Robert W.

Smith, first Western Internal Martial Arts writer

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THE SIX PALACES & EIGHTEEN JEWELS

THE MIND (1st Palace)

The architectural sequencing behind this tractate has taken much calculation and consideration. For reasons known, we will start at the first station, The Mind. The mind and thoughts precede all endeavors in life. The mind plays an important role in Internal Martial Arts, as Tai Chi Chuan was first known as, Shadow Boxing. Mental power breads physical power, and the intricacies at the atomic level are as important to our practice as hydrogen is to an atomic bomb. Quantum-entanglement is a phenomenon we have become more familiar with in the 21st century. The KEY to unlocking the mind rests in a three-fold trivium I will call MECHANISMS OF THE MINDS STATE. These three phases of consciousness are essential to master if we wish to live a healthy, full, life. Why are they so important, you may be wondering? Lets get right into the bread n butter of the thick of the plot, and hopefully I can provide you with astounding answers. The first MECHANISM is called, 1. PROJECTION OF THE MIND. The Mind is the steer er of your Spirit (Light Encoded Photons & Electrons) which in turn makes up the information of your electromagnetic Soul. The human eyes are like projectors and receivers for this ENCODED ENERGY. Fajing in Internal Martial Arts is a PROJECTION of the minds intent, expressing REAL TIME ENERGY. This

is called EXTERIORIZATION of the Spirit, and isn't supernatural or evil in natureit is a God given gift; only many are unconscious of this fact. Projection is the energy of FOCUSED EMOTIONAL INTENT on a subject or individual. People do this naturally, unconsciously, and dont understand the implications of their own thoughts and feelings. Many of us have developed BLOCKING MECHANISMS as natural remedies for situations when we come under THOUSANDS OF THOUGHT PROJECTIONS. This is known in Semitic Monotheism as, THE HOT EYE, or THE EVIL EYE. This is no myth or fairy-tale I am relaying to you, and it is an important concept for Internal Martial Art advancement. Many people who work in INTEL networks like the CIA, FBI, and NSA have working knowledge of this concept. This is the true reason many of them started wearing SHADES, although some not in the know copied this look just to look cool. Monkey See Monkey Do! Thought projections can be of GOOD and BAD nature. The way they effect people is usually on a Subconscious, or Emotional Energetic wavelength. You often hear of people feeling dizzy and light headed when giving public speechesthese people are usually empathetic-sympathetic, consciously-sensitive people. THE BAD EYE usually manifests in UNCONSCIOUS people as an emotional trigger which is like a ticking time bomb ready to blow-up. It also manifest in forms of lethargy, mental confusion, anger, jealousy, and fear. Soon, I will reveal to you how to shield yourself from this, and how to use this for your advantagein good ways. Now I will move onto the other two forms of MIND-STATES before circling back to make retroactive sense of this whole process. The second mechanism is called, 2. INTROSPECTION OF THE MIND. This simply means turning our focus inward. A basic drill to get a sense of this is to move the focus of your mind into your feet for a good minute. Feel your feet, each toe, and the sensation around your feet and under it. Move your focus to other body parts and dont forget your head. The center of INTROSPECTION lies within the heart field. Focusing on the heart and organs and feeling good inward is a healthy practice to establish in your life. This is the phase of the MIND which acts a protection and shield against outside projections. Just the act of looking at a distance or at someone in front of you can be a form of SENSING PROJECTION. This means you can PROJECT emotions and also RECEIVE emotions and impulses. BE AWARE OF THIS, and protect yourself from looking at people directly who you dont know and those who may have bad

intentions toward you. The trick to looking about and staying safe is took LOOK OUTWARD, keeping YOUR PRESENCE OF MIND inward. This means you are SEEING, but not really GAZING. The mastery of this trick is done by many orators and public speakers such as the president of the United States himself, Mr. Obama.

