1 Heaven Single Palm Change - Changing Direction on the Circle

BAGUA MASTERY PROGRAM

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MODULE9 Heaven Single Palm Change: Changing Direction on the Circle

BRUCE FRANTZIS

Copyright© 2011 Bruce Frantzis All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Published by Energy Arts, Inc., P.O. Box 99, Fairfax, CA 94978-0099 The following trademarks are used under license by Energy Arts, Inc., from Bruce Frantzis: Frantzis Energy Arts® system, Mastery Without Mystery®, Longevity Breathing® program, Opening the Energy Gates ofYour Body™ Qigong, Marriage of Heaven and Earth™ Qigong, Bend the Bow™ Spinal Qigong, Spiraling Energy Body™ Qigong, Gods Playing in the Clouds™ Qigong, Living Taoism™ Collection, Chi Rev Workout,™ HeartChi,™ Bagua Mastery Program,™ Bagua Dynamic Stepping System,™ Bagua Internal Warm-up Method,™ and Bagua Body Unification Method.™

Editing: Heather Hale, Bill Ryan, Richard Taubinger and Caroline Frantzis Interior Design: Heather Hale Cover Design: Thomas Herington Photo and Illustration Editing: Mountain Livingston and Thomas Herington Photographs by: Eric Peters, Bill Walters, Caroline Frantzis, Richard Marks and Catherine Helms Illustrations: Michael McKee and Kurt Schulten Image Alteration: Lisa Petty, GiriVibe, Inc., Patrick Hewlett and Jodie Smith Models: Bruce Frantzis, Bill Ryan, Keith Harrington, Don Ethan Miller and Paul Cavel Printed in the United States of America PLEASE NOTE: The practice of Taoist energy arts and meditative arts may carry risks. The information in this text is not in any way intended as a substitute for medical, mental or emotional counseling with a licensed physician or healthcare provider. The reader should consult a healthcare professional before undertaking any martial arts, movement, meditative arts, health or exercise program to reduce the chance of injury or any other harm that may result from pursuing or trying any technique discussed in this text. Any physical or other distress experienced during or after any exercise should not be ignored and should be brought to the attention of a healthcare professional. The creators and publishers ofthis text disclaim any liabilities for loss in connection with following any of the practices described in this text, and implementation is at the discretion, decision and risk of the reader.

Table of Contents Section 1: Single Palm Change and Its Variations •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 9 The Heart and Soul of Bagua ................................... 9 Single Palm Changes of the Taoist Monastic Tradition ........................................ 11 Heaven Single Palm Change .................................... 11 Other Single Palm Change Variations .................... 12 Single Palm Changes of the Martial Art Tradition ...................................... 13 Liu Hung Chieh"s Single Palm Changes ................ 14 Value of the Single Palm Change ............................ 15 Health .......................................................................... 15 Chi Development and Meditation ......................... 16 Prepare to Learn the SPC: The SPC Palm Posture .............................................. 16 Physical ....................................................................... 16 Mind Considerations ................................................. 17

Section 2: Heaven Single Palm Change ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 19 Reversing Direction: Clockwise to Counterclockwise ............................ 19 1. Beginning Position ............................................... 22

2. Toe-in Step and Twist Arms Inward ................... 23 Leg Movements ......................................................... 23

Arm and Hand Movements .................................... 23 Upper Arm Movement ............................................ 24 Lower Arm .................................................................. 24 3. From the Toe-in Position, Shift Weight ........... 25 4. Toe-out Step and Block with Upper Arm ......... 26 Feet and Waist ........................................................... 26 Arms and Hands ........................................................ 27 Lower Arm and Hand ............................................... 28 Upper Arm and Hand ............................................... 28 Head and Eyes ........................................................... 29

5. Shift Weight, Move Lower Palm Forward ......... 30 6. Bring Feet Side by Side and Palm Strike ........... 31 7. Straight Step and Reverse Arm Positions .......... 32 Legs and Hips ............................................................ 32 Arms and Hands ........................................................ 33 Rising Arm and Hand ............................................... 34 Descending Arm and Hand ..................................... 35 Next Steps .................................................................. 35

8. Turn toward Center of Circle, Palm Edges Out ......................................................... 36 Legs and Dragon Body ............................................ 36 Dragon Body Turning ............................................... 37 Arms and Hands ........................................................ 37 9. Sink Arms to Chop Downward ........................... 38 10. Turn Palms Out and Walk the Circle ............... 39

Reversing Direction Again: Counterclockwise to Clockwise ............................. 40 Learning and Practicing the Heaven SPC .............. 41 Hold Positions, Then Flow between Positions .... .41 Three- and Four-part Stepping .............................. 42 Walking Speeds ......................................................... 43 Concluding Your SPC and Circle Walking Practice ............................................ 46

Section 3: Heaven Single Palm Change (Intermediates) ..................................... 47 Overview ................................................................... 47 1. Beginning Position: Change from Counterclockwise to Clockwise ............................. 50 2. Toe-in Step and Twist Arms Inward ................... 50 3. Still in a Toe-in Position, Shift Weight .............. 51 Leg and Foot Movements ....................................... 51 Arm and Hand Movements ..................................... 52 Upper Arm Movement ............................................ 52 4. Toe-out Step and Block with Upper Arm ......... 53 Feet, Legs and Hips .................................................. 54 Arms and Hands ........................................................ 55 Lower Arm and Hand ............................................... 56 Upper Arm and Hand .............................................. 56 Head and Eyes ........................................................... 57

5. Footbrake, Shift Weight and Project

Lower Palm Forward ................................................ 58 a. Three- or Four-part Stepping ............................. 58 Footbrake ................................................................... 59 Shift Weight and Project Lower Palm Forward ... 59 b. Two-part Stepping .............................................. 60

Large Stride and Footbrake .................................... 60 Pull Your Weight Forward and Project Lower Palm Forward .................................. 62 6. Bring Feet Side by Side and Palm Strike .......... 64

Legs and Feet ............................................................ 64 Arms and Hands ........................................................ 65 7. Straight Step and Reverse Arm Positions ......... 66 Legs and Hips ............................................................ 66

Arms and Hands ........................................................ 67 Next Steps .................................................................. 67

8. Turn toward Center of Circle, Palm Edges Out ......................................................... 68 Legs and Dragon Body ............................................ 68 Dragon Body Turning ............................................... 69 Arms and Hands ........................................................ 69 9. Sink Arms to Chop Downward ........................... 70 10. Turn Palms Outward and Walk the Circle ...... 72 Stepping and Dragon Body Turning ..................... 72 Twist Your Palms to Face Away from You ............. 73 Walk Your Circle with the SPC Palm Posture ........ 73 Clockwise to Counterclockwise Change ............... 73 Further Internal Development ................................ 74

Appendix 1: Martial Arts Applications .. 75 Heaven Single Palm Change .................................. 75 Learning Stage 1: Visualize Basic Applications of Key Movements (Solo Practice-) ....................................................... 75 Toe-in Step Followed by Weight Shift .................. 76 Toe-out Step .............................................................. 76

Shift-Weight-Forward Step ..................................... 77 Straight Step and Reverse Arm Positions ............. 78 Learning Stage 2: Pre-agreed Partner Attacks and Defenses .............................................. 78 Example 1................................................................... 80 Example 2 ................................................................... 81 Example 3................................................................... 82 Example 4 ................................................................... 83

Example 5 ................................................................... 84 Example 6 ................................................................... 85 Example 7 ................................................................... 86

Learning Stage 3 (Intermediates): Partners Walk the Circle with Upper Wrists Joined ............ 87

Section 1 Single Palm Change and Its Variations The Heart and Soul of Bagua The Single Palm Change (SPC) is the heart and soul of bagua, whether practiced for health, martial arts, or as an art of I Ching meditation. All of the practices taught in the previous modules are essential building blocks for the SPC. In essence, bagua is an art of exploring change. In any classic bagua tradition, the SPC is the first complete method of change (i.e., changing direction) to be learned. The SPC is a complete method because your arms, legs and torso ideally move in a completely coordinated, integrated and unified fashion. The SPC is to bagua as the number one is to mathematics. Without understanding the number one, you can't understand other numbers or mathematics as a whole. Without understanding the SPC, you can't understand other palm changes or bagua as a whole. 9

© 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

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Bagua Mastery Program

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Figure 9.1.1 Heaven Single Palm Change Changing direction from a counterclockwise to clockwise direction using the Heaven Palm and footwork. Figure continues on the next page.

The SPC actually is not one specific physical movement sequence. Instead, the term "Single Palm Change" can be applied to any movement sequence that allows you to join and flow with certain specific universal energies. To understand this a bit more, it's useful to trace the SPC and its variations back to their roots in the Taoist monastic bagua tradition.


Module 9: Heaven Palm Change-Changing Direction on the Circle

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Figure 9.1.1 (continued) Heaven Single Palm Change Changing direction from a counterclockwise to clockwise direction using the Heaven Palm and footwork.

