The Root of All Power By Focusing Heavily on Footwork Training, A Bagua Stylist is Free to Relax and Strike at Will
Written by Daniel I. Rauch
Page 1 of 2 Studying the classical techniques and principles of bagua is valuable for martial artists and students of sportfighting. Bagua’s circular footwork patterns and blocks and parries help easy repositioning so opponents are consistently off balance and susceptible. At bagua’s core is a focus on the simultaneous movement and awareness of the inner body, as well as a changing of directions referred to as a palm change. Moving all parts in unison and focusing on the lower and inner body integrates the mind and produces internal power. Done correctly, the end result should feel intense, relaxed and effortless. Bagua’s unity of motion is in sharp contrast to other martial training methodologies, including wing chun, karate and tae kwon do. In these arts, the feet often remain stationary while the upper body attacks, potentially leaving one frozen against a more skilled opponent who is versed in timing, movement, distancing and rhythm. Bagua is an effective bridge here; by focusing heavily on footwork training the upper body is open to relax while being in an ideal position to strike. Power of the Technique  Bagua was created in the mid-19th century by Dong Hai Chuan, who synthesized shaolin kung-fu, a Buddhist temple art, with Taoist energy practices, which he learned from martial monks in the hills of rural China. Bagua is considered one of the three major “internal” martial arts. The palm or zhang is a primary weapon, and the constant changing of directions represents the addition of more opponents. Perhaps no other martial art seamlessly integrates history, philosophy and traditional cultural perspectives so literally into the power of their techniques as bagua. The Book of Changes and the eight trigrams inform and create all phenomena according to Taoist thinking, and the techniques behind the martial art of bagua do not merely employ a metaphoric usage of these principles. Heavy emphasis on footwork is found in numerous experienced fighters who rely on footwork training to achieve whole-body power. These fighters will position themselves appropriately and strike a less-experienced fighter whose feet are crossed. Using multi-directional large and small circular footwork patterns in relation to the opponent, bagua helps one expose the vulnerable center of an opponent and take his balance through grounded non-linear movements. Unlike aikido and other movement-based arts, the aim of bagua is not simply to move gracefully from harm and peacefully subdue the opponent. Instead, bagua’s agile movement centers on leading opponents into fatal strikes, reflecting its history as a lethal self-protection and combat science. As with other internal martial arts, it is essential that the body of a bagua practitioner remains loose. The quality of stable, yet empty relaxation and how one reacts to force are as much a part of the art as its movements, postures and alignments. By engaging in slow, relaxed and controlled training the brain’s neuropathways adapt to learning smooth, fluid movements while staying energetically and physically balanced. As such, alignment and relaxed connected power become so integral that when sped up they become automatic. Ironically, this slow relaxation aids in the development of speed by helping the body function appropriately while under attack without the interference of the conscious mind. This doesn’t mean you react reflexively or mindlessly, but rather that the body efficiently transfers and redirects force based on its conditioning, and without needing a conscious command moves effortlessly from the lower back.   Total Confusion  In combat, bagua’s use of soft blocks and re-positioning disassociates and confuses opponents, giving them little frame of reference, because it seeks never to meet force head on. An opponent is misled into counterstrikes where power is increased savagely by the angle of their delivery. Training in constant repositioning and angling, while at the same time keeping the “ischial tuberosities” (or sits bones as they are called in yoga) pressing down, and the footwork light and agile and movement initiating from the lower back can focus each blow into a whole body strike. The training methodology of bagua increases defensive prowess as well as striking power. Good fighters need to tirelessly train footwork patterns to create balance, flow and harmony within the chaos of a fight. In mastering one’s body positioning relative to an oncoming opponent, one can control an opponent’s aggressive actions and movement without force. Bagua emphasizes staying rooted by effortlessly sliding your feet across the ground without lifting any part of the foot. Several traditional movement-based Japanese arts, including aikido, jiu-jitsu and ninjitsu, are similar in training the foot to connect to as much surface during movements as possible. Fighters from these disciplines will seldom lift their heel while rotating like a kickboxer; you will never see a classical internal martial artist rhythmically bouncing on the balls of their feet like a TKD stylist or bobbing and weaving and giving up their height like an aggressive sport fighter. Both combatants stand ready. The author executes a quick switch stance. Then attempts to catch Xu with a front ball kick followed by a roundkick to the neck. But Xu moves laterally and snakes his arm around the leg to execute a throw.   