The third mechanism is called, 3. NO-INTENTION MIND, or WU WEI. This state of mind is a deflection device which acts as a MIRROR and a mental weapon. The effect this can cause in a PROJECTOR is referred to as a ZERO-GRAVITY effect, and can be observed as a nervous tremor, or fast twitch movement, in a individual. The paradox which exists is that some Asian people master WuWei, but dont have a strong hold on PROJECTION, and INTROSPECTION Through the process of attrition, the Wu-Wei-mind gives way to emotional impulses, and eventually falls victim to PROJECTING INFLUENCES. The only two ways of dealing with this are INTROSPECTION, and supplication to the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES. Once all three become mastered, you can choose comfortable states of being busily unconscious through activities and can always use these THREE MECHANISMS OF THE MIND if you sense emotional turbulence on the horizon. The way these mechanisms can be used and enhanced will be discussed in the section on PUSH HANDS, the section on ROOTING SECRETS and the section on FORCES IN THE FORM.

POLARIZATION (2nd Palace)

Polarization is a generalized concept which denotes energy. The techniques I will describe will help to improve your energy levels and to help give your THREE MENTAL MECHANISMS more GRAVITATIONAL PULL. The three JEWELS of Polarization are: Thermodynamic, Electromagnetic, and Biochemical. These three also play an important role in the overall quality of your life and longevityeffecting many important themes in your life like: sexuality, ambition, energy levels, physical health, and Internal Martial Art practice. 1. THERMODYNAMICS Like a spinning Cyclone or Tornado, the vortex created from the convergence of cold and warm air is powerful. The way we can tap into this energy field is through the usage of cold and hot water. Take a warm to hot shower and wash your hair and body for a few minutes Then turn off the hot water and rinse your head in freezing cold water. As you get used to the cold, put your hands and arms slowly into the water stream. Now get completely under the cold water, no matter how cold the temperature is outside. Stay under the water for one whole minute. Stand for thirty seconds with the water off in your shower and then return to the hot water to warm your body up again. .. When you get out of the shower and put your clothes on, you should feel a big difference in your energy levels and the warmth coming from inside of you. Your AURA, or ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD has just swirled into a higher level of oscillation. Do this practice every day and you will feel like a new person energetically.

Liao Wuchang, who was featured in Robert W. Smiths Chinese Boxing advocates cold baths and low Mabu practice. Liao is 80 in this photo.

2. ELECTROMAGNETICS - Your bodies energy field is driven my PHOTONS and ELECTRONS in a MAGNETIC FIELD. The KEYSTONE or the THIRD EYE (Pineal Gland) is said to be THE SEAT OF THE SOUL, or THE CROWN OF NERVOUS SYSTEM, which connects down your spinal column down to your groin region. The body is made up of nerves which run throughout your whole body, but the main RIVERS connect from your GROIN to your CROWN. When we have an orgasm we can feel the warm-energy blitz up our backs and explode into our CROWN. The warm fuzzy fealing we get all-over lasts for a few hours and then phases out. It has been smartly postulated that SEXUAL energy is also PSYCHIC energy. Also the mind is most programmable in this state, while the door to our subconscious is cracked wide open. Positive thoughts and intentions are best implanted at this place in time. As you may already know, many states of mind ONCE EXPERIENCED, can be DUPLICATED by AUTOSUGGESTION. Relaxing the mind through deep-breathing and a process called, HYPO-OXYGENATION we can use INTROSPECTION to kindle this energetic state. Some refer to this as KUNDALINI, but I dont like to use Dogmatic terms when speaking to a broad audience. Taking in air for at a slow moderate pace for a good 5 to 7 seven seconds (depending on your lung capacity) you can feel your spinal chord and crown start to tingle. Let out the air rather fast (2 seconds is best) and again take in air at a long even pace for a good 5 to 7 seconds. Repeat this process until you feel warm and relaxed. Make sure to breathe out all the air, as it is in the exhalation the diaphragm is expanded, not the inhalation as many people think. The mind and emotions work on AUTO-SUGGESTIONS, so we should be careful when being around people who only speak NEGATIVE SUGGESTIONS. The mind is also susceptible to MEMETICS or MEMES which are loaded phrases and catchwords laced with NEURO-LINGUISTIC-PROGRAMMING. Many times movies and shows on TV can get your heart rate up and make you feel nervous for no apparent reason. Now you know why. YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR MIND, BUT WHAT GOES IN ISN'T ALWAYS NOTICED. BE WARNED!