Single Palm Changes of the Taoist Monastic Tradition Heaven Single Palm Change Study of the I Ching in any form-intellectual or applied-begins with the most primary of the eight energies of change (which are Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Fire, Water, Mountain and Lake). The most primary energy is pure yang energy, which traditionally is referred to as the energy of Heaven. The Heaven trigram is composed of three yang lines. The Heaven hexagram is composed of six yang lines, and is usually thought of as one Heaven trigram combined with another. So pure Heaven energy is amplified to the maximum when the Heaven hexagram is operating at specific points in time.


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The Single Palm Change (SPC) is the bagua monastic tradition's method for exploring the energy of Heaven and how it can be combined with other energies. The most primary SPC variations are called "Heaven

Heaven Trigram

Single Palm Changes:' A Heaven SPC enables you to manifest and flow with the pure energy of Heaven. Chi-wise a Heaven SPC's salient quality is to produce a very powerful, clear and pure yang energy within the body and mind that lacks any sense of heaviness. Eventually, the structure of a Heaven SPC's external movements and its specific internal practices enable a practitioner to become aware of, access and use the natural light inside the cells of the body. To accomplish this, you must develop the chi of the central channel within the torso's core, the bone marrow inside the limbs, and the energy centers within the brain and upper tantien.

Other Single Palm Change Variations Monastic bagua schools have seven additional core variations of the SPC, with different physical movement sequences for each. The main purpose of each distinct movement form is to create the best possible physical container for mixing the chi of the other I Ching trig rams (i.e. the eight energies of change) into the chi of the Heaven trigram. Ideally, the result of each practice is to manifest a single unified energy from the combination within your physical body and energetic system. There are other SPC variations (with minor changes in the physical movements) designed to enable the energy of Heaven to be influenced and infused by the trigram energies of Earth, Wind, Thunder, Fire, Water, Mountain and Lake. Each SPC in the monastic tradition is not just a standard movement sequence. Instead, although practitioners initially learn a standard movement sequence for the Heaven Palm Change, over time they seek to morph the physical move© 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.


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ments within limited ranges. This allows the desired energies coursing through their bodies, energy channels, intent and spirit to become clear, rather than being vague to their conscious awareness. This license to morph the physical movements allows teachers and practitioners to adapt SPC variations to a practitioner's particular needs and capacities, and thereby best lead them toward the qualities of emptiness, naturalness and compassion. Beyond the eight most primary SPC variations, the SPC could be practiced in 64 different ways to help connect practitioners to the 64 hexagram energies of the I Ching. Likewise, the SPC could be done in 312 ways if learning the experiential

methods of using the six changing lines associated with the hexagrams. However, in the monastic tradition, although this can be done, it usually was not -except in rare cases. The goal is to make distinctions clear to practitioners, and then fold them back into the eight ways of doing the SPC. Once the 64 and 312 ways have served their purpose, they are dropped and folded into the SPC.

Single Palm Changes of the Martial Art Tradition In the manner oft he monastic tradition, Tung Hai Chuan (1798-1897), the founder of martial bagua, taught different students variations of the Single Palm Change (SPC) according to their specific needs, capacities and martial experience. Tung had four main students, three of whom were the main lights from which most bagua schools derive their SPC. The three were Yin Fu, Cheng Ting Hua and Ma Shr Ching, who was also known as Ma Gui. The fourth was Ma Wei Chi, who died young, leaving behind no legacy. Tung's students codified the SPC variations he taught to them. Their main students then either only taught the exact same moves in the way their teacher taught them or changed them slightly for their own personal reasons. However,


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these SPC variations have been passed down unchanged through time via these school's lineages to the present day as though set in stone. Clearly, this was not Tung's intention.

Liu Hung Chieh 's Single Palm Changes My teacher Liu Hung Chieh developed the two Single Palm Change (SPC) variations that are presented in this and the next module. This module focuses on Liu's Heaven SPC while Module 10 presents Liu's Water SPC. Liu's variations were influenced by his training in the martial and monastic bagua traditions. During his teenage years and twenties, Liu took his formal discipleship with Chen You Lung, who was the eldest son of Cheng Ting Hua, and personally studied with Ma Shr Ching, who was one of Tung's four main disciples. He also studied with several of the father and

son's closest students. As such, Liu's know-ledge of

the bagua martial tradition was extremely close to the original source. In his thirties to mid-forties, Liu learned the monastic tradition (I Ching meditation) of bagua while studying with Taoists in the mountains of Western China. Liu then sought to create SPC variations that combined the salient qualities of the martial and monastic variations he learned in as seamless and efficient way as he could. He imparted these and other SPC variations to me in Beijing, China between the summer of 1981 and November 1986. He taught me these variations in the manner of the monastic tradition, with the expectation that I would adapt them for specific individuals. To enable me to do so, Liu taught me the I Ching meditation and martial theories, principles and methods upon which variations are based.



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Value of the Single Palm Change Developing the skill necessary to practice the Single Palm Change (SPC) can be comparable to acquiring a glass that won't leak. Once you have the glass, you can then pour the best clean, pristine water available into it. If the SPC is the glass, then ancient China's wisdom called Taoism is the water. The SPC container becomes a tool that human beings can use to: • Open the hidden capacities of the human body, mind and spirit. • Maintain a compact, life-long exercise program that can be practiced almost anywhere without equipment or an apparatus of any kind. • Heal injuries or illnesses in their own or others' bodies. • Cultivate and maintain excellent health. • Develop and embody all of the chi methods of the 16-part Taoist neigong system. • Acquire high-level internal martial art skills. • Practice Taoist meditation to feed the deepest needs of the human soul, including the need to flow with rather than resist the natural process of change.

Health Practice of the SPC amplifies all the positive health attributes of the bagua practices presented in Modules 1-8 that serve as the building blocks of the SPC. Simply put, the whole SPC is more than the sum of its parts as it relates to human health, well ness, stress reduction and healing of disease and injury.


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Chi Development and Meditation When initially practicing the complete SPC, health and meditation applications are so intimately linked that distinctions are usually muddled for most practitioners. This is because in the beginning, the energetic techniques required to produce superior health or foundational meditation capacities are mostly the same. However, although such techniques may be sufficient for the SPC as a form of qigong or martial arts, this is not true for intermediate meditation. Exponentially increasing a human being's chi can be a path to increasing personal health and power, but usually it alone does not tame the ego's nasty side, or resolve and clear the psychological or karmic demons within the soul. In fact, it may increase them. Significantly increasing someone's chi (unless the process is very well-balanced) can merely inflate the ego for some people. Greater chi can feed the psychological inner demons or ghosts that can lurk within the soul and cause these negative forces to grow in spiritually disturbing ways. While bagua's spiritual or monastic tradition has always been very clear, the bagua martial tradition is at times known for being fuzzy or neglectful on this point.

Prepare to Learn the SPC: The SPC Palm Posture As you Walk the Circle wnh the Single Palm Change (SPC) Palm Posture, remember the following physical and mental goals.

Physical • Within the SPC Palm Posture, incorporate all the physical body alignments, movement methods and chi development considerations explained in Modules 1-8.



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• No matter how fast or slow you walk, never separate from a clearly felt awareness of your feet at a minimum and ideally your entire physical body. • You must be both in your head (visualization capacity} and feeling your body. Feel your body as it moves. Do not only see it in your head. Many tend to see (visualize} themselves practicing the palm posture as they do it and in the process cease to feel their body. So they primarily have a mental experience rather than a whole-body experience that incorporates all of their senses. • Beware of the error of involuntarily dissociating into a purely mental realm. You must be present in your body. Disconnection prevents you from being fully present to what you are doing. This easily results in: • Becoming lost in a purely mental realm divorced from your ability to feel or manage your chi well. So instead, you primarily have internal pictures of your chi, rather than directly connecting to the chi itself. • Never gaining the ability to control your chi. • Creating a barrier to learning to dissolve your chi and release the blockages within it. These blockages include not only physical ones, but also emotional, mental and spiritual ones as well. • Continuously look at the tip of your index finger or into the space in front of it, but not at the ground or upward into space. While gazing at this point, use it as a point of stability upon which to hang your mind.

Mind Considerations Calm your mind and concentrate it. Look at your finger or into the space beyond while simultaneously keeping some portion of your mind resting in your lower tantien. Both together, these become your internal point of stability from which © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

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you can recognize the buzz of your nervous system. Try to recognize within this buzz your surface-level tension and deeper levels of stress and internal psychological resistance. Then, progressively look for: • Indicators of the garbage in the bargain basement of your mind. • What prevents your nerves from releasing, so you can let go and relax. • The layers of clarity of which your mind and spirit are capable. As you Walk the Circle, let your understanding of how your mind's field of awareness can open and naturally evolve. Let yourself comfortably become simultaneously aware of larger and larger amounts of information and perceptions without strain or internal conflict: information such as all the little mini-cogs of your physical movement machine; energy flows inside your body or etheric field; or the subtle qualities of internal intent and action engaged in your meditative states.