The author prepares to throw a jab/rear elbow combination at Xu. Xu blocks the elbow. He flows with the rotation.   Sink Your Weight  In approaching bagua for the first time, one must relax and sink one’s weight in his feet, performing stepping movements without tension or distraction. It is here that true power can begin. “The eyes must be focused, the intention and qi (chi) must lead the movements and above all the body must relax and be soft, loose, and open,” explains sifu George Xu, who learned bagua in China over 30 years ago. Xu is also a high-level hsing-I, Chen tai chi and larn sou master who teaches form applications as well as the essence of deadly internal power adds, “Without this calm soft feeling of emptiness, one cannot achieve the deep relaxed heaviness that is the internal ground force of bagua.” The focus on freeing oneself of tension and returning to a natural state lets one find the true power of the bagua postures. The daily practice of circle walking also allows one to feel subtle force channeled through the body. A bagua master can redirect this force without external movement while also using it to move and support the body, which allows it to absorb strikes and deliver full-body blows. Unlike muscular force, which requires adrenaline to achieve striking tension, the internal martial artist harnesses power from relaxation, centering and natural body weight. Muscular force is ultimately limited as it relies on tightening the body and combining it with a swinging momentum to achieve a linear power. Since this relies on leverage, when confronted by greater leverage or a denser force it will likely lose. A bagua strike comes from relaxation, allowing a bagua master confronted by a highly skilled martial artist with strong leverage to borrow and redirect the oncoming power. Power is channeled in multiple directions and not just along a linear path. This gives strikes the ability to penetrate. This occurs automatically at the point of impact as a function of the relaxed, yet stable quality of musculature instead of through technique or conscious effort. This sophisticated relationship between body and mind, bridged by a relaxed and enhanced flow of signals through the nervous system, is a bagua staple. Using less force also allows deep core muscles to relax into instinctively performing functions that were otherwise performed by more superficial muscle groups. Xu emphasizes that the focus on softness in bagua “doesn’t mean that one is soft like tofu. There is still structure in the fluid balanced connected state and force hidden deep within the dan tien. Being perfectly balanced and having internal weight comes from the body’s center and core and can only be attained and felt through practicing sensations of lightness and emptiness in the limbs, otherwise one is merely using muscular force which is linear.” This practice of emptiness and getting power from the ground by sinking the weight of the hips is combined with a bagua fighter’s ability to enter or retreat in conflict using advantageous angles instead of merely relying on simple linear movements. The mastery and fluidity of foot movement emphasized in the art allows a bagua fighter to subtly present part of his body as a target. Once the other fighter has committed to a strike aimed at vulnerability, the bagua artist changes direction and places the opponent off balance, leaving him open for a well-placed internal counterstrike. It is essential to emphasize, however, that bagua is not merely a series of postures or techniques. Numerous profound spiritual and cultural principles lie at the core of its physical power. These Taoist principles and the living energy known as chi are at the core of bagua and reflected in the I-Ching (The Book of Changes), which traditional Chinese Taoist thinking credits as the root of all existence. Any martial artist who spars regularly and wishes to attain mastery regardless of his discipline or style can benefit from the training methodologies and theories of bagua. Slowing down one’s movements in training to achieve a relaxed comfort in footwork, working on defensive angling, and tirelessly overtraining positioning to where full-body motion is one’s greatest asset in a fight, are several reasons why bagua fighters have proven themselves throughout the profound history of this unique and intelligent art. The author tries to target Master Xu’s upper rear thigh area to deliver a right roundkick. He rotates with the blow. And catches the leg before performing a shrinking monkey elbow spike. And then an eye jab.   Sifu Xu demonstrates a bagua response to a leg kick. As the roundkick comes in, he repositions himself laterally to take force off the blow and trap the leg. He then executes a shrinking monkey elbow spike to the leg. And finally executes a strike to the base of the spine.