Liao Wuchang in his 60s doing low stance work. Liao claims this to be his secret to stimulating the libidinal-forces. (WANT HIGH, WORK LOW!)

3. BIOCHEMICAL Everyone knows that food is medicine and what we eat out-rightly effects our health and well being. Still, some people are stuck in the five food group concepts which have been ingrained in us since childhood. There are many things going on within the MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT which should make us rethink who we trust and confide in. Often times people who have high blood pressure go on a no-salt diet, which is energetic suicide considering the importance of salt synthesis in our blood. Many conditions such as Diabetes can be reversed and cured all together with a natural diet and steady exercise program. The worse thing a person can do with themselves is turn their better judgement over to the Pharmaceutical companies. Polarization exists even at the micro nutrient level of consumption. Almost every food falls under the category of ACIDIC or ALKALINE. The body naturally balances out the bloods PH levels, but not without cost and detriment. We should balance hot foods like chillis and peppers with cool foods like yogurt and cucumbers. Too much of any food group, unchecked, unbalanced in disproportion can be toxic. Even oxygen, is checked by Anti-oxidants, to inhibit oxidation. Vitamins E, C, and Beta Carotene are said to help stave off the negative effects of of oxidation in the body. Some of us drink too much tea or coffee, and dont balance our habits out with seven cups of 12 oz glasses of water daily. I usually drink a cup of coffee in the morning, green tea in the afternoon, water, juice, or cocoa later in the night. My favorite power shake is all natural and very sweet. It contains two cups of milk, eight dates, and two bananas Blend this together with a little ice and you will never lose your

restorative power, libido. Honey and yogurt are also two potent revitalizer's, as well as Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng root. For longevity you can mix Astragalus root with Black Cumin, Aloe Vera, Resveratrol from Grapes, and Blue Algae. The most potent curatives are Monatomics from Sea Salt, Acemannan (Aloe) and Green Tea (natural leaves, no bags.) Olive oil and Omega 3s from Fish are also important resources of cholesterol which is necessary for healthy brain function. Anything Green with Chlorophyll mimics blood, and Dates are widely accepted as the worlds most nutritious super-food. Fruits and Veggies are always healthy, but grains in excess have proven to be unhealthy for the body. Try substituting Basmati Rice for bread in your meals if you are over eating and bloated from grains. Also try not eating from 6 am., till after 12 noon; then dont eat again after 6 pm. This is a smart diet for people trying to lose weight. Fasting from grains or (Bigu) is always healthy and old monks who lived hundreds of years claimed it takes 90 days to rid the body of intestinal parasites accumulated from eating the seven grains. The Chinese Monk Li Ching Yuen, who reportedly lived for 256 years, lived on a diet of mushrooms, berries, and herbs as his main sources of sustenance. Some of the secrets of his BAGUA practice we will discuss in the section FORCES IN THE FORM.

SECRETS OF ROOTING (3rd Palace)