Section 2 Heaven Single Palm Change Reversing Direction: Clockwise to Counterclockwise In this section, you will learn how to do the Heaven Single Palm Change using ten steps. Figure 9.2.1 (on pp. 20-21) and the text that follows present the Single Palm Change in a step-by-step progression. Initially, it is a good idea to stand and hold each position as you move through the SPC. Hold each long enough that you feel that you understand the position and are comfortable in it. Make adjustments as necessary.

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Figure 9.2.1 Part 2 Heaven SPC: Clockwise to Counterclockwise Circle This is how you change direction from walking clockwise to counterclockwise on the circle using the Heaven Single Palm Change. Figure begins on the next page.

Figure 9.2.2 SPC with Dragon Body Turning: Beginners Version An appropriate position for a beginner with just a little Dragon Body turning.



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Figure 9.2.1 Part 1 Heaven SPC: Clockwise to Counterclockwise Circle This is how you change direction from walking clockwise to counterclockwise on the circle using the Heaven Single Palm Change. Figure continues on the previous page.

Figure 9.2.3 SPC with Dragon Body Turning: Advanced Version This degree of Dragon Body turning is only appropriate for advanced bagua practitioners.


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Once you are familiar and comfortable with each position of the SPC, then try to practice it so that the arm, hand, leg and foot movements flow from one positionto the next to the next in a seamless and coordinated continuum. Keep in mind that all of your body parts should move simultaneously and at the same relative speed. Thus for each position, all parts of your body should start and finish at the same time. No part of your body should either be ahead of or behind another.

1. Beginning Position As you Walk the Circle in a clockwise direction, hold the SPC Palm Posture. Figure 9.2.2 demonstrates the position of a beginner who is doing just a little Dragon Body turning (see thumbnail at left). A more experienced

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ner would have a greater Dragon Body turn toward the circle's center as commensurate with their level of practice and development (possibly as far as shown in Figure 9.2.3 (see thumbnail at left), although not recommended for beginning- and intermediate-level practitioners). When you are ready to change direction, wait until the foot on the inside of the circle (right) is weighted. Then, bring the foot that is outside the circle (left) to be slightly off the ground and side by side and parallel with your inside foot.

Figure 9.2.4 Beginning Position

Your inside (right) palm is the upper palm. Ideally, both palms are on your torso's centerline.



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2. Toe-in Step and Twist Arms Inward Leg Movements 1. Relative to the circle, initially step forward with your (left) outside foot and then toe in towards the center of the circle. This creates aT-shape with your two feet positioned at 90-degree angles to each other (see Figure 9.2.5 or Module 7 for detailed instructions).

2. As you toe in, twist both legs inward. Be sure to step comfortably and do not overextend. Maintain your hips at the same height as when you began. Maintain this hip height throughout the entire Heaven

SPC. Do not allow your hips to rise up or down. In time and with practice, you will have plenty of opportunities to make your stances deeper and longer while Circle Walking and doing the SPC. You do so by relaxing, bending your rear leg and sitting deeper back into your kwa to sink your body. Always adhere to the 70 percent rule. You should not feel strain in your knees or any contraction in your thigh muscles.

Figure 9.2.5

Position 2

Arm and Hand Movements The movement of your toe-in step and hip and waist turning should drive an inward lengthening and twisting movement of both of your arms and hands. Each hand will remain at essentially the same height as in the beginning position. Because your waist is turning, unless carefully monitored, there is a tendency to change the angle between your hands and the centerline of your torso from that


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which you had in the beginning position. To avoid this, use the inward rotating/ twisting of both arms to keep both hands on your centerline rather than veering away from it.

Upper Arm Movement See Figure 9.2.5 (thumbnail at right) and keep in mind: • Your palm and forearm lengthen and rotate/twist inward to face your body. • Your upper fingers continually point upward as in the SPC Palm Posture. • If you can, your elbow tip should point down perpendicular to the ground. • Over time, the ideal position is to have your entire forearm and the edge of your palm align exactly on your centerline. In the beginning, most practitioners can't do the ideal and begin at a thirty- to sixty-degree angle of the forearm to the body's centerline. The road to the ideal usually involves progressively releasing the neck, shoulders and other places in the body over time. As these releases take place, the forearm can move closer to being directly on the centerline. In the meantime, don't force it!

Lower Arm • Your palm, forearm and the rest of your arm lengthen and rotate/twist inward to face upward. • Your palm moves from facing forward or sideways with fingers upward, to the palm facing upward at the same relative height as it started. So, if while Walking the Circle, the fingers of your lower hand were at the height of your lower tantien, then when you finish the toe-in, your palm would be facing upwards in front of your lower tantien. Your fingers should point directly sideways. © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.


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In martial arts, this movement is primarily used as a horizontal blocking/deflecting and chopping technique to the middle or lower part of the body.

3. From the Toe-in Position, Shift Weight

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8 Figure 9.2.6 Position 3

Still in the same toe-in stance, fully shift your weight to the former toe-in foot (left), as your legs twist in more and your waist turns inward further toward the center of your circle (Figure 9.2.6 A-B). • As your upper forearm continues to lengthen, rotate and twist yet more inward as it moves closer to your centerline. • Your bottom arm and hand continues to lengthen and twist more inward and the fingers point upward even more. • With your mind, try to feel and become more aware of what is behind you. © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

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4. Toe-out Step and Block with Upper Arm

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B Figure 9.2.7 Position 4

Feet and Waist 1. Your (right) foot will now toe-out away from the center of your circle. (Use the complete toe-out turn you learned in Module 7.) • Your toe-out step could move you anywhere from 90 to 300 degrees (as described in Module 7 on the five kinds of toe-out steps). For example, a 120-degree, toe-out step is about right for a reasonably flexible beginner.



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2. At the completion of the toe-out, face 180 degrees or more away from the direction you previously faced on your circle when you began the SPC. • Keep your kwa, ankle and foot connections solid. • Protect your weighted, supporting (left) knee by doing your best not to allow it to collapse or bend inward. Keep your rear leg properly aligned as described in Module 7. 3. Finish with a clear footbrake in the new direction you are facing.

Correct

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Figure 9.2.8 Toe-out Knee Alignments

Arms and Hands Most often in the SPC, only one arm and palm is fully energized in a complete yang or yin fashion at any given time. Which arm is energized will constantly change, e.g. the upper and then the lower, and vice versa. This enables the projecting yang energy of one hand to be very clear and the yin energy of the opposite hand to completely support it.


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Ideally, the yang energy flows completely unobstructed back and forth from one hand to the other: hence the name Single Palm Change.

Lower Arm and Hand As you do your toe-out step, your lower (left) arm and hand is yin and your upper (right) arm and hand is yang (see Figure 9.2.7/thumbnail at right). • Your lower arm and wrist remains on and moves with your centerline. As your hips turn, they carry your torso, arm and hand along with it. • Your forearm and palm rotates/twists inward to face downward, and your fingers point either forward or upward.

Upper Arm and Hand 1. As you do your toe-out step, lengthen your upper (right) arm from your spine outward, ideally with your elbow pointing straight down. • Your hand remains on your centerline. • Your entire arm, from your spine to your fingertips, rotates/ twists outward. • Your arm rises slightly, so that your hand finishes in front of your face or forehead, on your body's centerline. • The combination of your hips turning and your arm extending, rotating and lifting gives you the feeling of a horizontal, slightly rising circular sweeping and blocking action. 2. Your upper arm finishes with the palm and fingers basically on a straight line (albeit slightly curved) on an upward 45-degree angle (Figure 9.2.9). Because your upper hand begins and finishes on your body's centerline, you might falsely assume that your arm and hand will stay still in space like dead



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wood. This is not the case. Instead, you will feel as if you must move it sideways in a motion like you might use if you were to bring your arm from your centerline to your shoulder.

Why? The turning of your hips and waist makes an arc in space. To keep your arm on your centerline, between the beginning and end of the arc, you must exert a sideways impetus through your arm, or it will be left behind. 3. When you do the final foot brake of your toe-out step, let that motion amplify your last bit of outward lengthening and rotating/twisting of your upper arm and hand. Try to maximize the discharge of energy from your spine to your palm and fingertips.

Figure 9.2.9

• Initially, focus your intent on doing a purely forward, vertical drilling motion expressed through your fingers (see Module 3, Body Unification Exercise #2, Drill). • Once you can do that clearly and easily, then also lengthen and twist out in such a way that you add a clear sideward/ horizontal motion that moves through your thumb (see Module 3, Body Unification Exercise #3, Cut). 4. At the end, ideally the back of your hand and fingers face in the same direction as your nose, the front of your spine, and the knee and foot of your forward toe-out leg.

Head and Eyes As you do your toe-out step, maintain your head's position on your centerline, facing forward relative to your body. Let the turning of your hips carry your torso, head and arms sideways, but don't turn your head any further than your body carries it. Continue to gaze softly forward through your upper hand as your body turns. Relax your eyes, and let your gaze sweep across the space through which you turn. © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

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Try to remain present, allowing yourself to see as much as possible while your eyes sweep around without becoming dizzy.

The combination of your hips turning and your arm extending and rotating creates a horizontal circular sweeping and blocking action. See Appendix 1 for more on martial applications.