BAGUAZHANG

The Circle of Eight

Bagua Master He Jing-Han Discusses Tradition, Fast Food and Art of Sax
by Gigi Oh (with Gene Ching and Jonathan Oh)

 Witness Master He Jing-Han's bagua with a trained eye and you can see the skill that a novice observer might miss. His posture appears effortless so it looks quite simple. In fact, his poses don't appear uncomfortable at all until you try to mimic it. He twists his body beyond the normal range while staying completely relaxed and strong. Here is a body that has been manipulated through years of practice, shaped into something superhuman, but like many aspects of traditional Chinese martial arts, it's subtly sublime.

Master He Jing-Han is a disciple of bagua grandmaster Gong Bao-Zhai, a direct descendant of the lineage of bagua's founder, Dong Hai Chun (approx. 1813 - 1882). A retired broadcaster and Taiwanese military man, Master He now focuses his attentions on the cultivation of the arts. His approach to bagua has been described as holistic, open and righteous. Last year, He published a book, Ba Gua Quan: Foundation Training, his first in English. Bagua is a prominent internal style, akin to tai chi and xingyi. It is based on a Taoist cosmological system involving eight trigrams, or "bagua," that revolve around the yin yang. Accordingly, bagua is known for its circular movements.

Here in the West, bagua seems to be riding the coattails of tai chi, despite being a completely different entree. Like any new Asian import, most bagua served up in the States has been watered down to suit the American palette. All too often here, bagua is made so bland as to appear like tai chi done in circles. But as more westerners develop a taste for it, the true flavor of bagua begins to emerge. Authentic traditional bagua is a respected delicacy for a select few connoisseurs who can distinguish its subtleties.

Kung Fu Tai Chi publisher Gigi Oh interviewed Master He on bagua, but it quickly expanded to encompass martial arts as a whole. This article is based upon the transcripts from that interview.

Gen (Mountain Obstruction): The Relationship of Tai Chi and Bagua
"I first started learning the Yang Style Tai Chi 108 form. After I studied it for about six or seven years, I hit a plateau. I stopped improving. People were really into push hands then. Later, I started learning xingyi from Grandmaster Chen Tian-Yi and bagua from Grandmaster Gong Bao-Zhai. During my twenty-year tutelage in bagua, I stopped practicing tai chi. After I felt I had a good grasp of bagua, I came back to tai chi and my tai chi was greatly improved.

"Now I understand why. In Chinese martial arts, tai chi is the highest form of expression. It's not your shape or outside appearance (xing); it's your mind's expression (yi). If you learn tai chi without your xing being at a high enough level, your body can't follow your yi. You won't be able to do tai chi well.

"Bagua is the best Chinese martial arts to train your xing. Most people say that when you practice tai chi, you should be slow and loose. But if you focus on the speed, you may tense up your body too much to be totally loose. Or you may become too loose and collapse, so you can't explore your internal jing. It's all from the lack of the beginning basic training to master your xing.

"In old days, tai chi masters would teach their students the basic movements of long fist. This is to prepare the body to have, as they say, 'loose tendons and hard bones (song jin da gu).' Only after you have a good foundation can you start tai chi practice. It's like learning Chinese calligraphy. If you learn cursive characters (tsao shu), then you must first learn cuneiform characters (kai shu). You must learn how to do a basic drawing or sketch before you can do abstract painting.

"In appearance, tai chi and bagua look completely different, but the core concepts are actually very similar. In bagua, you learn to twist and compress your body to its smallest form. Tai chi is wide, open and soft. Their appearances are opposite, like yin and yang, but many of their principles are parallel."

