suffering.
Liu said that only some of the seniors bothered to make these
memorable corrections while others didn't. One of the common
denominators seems to have been that in their own training, they
misunderstood something, got hurt and fortunately their teacher
put them back together correctly. Or, they had friends in other
martial arts that had been hurt and wanted to be spared of those
downstream, if possible. Sometimes you only recognize when
something is right after having experienced it having gone terribly

wrong.


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