5. Shift Weight, Move Lower Palm Forward 1. Shift your weight to your forward (right) leg. • If using a three-part step, shift weight in one clean movement. • If using a four-part step, in the first 70 percent of the weight shift, bend your legs. During the last 30 percent of the weight shift, extend your legs.

2. Your upper arm remains extended and the palm maintains its previous toeout-step shape. Continue to lengthen and twist outward, and extend your chi outward and upward through your palm and fingers.

3. Extend your lower arm and hand forward and upward a bit, and begin to project chi through your palm.

Figure 9.2.1 0 Position 5



6. Bring Feet Side by Side and Palm Strike

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Figure 9.2.11 Position 6 1. Make sure your weight is on your front (right) foot. 2. Bring your rear empty and weightless (left) foot side by side and parallel with your forward (right) foot. 3. Lengthen and rotate/twist your upper arm and hand inward without letting your arm or hand come back toward your torso at all. Maintain the same angles your upper fingers, palm, wrist, elbow and shoulder assumed in the previous two movements.


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4. Let the movement forward of your weightless (left) foot cause your lower arm to extend forward and upward slightly more, and to do a left palm strike just under your upper elbow (see Module 3, Body Unification Exercise #1, Palm Strike). • Rotate/twist your lower arm and palm inward. • Ideally, the palm strike is directed on the same line as the balls and toes of your unweighted (left) foot. • Your lower arm only extends forward a few inches as you slightly extend your elbow and armpit. • Your lower palm projects energy-not forward-but to the side of your upper elbow.

7. Straight Step and Reverse Arm Positions See Figure 9.2.12 on the next page.

Legs and Hips 1. With your unweighted (left) leg, do a straight step forward with a footbrake. • Depending on how far around your toe-out step positions you, either walk again on your circle in the counterclockwise direction, or step outside of your circle away from its center. • Twist your legs outward. 2. As you step, turn your waist slightly toward your weighted (right) leg.



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Figure 9.2.12 Position 7

Arms and Hands As you step, simultaneously do the rising and falling arm switching technique you learned for the Single Palm Change Transition in Module 8, Section 4. • Let your leg movement generate your arm movements. • Both forearms lightly rub and twist against each other as they move up and down to finish together.


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Rising Arm and Hand 1. While initially keeping your upper (right) arm and palm in the same position, move your lower (left) hand underneath the right elbow to the outside. 2. Your lower (left) arm and hand lengthens and rotates/twists outward and rises. Your rising forearm moves up and forward along the outside of your descending upper arm. The hand rises to a position as high as or ideally above your head (Figure 9.2.13). 3. Your rising (left) arm finishes with your forearm at a 90-degree angle to the ground with your fingers pointing upward.

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8 Figure 9.2.13

Height of Upper Hand A} Acceptable hand position. B) Ideal hand position. © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.


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Descending Arm and Hand Your upper {right) arm lengthens and rotates/twists inward, gradually bends and moves down to finish with the back of the hand on the crook of the rising arm's elbow. • As it drops and bends, the forearm initially rubs against the back and outside of the rising forearm. • Then, midway it switches to rubbing against the inside of the rising arm in coordination with the rising arm moving forward and the palm rotating up and twisting outward. • Finish with the descending {right) hand in the crook of your rising (left) elbow, with the palm facing up. • Ideally, both hands finish on your centerline with the fingers pointing upward.

Next Steps The traditional requirement, and ideally the best practice from here on, is to finish the remaining hip, waist and upper body movements of the SPC within three full steps. Then, you would Walk the Circle until the time arrives to reverse direction on the circle again. For many people, this is an attainable goal within one year of practice. However, in the beginning, most practitioners cannot complete the movements of the SPC within three, five or even seven full steps in a smooth manner with all parts of the body fully connected and integrated. Only when your hip, waist, shoulder and arm movements become looser and more fluid, connected and integrated will you be able to accomplish the threestep goal. Instructors usually allow beginners five to seven steps to complete the change of direction and hone the number of steps down to three or less over time.


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8. Turn toward Center of Circle, Palm Edges Out

A

8


Legs and Dragon Body Stepping 1. Your next step is a curving step with what is now your outside (right) foot. • If your previous straight step was on your circle, then this outside step will be your normal curving outside step.



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• If your previous straight step took you outside your circle and away from its center, then your straight step will curve (toe-in) more than usual to bring your feet back around to be on or at least moving toward your circle for this curving step. 2. Then, continue to Walk the Circle in a counterclockwise direction. • If you previously stepped significantly outside your circle, you must adjust your next few steps to bring you smoothly back onto your circle.

Dragon Body Turning As you step, gradually turn your hips and waist toward the center of your circle. As you begin to turn, gauge your maximum comfortable Dragon Body turning position. Then, time your turning so that ideally you will reach that maximum turn at the precise moment when you finish the remaining SPC upper body and arm movements. If you require seven steps, you will turn more slowly than if you only need three steps.

Arms and Hands As you turn your hips and waist, rotate your palms, so the edges face outward and away from you. • Lengthen and twist both arms and palms outward. • Maintain your upper fingertips at the height they reached in the previous step: at the height of the crown of your head or ideally well above it. • Lower your bottom hand, so that your fingertips are just below the tip of your upper arm's elbow.


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9. Sink Arms to Chop Downward

A

B

c

Figure 9.2.15 Position 9 Continue to walk and turn toward the center of your circle almost as far as your Dragon Body turning will carry you. Next, sink your arms and palms, so that you chop downward. This chop may either be done gradually as you step and turn your body, or you may wait until the moment just before you finish your Dragon Body turning.



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1. From the beginning position, continue to step along the circumference of the circle and turn your hips and waist toward the center (Figure 9.2.1 5 A). As the arm and hand movements begin, for each hand your little finger is slightly further extended away from you than the bottom part of your palm (Figure 9.2.1 5 B).

2. You now use the tip of each little finger as a pivot point from which you bring your wrists and the edges of your palms down and forward. The tips of both little fingers must remain relatively fixed in space in relationship to your wrists (Figure 9.2.1 5 B).

3. Drop your wrists vertically and slightly forward away from you on your centerline, without going backward, left or right. Simultaneously drop and bend your elbows, and move them toward your wrists. Bring your wrists and the bottom edges of your hands forward below your little fingers, until the edges of the palms are perpendicular to the ground and on a straight line with your little fingers (Figure 9.2.1 5 C). Lengthen and twist both arms inward and bend your elbows. This causes two types of forces to emanate from each of your palms. • A downward chop from the very bottom of the palm's edge. • A forward cutting action with the rest of the palm's edge.

10. Turn Palms Out and Walk the Circle With your next step, finish your Dragon Body turning and lengthen, rotate and twist your arms and palms outward to assume the Single Palm Change Palm Posture. Figure 9.2.16 dipicts a beginner's degree of Dragon Body turning whereas Figure 9.2.17 (see next page) depicts how far a very experienced and advanced student might turn. Figure 9.2.16


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Finish your Dragon Body as far as you can comfortably turn toward the center of your circle. Maintain your four points and keep the centers of both of your palms on your centerline. Your hips, palms and head all face in the same direction at whatever angle your hips can turn (e.g. 15, 30 or 45 degrees away from the direction in which your legs move on the edge of your circle). • The tip of your upper index finger is approximately on a straight line, even with either your nose (if you are more stretched) or your shoulder (if less stretched). Figure 9.2.17 • Your lower palm should be in front of your lower tantien to begin. As you are able to open and stretch more, your lower index fingertip points toward the upper arm elbow tip. Be sure to keep your wrist joint open and comfortable. Now Walk the Circle while holding the SPC Palm Posture, until you are ready to reverse direction again.

Reversing Direction Again: Counterclockwise to Clockwise When reversing direction from walking a counterclockwise to clockwise circle (Figure 9.2. 18 on pp. 44-45), every position in the SPC is an exact mirror image of the positions presented in this section for changing from a clockwise to counterclockwise direction. For instructions on how to do the SPC in this way, you simply repeat the previous set of 10 instructions for the Heaven Palm and change any instructions for "right" to "left" and for "left" to "right:' That said there can be challenges. Many people-even the most intellectually capable-have difficulty with lefts and rights. Like people with dyslexia, some students have trouble recognizing physical directions rather than words and find



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themselves very confused by instructions that stress left and right movements. To help address such problems, the directions above focus not on right and left, but on forward and back, weighted and unweighted, and upper and lower.