Zhen (Thunder Motion): Cultivate of Power in Internal Styles
"It is believed that the founder of bagua is Grandmaster Dong Hai Chun. But I feel that this system is so complex that it wasn't created by just one person. I find there is a lot of Taoist influence such a daoyin and silk brocade. Many bagua movements combine Taoist jing qi shen (spirit, qi and essence) with luohan quan movements.

"The difference between martial arts systems depends on how you use your body. Most systems move forward and backward while bagua is circular. There is twisting energy in bagua, so naturally you walk in a circle. Many people use tai chi movements to practice bagua - that's not correct. True practice of a particular art depends on the correct control of your body movements according the requirements of the art.

"Xingyi also uses twisting movements; however, you only move in a straight line, not a circle. This is because its founder, General Qi Jiguang, created xingyi for the battlefield. Ancient soldiers moved in a straight line - forward and backward, but not circular. Tai chi uses ‘silk reeling' to produce power. Silk reeling requires that every joint is moving constantly in sync with each other. It's like wheels and cogs - large teeth and small teeth move together simultaneously. Yang Tai Chi can be practiced in many ways. Some use Tai Chi to cultivate qi. Master Zheng Manqing's system practices chen jing which is the qi moving only up and down. Master Yang Shouzhong's system practices peng jing. Tai chi chuan is a concept, but you must be familiar with your body shape to really become a master at it."

Li (Fire Elegance): Less Power to Achieve the Same Result
"The first and most important thing is to ask yourself, "Why am I learning martial arts?" What is your purpose? In bagua, I'm actually learning about my body and understanding its structure - the correct way to stand, the correct way to squat, even how to properly hold a glass of water and hand it to someone else. Some people learn martial arts with the sole goal of defeating someone else. They do not learn about themselves. Their mind is not on their own body, but their opponent's. When you find a movement that overcomes your opponent, you only train this movement. As a result, you limit yourself. If someone tells you that a straight punch is most effective, you only practice the straight punch. Even if you master that one punch, if you must use a different angle, you have no attack power. Traditionally, martial arts train all different directions to prepare you for any attack from any angle.

"You should be able to start bagua at any age. When you are young, you can make your body grow into a 'bagua body.' If you are older than thirty, you have to change your body shape first, transform it into a 'bagua body.' If you are under twenty and train very hard, it will probably take about three years to transform your body into a bagua body. If you are older, it will probably take longer. At first, your body will feel hurt and sore, and if you have large muscles, they will probably shrink. This is just the basic training. You should not start form training until your body is ready. Just like if you try to run before you can walk, you will fall.

"Once you learn how to control your body, you discover that martial arts are not about learning how to gain more power, but how to use less power to achieve the same result. Often when you are older, you already have poor posture and bad habits, so to begin at this age, you must throw these away. Once you correct your posture, you will have more freedom of movement. Discovering this freedom will lead to the beginning of your study of true bagua."

Kan (Water Difficulty): Fast Food Culture Challenges Tradition
"I can teach bagua quickly but it depends on the students and how much time they spend on practice. I went to the United States twice, but I stopped because I felt that the few seminars I taught weren't really helping the students. I could only teach them one form in the short amount of time. I feel that students who go to many seminars and learn many forms but fail to master any of them, that's a waste of time. I often ask myself, ‘Should I use my traditional method to teach Chinese martial arts to non-Chinese or should I teach them according to their need?' I don't think I should change my teaching style to fit American expectations. I know there are some masters that go to America and teach one form or some combat skills, but to me this is not the true way of teaching Chinese martial arts. In reality, they deviate from the essence of Chinese culture.

"I emphasize basic training (jibengong) a lot when I teach. If you learn all the jibengong well, but not all the forms (taolu), then no problem. This is because you have already learned how to use your body correctly. Your daily life and posture will be correct. My students find that after they learn all the basics, all exercises become easier and their bodies function better. Even their golf strokes and tennis volleys are better. This is the benefit for modern-day people. If you return to learn the forms after, you will learn them faster.

