Single Palm Change

The Single Palm Changei (SPC) is the heart and soul of bagua, whether practiced for health,
martial arts, or as an art of I Chingi 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 cant understand other numbers or mathematics as a whole. Without understanding
the SPC, you cant understand other palm changes or bagua as a whole.

Single palm change: Warm-up

The Single Palm Changei Warm Up, although done as a fluid
movement, is actually a series of static arm postures. One
purpose of this warm up is to maintain the energetic flows
from the previous postures and sustain them in a fluid
movement, so that at no point in the continuous movement do
you have weakness.

Single palm change: Heaven palm circle walking

The heaven single palm change is the primary meditative
technique of taoist monastic bagua. The posture held at the
end of the change is considered by many as the king of static
arm postures. The heaven trigram is pure yang, and thus the
energy that the heaven palm change is done with is a pure
expression of yang energy.

Single palm change: Water palm static

The flowing movement of the water single palm change is
best learned standing so that you can accurately translate it
into the circle walking. Fluidity, twisting, turning, and
spiraling are some of this palm changes primary
characteristics. The water single palm change is particularly
good for neck and shoulder problems.

Single palm change: Water palm circle walking

When translated into the practice of circle walking, the water
palm change can allow for extremely fast and fluid changes
of direction. When a practitioner has reached a high level, the
speed and fluidity of the water palm change can be translated
to any palm change, however, when one is a beginner, it is
easier to change directions quickly using the water palm.