Learning and Practicing the Heaven SPC Hold Positions, Then Flow between Positions As noted at the beginning of this section, when first learning the SPC, you may find it useful to focus on holding each position as you move through the SPC. Hold each position long enough to understand the position and become comfortable in it, making adjustments as necessary. You may do this in one of three ways: • Without moving, hold each of the ten positions for a few minutes and then do the SPC. • Walk the Circle three times and, on the third revolution, stop in the first posture, hold it for a few minutes and continue from there into the SPC. Reverse direction and repeat. Change direction two more times, completing three revolutions around your circle before each change. Then, on the next change of direction, fluidly do the first posture, but this time stop when you finish the second posture and hold it for a few minutes. Then, finish the SPC and, as before, do two reverses of direction. Then, on the third circle reversal, do the first and second postures smoothly, stopping and holding the third posture for a few minutes {just as you did before for the first and second postures). Repeat this process with each and every one of the ten component postures on both sides of your body, mirroring arm positions (for the right and left) with each change of direction. Over time, this will enable your SPC to become more stable, accurate, fluid and infused with internal power. © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

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• Hold each of the arm positions in sequence, one at a time, for all ten component parts of the SPC. Walk the Circle three times holding the posture, reverse direction and hold the posture with the opposite hand positions, switching left for right and right for left. Once you have held the same position for three circles-both on your right and left sides-then, on the next change of direction, move into the next hand position in the sequence. Repeat. Once you are familiar and comfortable with each position of the SPC, then try to practice it so that ideally the arm, hand, leg and foot movements flow from one position to the next to the next in a seamless coordinated way. Keep in mind that all of your body parts should move simultaneously at the same relative speed. So for each instruction, all parts of your body should start and finish at the same time, with no part of your body being either ahead of or behind the other. Once you can do the SPC in a flowing manner (in each direction), you can then practice Circle Walking as you have done in the past. Remember that a good practice for beginners is to walk three full circles in one direction and then change direction. Everything you learned before will now be applied to practicing the Heaven SPC. Each time you change direction with the SPC, try to maintain a spring in your legs and do the movements in a clean, smooth and continuous manner. Your arms should feel full during the entire SPC. Your arms and legs should all move in unison with each other at a steady speed and not slow down or speed up at various points along the continuum.

Three- and Four-part Stepping As you practice the SPC, you may choose whichever stepping method is best for you. You will want to wire in and integrate the arm movements into both fourpart and three-part stepping.



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Walking Speeds When you Walk the Circle and practice the SPC, you want to do the reversal of direction and SPC at exactly the same speed that you walk and vice-versa. Your SPC should be a continuation of your Circle Walking and not a separate activity. The two should merge to be one continuous and evenly flowing motion-regardless of which direction you walk or whether you are on your circle or doing the SPC. Your walking should become your SPC, and your SPC should become your walking, until they merge into one. At first, until the physical and energetic movements are well-coordinated, you should only walk and do the SPC at slow walking speeds. This allows your body sufficient time to absorb and coordinate leg and arm motions without useless frustration. The recommended sequence is to: 1. Walk at a slow-ish speed, using four-part stepping. 2. Repeat with three-part stepping. 3. When you can smoothly walk at slow speeds and incorporate all the physical and energetic principles learned up to this point, then over time walk faster, until you arrive at a medium walking speed using either threeor four-part stepping methods. Go through multiple cycles of four-part and three-part stepping. Each time, you will move faster and faster until you become comfortable Walking the Circle and doing the SPC with both stepping methods at the slowest and fastest speeds of which you are capable-and every speed and all speeds in between. Your goal is to be able to dial up or down your walking speeds with your hand movements seamlessly coordinated with the footwork. Ideally, you should only engage in faster walking speeds under the guidance of an experienced, well-trained bagua instructor. Small problems that would otherwise go unnoticed are much less likely to grow into big ones.



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A

c

8

D

Figure 9.2.18 Heaven SPC: Counterclockwise to Clockwise Heaven Single Palm Change when changing direction from walking a counterclockwise to a clockwise circle. Figure continues on the next page.

©

2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

E


F Figure 9.2.18 (continued) Heaven SPC: Counterclockwise to Clockwise Heaven Single Palm Change when changing direction from walking a counterclockwise to a clockwise circle.


45

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Concluding Your SPC and Circle Walking Practice 1. When you are ready to end your practice, if you are walking quickly, then gradually slow down, perhaps over many circles and multiple SPC changes of direction. 2. When you are walking slowly and comfortably, smoothly transition from holding the SPC Palm Posture into the SPC Warm-up (see Module 8). Try not to lose the fullness in your arms and legs, i.e. don't let them collapse in anyway. 3. Walk for as many circles as you like, doing the SPC Warm-up movements as a cool down for your practice. 4. When you are ready to conclude, complete a final upward and then downward motion and let your hands rest at your sides. 5. With your arms at your sides, take as many steps as you need around the circle until you can feel your mind (i.e., your feeling awareness) come to rest in your belly, your breath become very smooth, and eventually feel your chi collect in your lower tantien. 6. Turn toward the center of your circle, and stand for a minute or so to allow your chi to finish collecting in your lower tantien (which it will whether you feel it or not), and your mind and breath to further settle there. 7. When you feel you have settled as much as you can, smoothly transition into your next activity. Carry with you the sense of body and mind space, relaxation, integration and connection that you experienced during your practice as much as possible throughout your day.


Section 3 Heaven Single Palm Change (Intermediates) Overview In this section, we will explore how to do the Heaven Single Palm Change (SPC) at a more refined level of sophistication. We will use the same ten steps/positions presented in Section 2. As in Section 2, Figure 9.3.1 (on the next page) and the text that follows present the Heaven SPC in a step-by-step progression. As you refine your SPC, you may find it useful to relearn it in such a fashion. Then, you can return to practicing all ten steps as a continuum, with each position flowing smoothly into the next once again.

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48

A


B

c

D

Figure 9.3.1 Heaven Single Palm Change Changing direction from a counterclockwise to clockwise direction using the Heaven Palm and footwork. A-J correspond to the 10 steps/positions presented in Section 2. Figure continues on the next page.


E


F

G

H

Figure 9.3.1 (continued) Heaven Single Palm Change Changing direction from a counterclockwise to clockwise direction using the Heaven Palm and footwork. A-J correspond to the 10 steps/positions presented in Section 2.


49

50


1. Beginning Position: Change from Counterclockwise to Clockwise As you Walk the Circle in a counterclockwise direction, hold the SPC Palm Posture. Your degree of Dragon Body turn will be commensurate with your level of practice and development (see Figure 9.3.2 for an advanced version). When you decide that you are ready to change direction, wait until your foot on the inside of the circle (left) is weighted. Then, bring your right foot to be unweighted and side by side and parallel with your inside (left) foot. Your inside (left) palm is raised and you gaze through the index finger. Both palms are on your torso's centerline.

Figure 9.3.2

2. Toe-in Step and Twist Arms Inward See the next page for more details.

Figure 9.3.3 Position 2 © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.


3. Still in a Toe-in Position, Shift Weight

A

8 Figure 9.3.4

Moving through Position 2 to Position 3 Toe-in step (A) and then shift weight onto toe-in foot (B).

Leg and Foot Movements 1. Relative to the circle, step forward with your outside (right) foot and then toe-in toward the center of the circle (Figure 9.3.4 A). • As you toe-in, twist both of your legs inward. • Shrink the sphere that your body forms (see Module 5 on energy postures and developing the spherical body). • Close your joints, kwa and, if you can, your cavities, abdomen, spine and lower tantien.


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2. Then, fully shift your weight to your toe-in (right) foot, as your waist turns inward. Further twist your legs inward, shrink your sphere, and close your joints, cavities, abdomen, spine and lower tantien. See Figure 9.3.4 B/thumbnail at right.

Arm and Hand Movements The movement of your toe-in step and weight shift should drive bending, closing and inward lengthening and twisting movements of your arms and hands. Both hands will remain at essentially the same height they were during the beginning position. Twist your arms inward from your little fingers and palm edges to end with both palms facing toward your body. Close the joints and cavities of your arms and upper body.

Upper Arm Movement Keep in mind: • Your fingers continually point upward as in the SPC Palm Posture. • If it can, your elbow tip should remain facing down perpendicular to the ground. • The ideal position is to have your entire forearm and the edge of your palm lay exactly on your centerline. • To help you achieve the ideal position, from your buttocks all the way to the bottom of your neck, broaden and expand the soft tissues of your back from your spine outward. Simultaneously shrink the front of your torso, kwa and pubic region toward your body's centerline. This procedure, as applied to the pelvic area and buttocks, is termed liu tun shi kwa in Chinese.



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Lower Arm •

Twist your arm and palm inward from the little-finger side of the arm.

•

Your palm moves from facing forward or sideways with fingers upward, to the palm facing upward at the same relative height it started. So if the fingers of your lower hand were almost touching your upper elbow, then when you finish the toe-in and weight shift, your palm will be face up, fingers facing sideways just below your upper elbow.

4. Toe-out Step and Block with Upper Arm

Figure 9.3.5 90-Degree Toe-Out As you toe-out, expand the sphere that your body forms (see Module 5 on energy postures and developing the spherical body).


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Feet, Legs and Hips 1. With your weightless (left) foot toe-out away from the center of the circle. • Your toe-out step could turn anywhere from 90 degrees (Figure 9.3.5) to 300 degrees. • An appropriate turn for a fairly flexible intermediate practitioner is 180 degrees (Figure 9.3.6). 2. To do the larger toe-out steps, use Toe-Out Step Method 3 as described in Module 7, Circle Walking Direction Change: Complete Footwork.