"Students that learn only bits here and there can say that they are learning bagua, but this isn't true because they are not learning everything that really comes with bagua. People should go to the schools that can get them through quicker, if that's all they're looking for. I often ask my American students why they want to learn from me. If they say they want to learn how to fight, I ask them why they just don't go to learn boxing. That's very efficient for fighting. They could probably earn more money boxing than they could earn as a Chinese martial arts instructor. People who want to learn Chinese martial arts have to understand that there is a commitment to learning Chinese culture. The two go hand in hand. If you put out the right message, there will certainly be people who pick up on that and want to learn the complete system. I want students that want to learn the complete system. If I changed to wanting to teach combat, I'm sure that I would only attract students that are into combat."

Dui (Marsh Eloquence): Learning to Relax
"At first, you have to have all your joints and muscles relaxed and "loose" (song). The bagua practitioner does not have a weightlifter's muscular build. When your tendons are loose and your muscles are longer, your qi will flow more easily throughout the body. Second, you start learning to twist your muscles and joints. After twisting, your muscles actually become even more loose and long. Once you learn how to twist your exterior muscles, this leads to the ability to move qi into your organs and internal body. Now you can execute circular movements. When you can do these circular movements, you no longer need to focus on twisting your anatomy. Each movement is connected to a different internal organ. When you practice at this level, your inner energy emerges. The more you keep walking, the more energy emerges. So when you open all of your body parts, each palm movement is connected to a different inner organ. When you practice at this stage your inner energy will come out. When you keep walking, the more you walk the more energy comes out. So when you open all your body parts, then connect your inner body with your qi and blood circulation and use different postures to lead your qi and blood, that is the core principle of bagua."

Xun (Wind Penetration): Skill in the Arts
"In ancient times, we called martial arts ‘bow arts' (gong yi). It is connected to music, dance and other arts. When you learn Chinese martial arts, you are learning more than just physical combat. Martial arts give you insight into Chinese culture, calligraphy, medicine, literature and yin yang balance theory. Take bagua for example. When you first begin, you are only trying to learn the forms and make them look good and powerful. But until your mind is at a point where it understands everything involved, only then will you truly begin to understand what bagua is.

"I usually practice the saxophone for four hours [a day]. I wanted to learn saxophone since childhood, but due to lack of funds and free time, I couldn't pursue it until later in life. I started learning three years ago. The sax is great because it helps you focus your internal power. My sifu Gong Bao-Zhai often told me, 'Practicing martial arts is like learning "skill."' Once you gain skill, you have learned much more than just martial arts or how to open a school. The process of learning helps you learn other fields as well. Once you have skill, given the chance, you can become a master at anything - the best general, the best prime minister, the best butcher, or whatever. You should be able to apply the skill you gain from martial arts training to your daily life. With the sax, just learning breath control can take ten years. Since I've been practicing bagua for more than thirty years, I've almost mastered my breathing for sax in only three years. Now it's a matter of channeling my qi through the sax to make a beautiful melody.

"In bagua, you learn to master every joint and muscle in your body. I thought I did, but when I started playing sax, I found I couldn't control my lip or throat muscles. I'm also learning oil painting… The reasons why I practice all these things are to stay well rounded. I have seen great masters focus only on one thing in their life. After a while, they become isolated, like an island. Why? Because when they try to share their thoughts, no one can understand. They spend many years to master one art, but most people don't understand that art so they find it irrelevant. It can come to a point when the masters no longer try to communicate with others. At times, it can be difficult to communicate martial arts to ordinary people, but through art and music, I have found a way to relate martial arts through these other outlets."