• Horizontally unfold your weighted leg's side of your kwa, so that your pelvis moves away from your weighted (right) leg, and carries your unweighted toe-out (left) leg sideways. • Simultaneously and horizontally unfold your toe-out (left) leg's side of your kwa, so your toe-out leg moves away from your pelvis and even further sideways. This will cause your toe-out leg to move away from your centerline. • Twist both of your legs outward strongly. • Open your kwa, backs of your knees, all of the joints of your legs, and your lower tantien and spine, especially when at the

Figure 9.3.6

end of yout thigh swing, you extend your

180 Degree Toe-Out

calf directly forward from your knee and footbrake. • Be sure to keep your weighted leg's hip, knee, ankle and foot connection solid and properly aligned. Do not allow your supporting knee to collapse.



9

Incorrect

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9

Correct

Figure 9.3.7 Toe-out Knee Alignments

Arms and Hands Twist both of your arms outward and open all of the cavities and joints of your upper body and spine. Remember that in the SPC, to a large extent and at any given time, only one arm and palm is fully energized in a complete yang or yin fashion. Which arm is energized constantly changes, e.g. the upper and then the lower, and vice versa. This enables the projecting yang energy of one hand to be very clear and the yin energy of the opposite hand to completely support it.

© 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Riqhts Reserved.

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Ideally, the yang energy flows completely unobstructed back and forth from one hand to the other.

Lower Arm and Hand As you do your toe-out step, your lower (right) arm and hand is yin and your upper (left) arm and hand yang. • Your lower (right) arm's wrist remains on and moves with your centerline. As your hips turn, they carry your torso and lower arm and hand along with it. • Stretch, lengthen and twist outward from the little-finger side your entire lower arm from your spine to your fingertips. Your forearm and palm rotates to face downward, and your fingers point either forward or upward.

Upper Arm and Hand 1. Allow your hips and legs to carry your upper (left) arm sideways in space as you horizontally unfold your weighted (right) kwa to move your pelvis and unweighted, toe-out leg sideways. 2. Remember that you also horizontally unfold your unweighted (left) kwa to move your toe-out leg even further sideways. Let that leg motion also drive your upper arm even further sideways so that it remains directly above your u nweig hted leg.l n other words, move your upper arm sideways away from your centerline to the same degree that your leg moves away from your centerline. 3. Stretch, lift and outwardly lengthen your upper (left) arm and palm, ideally with the elbow pointing straight down. • Twist outward from the thumb side of your palm your entire arm from your spine to your fingertips.



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• As your arm moves upward and sideways in space, it extends and stretches forward in a sort of a horizontal, slightly rising circular block. • Your wrist and fingers extend and press forward and upward, so your palm faces directly upward and your fingers project directly forward parallel to the ground.

Figure 9.3.8 Upper Arm Presses Sideways, Upward and Forward

Head and Eyes As you do your toe-out step, maintain your head's position on your centerline, facing forward relative to your body. Let the turning of your hips carry your torso and head sideways, but don't turn your head any further than your body carries it, even though your upper arm has moved further sideways away from your centerline. Use the gazing capacities described in Module 8 (Single Palm Warm-up Transition), Section 5 on breathing and gazing.


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1. Allow your head to remain stable on your centerline, softly gaze straight ahead, and as your hips carry your head let your gaze sweep across the space through which you are turning.

2. Allow yourself to see clearly everything in your field of vision-right, left, up and down-including your upper (left) arm that has moved sideways off your centerline.

5. Footbrake, Shift Weight and Project Lower Palm Forward How you footbrake and shift your weight forward will depend on what type of stepping you use. For three- and four-part stepping, see subsection"a"below and for two-part stepping, see "b" below.

a. Three- or Four-part Stepping




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Footbrake See Figure 9.3.9. When you do the final footbrake of your toe-out step, let that motion amplify your last bit of outward lengthening and rotating/twisting of your upper arm and hand. Try to maximize the discharge of energy from your spine to your palm and fingertips. Your upper arm makes three distinct motions simultaneously: • The first motion is a purely forward, vertical drilling motion expressed through your fingertips. • The second motion builds on the first and adds a clear sideways/horizontal motion led by the thumb-side of your arm. • The third motion builds on the first two and is an upward, rising motion expressed through your palm.

Shift Weight and Project Lower Palm Forward Then, simultaneously: 1. Shift your weight forward in the manner described for three- and four-part stepping in Module 7, Section 5. Carefully review the deng jiao methods of moving your chi down to the bottom of your etheric body and up again. • If you are using a three-part step, make it one clean movement. Open your leg joints, the back of the knee and kwa cavities, and your spine and lower tantien. Twist your forward (left) leg outward and your rear (right) leg inward. • If you are using a four-part step, close and open your legs and everything else you can as you bend and stretch them. As you close, half-twist your forward (left) leg outward and your rear (right) leg inward. As you open, twist both legs outward. • As you shift forward, gradually turn your hips and torso as far as you can toward the direction that your forward (left) leg and foot are pointing.


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o

As your body turns, maintain your head position as facing straight outward on your centerline.

2.

Upper body: o

If you are using three-part stepping, then continue to stretch, lengthen and twist outward and open everything in your upper body.

o

If you are using four-part stepping, then continue to lengthen and twist outward both of your arms and within that outward motion open and close everything in your upper body in unison with the opening and closing of your legs.

3. Your upper arm remains extended and the palm maintains its previous toe-out step shape. Continue to extend your upper arm's chi outward and upward through your upper palm and fingers.

4. Your lower arm and palm projects chi without the arm stretching (extending) very much at the elbow and especially not to the point of fully locking.

b. Two-part Stepping Once you have performed your toe-out step as described in Step 4, take a large stride in the manner described for two-part stepping in Module 7, Section 5. Carefully review the deng jiao methods described there, including the energetic methods of moving your chi down to the bottom of your etheric body and up again.

Large Stride and Footbrake 1. When you have almost completed your toe-out step and are ready to footbrake, tuck your hips and project your lead foot as far forward (with as large a stride) as you can comfortably. o

Maintain your rear foot fully flat on the ground.

o

Keep your rear knee properly aligned. © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.


• The lead foot's toes project and reach into the space in front of you. • The lead leg will extend and stretch to approximately 70-80 percent of its possible extension. • Open your leg joints, the cavities of your kwa and the back of the knees, and your spine and lower tantien. • Continue to twist both legs outward. 2. Just slightly before the end of your lead foot's extension, tuck your hips to launch your hips even slightly more toward your forward toe-out (left) foot. Either keep your rear (right) foot planted or alternatively let the heel slightly lift off the ground while the ball presses into the earth. 3. Footbrake with your lead foot. • Finish your outward twisting and opening. • Use the footbrake to stop your momentum and fully discharge your chi through your toes. • The footbrake should generate no rebound or force back up your legs, which can jam into the joints of your feet, ankle, knee and hip or your lower back. 4. When you do the footbrake, let that motion amplify your last bit of outward lengthening and rotating/twisting of your upper arm and hand. Try to maximize the discharge of energy from your spine to your palm and fingertips. Your upper arm makes three distinct motions simultaneously: • The first motion is a purely forward, vertical drilling motion expressed through your fingertips. • The second motion builds on the first and adds a clear sideward/horizontal motion led by the thumb-side of your arm. • The third motion builds on the first two and is an upward, rising motion expressed through your palm.


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Pull Your Weight Forward and Project Lower Palm Forward Shift your weight halfway and then fully forward in the manner described for two-part stepping in Module 7, Section 5.

Legs and Feet 1. Shift your weight halfway forward onto your forward (left) leg: • At the end of your footbrake, instantaneously close your lead (left) foot and toes to grab and grip the ground to stabilize your momentum. Simultaneously close-but do not tense-your lead foot. • Close the other joints of your legs, the backs of your knees and your lower tantien. • Squeeze and close your kwa on both sides. • Gently roll under and tuck your hips. • Continue to twist your legs outward. • Keep your forward foot aligned and strongly rooted to the ground, and with your step's momentum let your bodyweight settle more and more strongly on your forward foot until your weight is shifted halfway forward. • Gradually turn your hips and torso as far as you can toward the direction that your forward leg and foot are pointing. • As your body shifts forward and turns, maintain your head position as facing straight outward on your centerline. 2. Tuck your pelvis and shift your weight fully forward onto your forward (left) leg: • Your forward (left) knee and pelvis move forward together until your knee directly centers over your front foot.



• Your forward shin is becoming perpendicular to the ground. This enables your torso's weight to root more fully into your lead foot. • Concurrently, your rear heel rises off the ground while the ball of the foot remains in place. This aids your forward motion and readies your entire rear foot to lift off the ground. • As your front knee and lower leg moves to become vertical and perpendicular to the ground, bring your rear foot off the ground and ideally halfway toward being side by side with your front foot. Ideally, the sole of your rear foot moves forward in a position parallel to the ground. • Your hips and torso must remain stable and parallel to the ground. Your hips, midriff, ribs, chest and neck should not lean to one side or the other to maintain your balance. Arms and Hands

As you shift your weight further and further forward: • Continue to stretch, lengthen and twist outward and open everything in your upper body. • Your upper arm remains extended and its palm maintains its previous toe-out step shape. Continue to extend your upper arm's chi outward and upward through your fingers and upper palm. • Your lower arm and palm remains on your centerline and projects chi without the arm stretching (extending) very much at the elbow and especially not to the point of fully locking.


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6. Bring Feet Side by Side and Palm Strike

Figure 9.3.1 0 Position 6 Whether you are using two-, three- or four-part stepping, bring your feet side by side and parallel in the manner described for each type of stepping in Module 7, Section 5.

Legs and Feet 1. Beginning from the weight-forward position, gently and slightly tuck your pelvis to bring it and your lower tantien an inch or so toward the direction your forward (left) foot is pointing. Maintain the crown of your head directly over your perineum. 2. Bend your rear leg and knee, and move your rear knee forward to bring your rear foot forward with the sole or bottom of your foot parallel to the ground. If you can't do this, then raise your heel, but at least try not to have your toes touch the ground.



3. Close your lower tantien, kwa, joints, cavities and spine and twist both legs inward as you bring your rear foot forward to be side by side and parallel with your forward foot. (For two-part stepping twist your forward (left) leg outward and your rear leg inward.) Simultaneously close and shrink your internal sphere. o

The toes of your rear foot will be on a line with the middle of the forward foot at a minimum. Ideally, they will be even with your forward toes, but never past the toes of the weighted forward foot, or your balance can be severely compromised.

o

Your hips, torso and head finish turning to face the direction that both feet now point.

o

Your hips and torso must remain stable and parallel to the ground.

o

Your hips, midriff, ribs, chest and neck should not lean to one side or the other in order for you to maintain your balance.

Arms and Hands 1. Your upper (left) arm and hand twists inward from the little-finger side and closes without retracting your arm or your hand coming back toward your torso at all. o

Your arm maintains the same position in relation to the ground that it held in the previous movement and its degree of bend.

o

Your hips will arrive to face the same direction that your upper arm is pointing and your upper hand will end up on your centerline.

2. Your lower (right) palm slightly extends forward to do a palm strike. o

It is propelled by your rear moving (right) foot.

o

Your lower palm and arm twist inward from the thumb-side of your arm.


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• Your arm and palm only extend forward a few inches. • Your lower arm and palm joints fully open. • Ideally, your lower palm strike is on the same line as the balls and toes of moving foot. • Your palm projects energy not forward, but to the side of your upper elbow.

7. Straight Step and Reverse Arm Positions


Legs and Hips With your unweighted (right) leg, do a straight step forward with a footbrake. • Depending on how far around your toe-out step brought you, either walk again on your circle in the counterclockwise direction or step outside of it away from its center.



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• Twist your legs outward. • Open your leg joints, the cavities of your kwa and knees, your spine and lower tantien. • Expand your internal sphere. • Turn your waist slightly toward your rear-weighted (left) leg.

Arms and Hands As you step outward: 1. While keeping the upper (left) arm and palm in its same relative position, move your lower (right) hand underneath the right elbow to end up on its outside. 2. Your lower (right) arm and palm then drills upward, opens its joints, twists outward from its thumb-side, and rises until your right palm is above your head. 3. Simultaneously, your upper arm (left) forearm and palm twists inward from its little-finger side, closes its joints and descends until it arrives at the crook of your rising (right) arm, palm facing up. 4. Both forearms lightly rub and twist against each other as they move up and down to finish at the same time.

Next Steps The traditional requirement, and ideally the best practice from here on, is to finish the remaining hip, waist and upper body movements of the SPC within three full steps. Then, you would Walk the Circle until the time arrives to reverse direction on the circle again.


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8. Turn toward Center of Circle, Palm Edges Out

A

8 Figure 9.3.12

Moving through Position 7 to Position 8

Legs and Dragon Body Stepping 1. Shift your weight forward and begin to turn your hips toward your forward (right) leg (Figure 9.3.12). 2. Bring your feet side-by-side. 3. Your next step will be a curving straight step with what is now your outside (left) foot. © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.


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• If your previous straight step was on your circle, then this outside step will be your normal curving outside step. • If your previous straight step took you outside your circle and away from its center, then for this curving step you will need to curve (toe-in) more than usual to bring your feet back around to be on or at least moving toward your circle. • Twist both of your legs outward and open the joints of your legs, the cavities of your kwa and knees, and your spine and lower tantien. 2. You will then continue to Walk the Circle in a counterclockwise direction. • If you previously stepped significantly outside your circle, you must adjust your next few steps to bring you smoothly back onto the circumference of your circle.

Dragon Body Turning As you shift your weight forward and then do your curving step, begin to gradually turn your hips and waist toward the center of your circle. As you begin to turn, gauge your maximum comfortable Dragon Body turning position. Then, time your turning so that you ideally will reach that maximum turn at the precise moment when you finish the remaining SPC upper body and arm movements.

Arms and Hands As you shift your weight forward and then do your curving step and begin to turn your hips and waist, rotate your palms so their edges face outward and away from you. • Lengthen and twist both arms and palms outward. Twist both arms from their little-finger sides.


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• Open all the joints and cavities of your upper body, especially in unison with the openings in your legs when you do your curving step. • Further expand your internal sphere. • Maintain your upper fingertips at the height they reached in the previous step, at the height of the crown of your head or ideally well above it. • Lower your bottom hand so that its fingertips are just below the tip of your upper arm's elbow or upper arm.

9. Sink Arms to Chop Downward

Figure 9.3.13 Position 9 Take your next step on your circle and chop downward. This may be done before you complete your Dragon Body turning toward the circle's center. Or, you may finish your Dragon Body turning and then do the downward chop.



1. Starting from the previous position of turning your palm edges out, for each hand your little finger is slightly further extended away from you than the bottom part of your palm. 2. As you step along your circle, use the tip of each little finger as a pivot point from which you bring your wrists and the edges of your palms down and forward. The tips of both little fingers must remain relatively fixed in space in relationship to your wrists. 3. On your centerline, drop your wrists vertically and slightly forward away from you without going backward, left or right. o

o

Simultaneously drop and bend your elbows, and move your elbow tips toward your wrists. Bring your wrists and the bottom edges of your hands forward below your little fingers, until the edges of the palms are perpendicular to the ground and on a straight line with your little fingers.

o

o

o

Twist both arms inward from their thumb edges. Close everything in your body, especially your tantien, abdomen, kwa, lat muscles, elbow joints and armpit cavities. Shrink your internal sphere.

4. These actions cause downward power to flow into your hands and forearms, as well as a powerful stretching of the soft tissues of the arms, shoulders, back and chest. Two types of forces emanate from each of your palms. o

A downward chop from the very bottom of the palm's edge.

o

A forward cutting action with the rest of the palm's edge.

5. When you finish your chop: o

The centers of both of your palms are on your centerline.


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• The tip of your upper (right) index finger is approximately on a straight line, even with either your nose or eyes. • Your lower (left) index fingertip points toward the upper arm's elbow tip. • Height-wise, the lower palm's index fingertip should ideally touch the elbow tip of your upper arm, something that requires the upper body to be very stretched and open.

10. Turn Palms Outward and Walk the Circle


Stepping and Dragon Body Turning With your next step, you will either finish or have finished your Dragon Body turning. In Figure 9.3.14, the author has coiled his body and arms, so his palms face the center of his circle.



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Since this is an advanced Dragon Body turning technique, instead only do your Dragon Body turning as far as you can comfortably toward the center of your circle while adhering to your 70 percent. Maintain your four points and keep the centers of both of your palms on your centerline. Your hips, palms, and head all face in the same direction at whatever angle your hips can turn, e.g. 45 or 60 degrees, toward your circle's center.

Twist Your Palms to Face Away from You As you step: • Twist your arms and palms outward from the little-finger side of your arms. • Open your joints, kwa, other cavities, abdomen, spine and lower tantien. • Expand your internal sphere.

Walk Your Circle with the SPC Palm Posture Walk the Circle holding the SPC Palm Posture. You can twist, open or close and absorb or discharge chi in any of the four possible ways explained in Module 8, Section 5 on the SPC Warm-up and Transition.

Clockwise to Counterclockwise Change To do the Heaven Single Palm Change in the reverse direction, reverse the instructions for steps 1-1 0 above.


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Further Internal Development This and the previous section delineate how you would do the Heaven SPC with aspects of the neigong components of: • Lengthening; • Bending and stretching; • Opening and closing; and • Twisting in and out. When you are able to do the Heaven SPC with each of these components, your next levels of training will be to incorporate into your practice of the Heaven SPC the following one by one: • Levels 7-12 ofthe process of developing spherical awareness presented in Module 4, Section 3 on bagua energy postures. • The nine energetic development levels of the SPC Warm-up as presented in Module 8, Section 3 on the SPC Warm-up and Transition.