Qian (Heaven Strength): The Best Time to Practice
"Martial arts should not be practiced only during portions of your day. Instead, it should be practiced throughout every day of your life. For instance, if I want to practice, I should be able to practice any time. I don't have to change into martial arts clothes and shoes first. You cannot treat it like it's a special event out of your day. Jibengong teaches you to begin from your body shape. You have to know what you are doing and break your old habits. Start doing things with correct posture and make those your new habits. Practicing martial arts should be in every second of the day. You shouldn't need to block out certain hours in the day just devoted to martial arts.

"[Practicing yang gong during the day and yin gong at night] is only for certain people that have reached a higher level. They can connect heaven, earth, and universe qi to their body. For people that are just starting out, it doesn't matter. The only time you shouldn't practice is around 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, a period known as wu shi, because your qi is too strong at top of your head. For normal everyday practitioners, any other time is okay. Those books are for martial arts masters. It's more important to focus on using correct way to breathe, to eat, to drink, and so on."

Kun (Earth Receptivity): The True Offering
In the past, great martial artists were the avant-garde. Most were martyrs. Their thoughts were "in the world" (ru shi). They understood the suffering of the common person. They were people of learning and felt that the corrupt government needed to change. But now, martial arts are gradually becoming ancient and obsolete. It belongs in museums. Some martial artists try to recreate the 18^th century; they try to imitate our ancestor's clothing and affectations. I do not agree with this concept. Martial artists should be in touch with what's going on in the world today. Others learn martial arts until they have beaten all the competitors around them. Then they think that they have become a master and that training is over. To me, this is sad because they aren't learning what Chinese martial arts have to offer.

Around the World in Eight Palm Changes

by Sifu Adam Hsu

 According to different authorities the number of kungfu styles we have in China can go as high as four hundred or as low as two hundred. Thus it may be safe to place the total at about three hundred. What a rich and exciting contribution to the world! On the other hand, for this very reason a potential student can become easily confused, overwhelmed, and perhaps even discouraged from beginning any study. Faced with so many possibilities, how can anyone make the right choice?

Then why don't we change our perspective? Let's first examine reasons why we citizens of the late twentieth century might wish to study martial arts. Rather than looking at three hundred styles, we can instead look at three basic needs:

1. self-defense and confidence,
2. self-healing and fitness, and
3. self-enrichment and entertainment.

It's accurate to describe kungfu as a multi-purpose art and in fact most kungfu styles do help practitioners satisfy each of these needs. But since different styles tend to lean in different directions, the practitioner would do best to choose according to his primary interest.

Of course we all want a "one style fits all." Certainly everyone dreams of finding a style which can serve all three purposes equally, effectively and thoroughly.

Does such a style exist? Yes, and among the several that do, bagua stands out. In fact, it may be the most suitable style for the twenty-first century.

To establish this point of view we must examine the past. Within this family of three hundred or so kungfu styles, bagua, a more recently developed art, is the younger brother. This younger brother has been the lucky beneficiary of fighting expertise developed through the thousand year history of Chinese kungfu. As a martial art, its combat practices are highly sophisticated, including only the highest, genius-level if you will, techniques.

Martial arts historians are in agreement that the usage of martial arts was emphasized in the Ming dynasty. Though it received no less emphasis during the Ching dynasty, exploring the health benefits of kungfu also became a secondary preoccupation. Bagua was founded during the late Ching dynasty. Martial usage and health exercise together were the primary ingredients from which it was formed, nourished and grew.

Though it originated elsewhere, the art of Bagua matured and became popular in Beijing, the ancient Ching dynasty capital. At that time it was the artistic as well as the political center of China. As in ancient Athens, everyday life was rooted in artistic expression, creativity and scholarship which flourished in the city. Citizens received heavy exposure to all the arts ذ literature, painting, music, dance, theater, architecture and more. Their rising level of appreciation stimulated higher expectations and demands for quality, which in turn stimulated advances in the arts. For example, the royal family (especially the last emperor) loved opera and people could enjoy frequent performances throughout the city. This rich environment was the context in which several local styles of opera could merge only to develop into the famous Peking Opera.