Appendix 1 Martial Arts Applications Heaven Single Palm Change Learning Stage 1: Visualize Basic Applications of Key Movements (Solo Practice) A first step in learning martial arts applications ofthe Heaven Single Palm Change (SPC) is to imagine as you practice the SPC form that you are engaged with a opponent. As you perform each movement, visualize a martial application, including what both you and your opponent are doing. Imagine what it would feel like physically, energetically, emotionally and mentally to execute that application within that movement. Basic applications are discussed below for some of the key movements of the Heaven SPC. Use your creativity to try to figure out basic applications for its other movements.

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Toe-in Step Followed by Weight Shift A pronounced or deep toe-in with a strong shrinking of the body is a common technique to: • Get out of the way and evade or slip a blow or kick. • Cause a blow to glance off without harming you. • Pull someone into your spinning body in order to set them up for a throw or strike. Most basically, the toe-in arms can be used to intercept, absorb and redirect an opponent's blow or kick. However, they can also be used in many other applications. For the

Figure 9.A.l

hands, your upper hand could easily be a strike to the head or body, while your lower hand could be used to come up under a kick of the opponent or to coil around the opponent's body to immobilize or throw him. Likewise, a toe-in leg can also easily become a roundhouse kick to the opponent's ankle, knee or head, or become a sweep of the opponent's forward leg, a leg trap to break a leg, or a knee to the opponent's knee, thigh, hip or body.

Toe-out Step When walking and changing direction, the toe-out step most importantly moves your body in spaceeither toward or away from an attack, depending on the angle at which you arrive. This expansive move can also be thought of most simply as carrying your opponent to the outside of your sphere, away from your center.

Figure 9.A.2 © 2011

Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.


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For this application, the thumb-side of your upper palm or forearm is used to guide your opponent's hands or feet away from you, rather than bang them in a force-meets-force, hard-block manner. Your hands could also be used to simultaneously collapse your opponent's sphere and expose his center. Another direct application might be to use your upper hand as a spear to gouge or pierce your opponent with your fingers. Top bagua practitioners can use the spear hand to easily penetrate the flesh of their opponent. In fact, this ability of penetration is a common measure of bagua fighting skill. At a minimum, the upper spear hand can be used to attack your opponent's acupuncture points, break various bones, such as ribs, damage arteries or dislodge neck vertebrae. There are of course more subtle applications within this move, such as elbow and shoulder strikes as the upper arm opens, knee and hip strikes with the toeout leg and a variety of throws. Likewise, toe-out steps could also become ankle, knee and shin kicks if the foot is kept low to the ground, or kicks to the kidneys, spine, ribs and even head if done high.

Shift-Weight-Forward Step After the toe-out step, you shift your weight forward. As the lower palm spirals across your body, it is generally used for a palm strike, which could be applied at many different angles to your opponent's body. • The most common target is your opponent's torso, including the ribs, internal organs, heart, solar plexus and spine. • The action of your feet coming together in the feet-parallel position is commonly used for a variety of throws and for breaking an opponent's back (see Figure Figure 9.A.6). © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

Figure 9.A.3

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Intermediate practitioners can consider the following: • Closing your joints, kwa and belly sinks your own energy. You can then transfer this downward power into your opponent's body to pin or knock him to the ground or cause damage, such as breaking bones or hemorrhaging tissues. • Conversely, you can open your joints, kwa and belly to send your energy outward and upward as you strike. This is the easier way to execute non-harmful fa jin when working with an partner. If properly executed, you can send someone flying backward and upward, carrying them many feet away from you. The Chinese say it's like dust being blown from your hand.

Straight Step and Reverse Arm Positions The rising hand action of this step can be thought of most simply as another spear hand. It has all the properties and subtleties of the toe-out spear hand with the added attraction of stealth as it rises underneath the opponent's line of vision. Until applied, this spear hand is hidden beneath the upper arm and cannot be seen as it spirals out toward the throat of the opponent. It seems to appear out of nowhere. This spear hand can also execute an elbow or shoulder break or a throw.

Learning Stage 2: Pre-agreed Partner Attacks and Defenses Pre-agreed attacks and defenses involve your partner attacking and you countering in a specified manner using the embedded fighting techniques in the Single Palm Change (SPC). Keep in mind that really paying attention to the 70 to 80 percent rule-offensively and defensively-will be a much faster road to success than getting excited and going full throttle.



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• At first both partners execute predetermined single attacks and defenses. • Then, over time the volume of back and forth increases to three to five (or more) fluid and rapid attacks and responses. • These attacks then evolve into the attacks being predetermined, but not the defenses; or the defense is predetermined, but offense is not. As long as attacks stay within a specified range (e.g., head, torso or legs), either partner can spontaneously do what they like. A few examples are presented below that range from the simple to the more complex. The first two examples are based simply on stepping and applying variations of holding the SPC Palm Posture. The more complex examples that follow are based on Heaven SPC leg and arm movements. These examples merely begin to illustrate the vast number of possible applications. Use them as a stepping off point for your own creativity in recognizing and developing applications within the Circle Walking and Heaven SPC movements. At first, practice your attacks and defenses very slowly and in a controlled manner. Do the same attack and defense over and over in the same manner until you both can do it easily and with no strength or strain-physically, emotionally or mentally. With time and practice, gradually speed up until you can do them more and more quickly in a relaxed manner and without resorting in any way to muscular force or tension. Remember the words of the author's teacher Wang Shu Jin: "It's better to do one thing well than many things poorly:' This is especially true for bagua martial art applications.


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Example 1 Using basic stepping, step past your opponent's guard to the side, use your top and bottom hands to trap whichever of their arms is closest to you and use your upper elbow to throw them back.

A

8 Figure 9.A.4 Example 1



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Example 2 Using any of the angles shown below or others, step, use your bottom hand to trap your partner in some way and/or break his balance, and then hit him with your upper palm.

Angle 1

Angle 2

Angle 3

Angle 4

Figure 9.A.S Example 2: Four Angles © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

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Example 3 Use a slight (shown here) or more pronounced toe-in step to apply a back break.

Figure 9.A.6 Example 3



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Example 4 Use a three-part, toe-out step to kick, redirect and then strike, push or throw your partner.

B

D

Figure 9.A.7 Example 4 © 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

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Example 5 Use a curving step and rotate your palm edges outward to get behind and past your opponent's guard. Then, do a straight step and a chop downward followed by turning your palms outward to strike or push him.

B

A



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Example 6 Use stepping footwork and arm and hand reversing techniques to switch angles from the outside of their body to the inside where the opponent is wide open for an attack.

A

8


© 2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved .

c

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Example 7 Use toe-in step footwork to set up a throw (Figure 9A.1 0 A-C) in the manner that the move Fair Lady Weaves the Shuttles is done in Yang style tai chi.

A

B

c

D Figure 9.A.l 0 Example 7

©

2011 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.


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Learning Stage 3 (Intermediates): Partners Walk the Circle with Upper Wrists Joined In this stage, you begin Walking the Circle with your partner with your upper wrists maintaining contact. You are both free to spontaneously attack and defend at will. You try to maintain continuous contact with each other, and after each exchange ideally you quickly and smoothly return to Walking the Circle with your upper wrists joined. This is an intermediate stage practice because you must be able to walk a small circle of eight steps or less comfortably in order to maintain upper wrist contact. You can implement all the techniques learned from the previous pre-agreed attacks and defenses. Training with a partner adds the element of unpredictability to your solo Circle Walking practice. In solo practice, you can space out mentally and return to being present again without realizing that you left. But when another person is trying to hit you, you may not have that luxury. The process of Walking the Circle with a partner to develop fighting applications has a series of progressive steps. Skipping steps will impede your long-term progress, and often results in stiffening or freaking out in a partner exercise. 1. Initially, you both Walk the Circle with your arms in the SPC upper body palm posture. • Your upper arms must maintain contact at the wrists or forearms in such a way that the movement of your wrists, palms and fingers remains free and easy. You should not push against your partner's hand so strongly that your own hand ceases to be able to move, or becomes stiff or dead. • Practice walking in both directions and reversing direction.


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2. Continue this practice until you can maintain contact with your partner without intermittently spacing or gapping out. 3. Become able to feel the movements of your partner's body through your forearm and hands. By touch alone, you must be able to feel his arms, torso and footwork. Develop the ability to stick to him without disengaging your arm contact, and feel if his arm is about to or has broken contact with yours.

4. Become able to feel your partner's entire movement. Through this practice you want to develop an energetic connection to your partner that is more or less the same as the "listening" energy of tai chi where from touch you can feel many qualities including: • Every little change in your partner's body, so you can appropriately respond and eventually even anticipate what they are going to do a microsecond before they do it. • Whether his hands, legs or waist are about to do something, such as attack, lose balance or falter. • How your partner tries to destabilize your arms, waist or footwork as a prelude to an attack. 5. Still Walking the Circle, spontaneously attack and defend while maintaining the continuous touch of your upper arms. This is done while walking in a single direction and in the period when you perform a toe-in and toe-out step to reverse the circle's direction. • Initially, the attacks should be hand strikes. With experience, however, you can add kicks, throws and joint locks to your partner's hands, elbows, shoulders and knees.


1 Heaven Single Palm Change - Changing Direction on the Circle

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