Of course in the history of most kungfu styles there were periods when crude movements and entire forms were worked over and polished. Bagua, however, was born in this specially charged atmosphere of intense artistic awareness and excellence. Pure Chinese aesthetics are imprinted in its very genes. This may be why westerners who grew up breathing the atmosphere of Graeco-Roman aesthetic find bagua so attractive.

Modern society is changing rapidly. We are under increasing stress as demands on our time, space and energy turn them into scarce and valuable commodities. In this context, all ancient arts, including kung fu, must be reevaluated. Society will not alter itself so that kung fu can survive. Instead we must see which among its many styles can offer the most benefits to society.

Self-defense, self-healing, and self-enrichment are basic needs that the modern person will take into the next century. From this pragmatic point of view, it could be said that bagua is indeed a style that fits all.

Though we live in a highly civilized society, unfortunately it is still necessary to be able to protect oneself. But participating in classes that center only around self defense can be costly ذ even if the class is free! Time, energy, and physical hardship all are spent in service of one purpose. Good bagua masters, however, can teach students the extraordinary bagua fighting techniques which use the smallest amount of raw power to produce the greatest results - and still satisfy the individual's needs for health and inner enrichment.

As we are all aware, the majority of kung fu styles possess many forms. Very few hand only single movement practices. Kung fu practitioners traditionally considered training to be complete when all forms on all levels were learned. Criticisms of others were always based on forms; the number of movements one form has in comparison with another, reversing the sequence of two movements, or switching movements into a different sequence, etc. This has caused unnecessary confusion and hard feelings destroying the solidarity among kung fu stylists. Even worse, it has turned art into mass produced merchandise damaging the roots of creativity and self-expression vital to any art form. If we only copy and don not compose, there can then only be interpreters and not artists.

In Dong Hai Quan's time, and possibly even earlier, bagua disciples were taught basic movements, principles, some samples of sequences, health exercises, and special bagua usage. Then the master should help each pupil, based on individual need, to strengthen weaknesses and make progress. Beyond that, the student could not develop his true potential unless he composed his own forms. Such an outstandingly original attitude towards martial arts which led to such advanced and effective training methods have made bagua an outstandingly original, advanced and effective art.

Self defense is not needed on a daily basis but exercise is. Young or old, male or female, healthy or ill, rain or shine, exercise is a prime necessity. Modern conveniences have changed our way of life. We no longer chop wood and carry water. Wheels transport us to work or school. And at work, even our chairs are on wheels!

Realizing the need for exercises many people have joined western health clubs. Others engage in eastern health practices such as qi gong. As beneficial as these activities are, still none can match bagua as an exercise in which the internal and external, physical and mental, practical and philosophical are balanced so beautifully. Moreover, one can practice bagua alone, in a small space, in a relatively short amount of time, and without buying expensive gear.

Many people who love bagua describe its movements as dance-like. Some westerners intelligently point out that the study and practice of bagua is an excellent way to live out the beauty, philosophy, and life-style found in the other half of the world. So in fact, beauty is not only skin deep.

Technology has shrunk what was once a planet full of vast spaces and unknown frontiers into a global village. People of all nations now realize how vital it is to view the world in this manner. But reading, thinking and discussion alone are not enough to make it happen.

The eastern half of the world has already moved a good way toward meeting the west. We see this reflected in its political structures, technology, science, business, and even the arts. In contrast, the west for the most part stands sill, curiously watching from a distance. Practical necessity has yet to seriously motivate the west to journey east.

Kung fu, and bagua in particular, can make an invaluable contribution to the western body and psyche in ways that aren't possible with the western body disciplines. The understanding of self and culture that can come from bagua practice as well as just the sheer enjoyment and appreciation of its benefits could serve to bring people around the world closer together.

Everyone knows that in bagua you walk a circle. And the circle is the universal symbol of inclusion, perfection, completion and wholeness- qualities we all want and need both as individuals and as twenty-first century citizens of planet earth.