1. PEG ROOTING

Is has long been known, the old virtuoso's of Tai Chi Chuan were able to absorb deadly attacks; transferring the energy downward through the feet, grounding the surplus. Many were good at rooting, but the Yang family became superb at it. Yang Luchan was probably the first to understand the diverse gradations of rooting, based on the stories told of him from the Yang family transmissions. Yang Chengfu was able to produce enough manuals for us to comprehend his gross knowledge on energetic s and the minddespite his obesity and questionable reputation outside of Tai Chi Chuan practice. The Yang family were the pioneers of what I term, Peg Rooting; or using the consciousness to square the downward force of gravity in a relaxed state. Based on his quotes, he was also very aware of mind projection, and was known to have spoken of expanding ones consciousness to the ends of the universe. We will get into all that soon enough in the section on PUSH HANDS, but first lets start at the rudimentary level of building up a strong root. Every teachers repeats the maxim, Relax, youre too stiff! The easiest way to understand rooting and to begin to practice it correctly is to fix a few concepts in your mind before getting started. Firstly, we have to understand that the body during practice should be 99.9 percent YIN, concealing the YANG under the substantial foot. Weight can also be transferred along both feet if necessary, but the YANG SYSTEM is designed for the player to avoid this at all coststhe reason is that when you are double weighted, your center line is almost always open for attack, and the amount of energy to transfer from two feet to one foot takes longer than a natural transition from one foot to the next. (This rule fades when you reach a higher level of efficiency and become adept in the art.) During all your movements and in all your practice, NATURAL GRAVITY, should be pulling you DOWNWARD; being in a relaxed, tranquil, and smooth state of mind. PROJECT your mind downward to the SUBSTANTIAL FOOT during your movements, and your forms practice is all it takes to get the hang of it. Once you have established the FEELING OF FORCE in your feet, you can move on to the next step. Now you need to use your CONSCIOUS PROJECTION and force

the weight downward PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY. THE MIND adds another element of FORCE to your ROOT. Now you are faced with a dilemma. How can you focus your mind DOWNWARD and concentrate on whats going on in front of you? Now you see where the THREE PHASES OF THE MIND comes into play. We will speak more on this in the next section on PUSH HANDS. Now you feel yourself heavy in the feet and although this feels strange at first, this is the first step into LOADING THE FAJING TRIGGER. Mental disturbances during PUSH-HANDS or COMBAT such as emotion and FEAR will bring your weight upward within a fraction of a second. I will give you the secret on how to overcome this in the next chapter. Now we need to move onto a few drills you can do in addition with your form practice to ensure your root is TOP NOTCH QUALITY. (I will not go over all the 10 keynotes of body mechanics in Tai Chi Chuan as they are available all over the internet. I tell my students to relax THE SHOULDERS, THE ARMS, and slightly bend the KNEES. The shoulders are the key indicators to whether or not a person has any ROOT. If the shoulders are flexed and UP, this means the person is a novice and easy to take down.) Moving alongthe first drill we are going to practice is called SHIFTING THE WEIGHT or POPSICLE DRILL developed by Chen Manching and passed down through Robert W. Smith. Study the pictures closely and follow the captions.

Draw all your weight unto one foot, brushing your knees together to create more downward force. Then sink double weighted for about seven seconds, before moving on to the alternate foot. Hold

the weight downward with your mind, using natural gravity, for about seven seconds in each position. Repeat set three times, and do it two times daily.

2. BALANCE ROOTING The next stage of your development is called, Balanced Rooting. All of these PALACES and JEWELS have a RHYME, REASON, and CRESCENDO. Balanced rooting is the same as PEG ROOTING, only now you will challenge your muscles to hold your balance while in awkward positions. The rule of thumb is to first get balanced and set your mind into your feet, then no matter what the movement you make with the rest of your body, you will still be able to hold your balance. This is as much as a mental exercise as it is physical. The first drill is called THE TWISTER. Follow the pictures below and their descriptions.

Step one leg over the other and twist the opposite direction. Keep the majority of the weight (about 75 percent) on the back leg. The back leg is circled in the left picture. Hold the twist for about ten seconds. Rotate and switch to the opposite position as shown in diagram. The next drill is called CROSS, SWING AND KICK OUT. Hold all the weight on the stabilized foot, as shown in illustration below.

3. POWER ROOTING

The first step to POWER ROOTING is dropping all your weight unto your back foot while placing your lead foot gently on the ground. The back leg should hold about 90 percent of your weight and the front foot around 10 percent. Stand in this position and turn your head and try to look directly behind you

while maintaining balance. Hold this position for at least 10 seconds and build your way up to a good minute or more. The final level of POWER ROOTING consists of understanding how your breath plays a role in ROOTING. This is the final component and the last one to pay attention to since it may take you a while to ingrain all these procedures into your subconscious memory. All aspects of rooting need to be practiced until the mechanisms become involuntary.

In the three photos above, we are learning to take in air while moving our mind upwards toward the CROWN of our head, then moving our minds downward as we let out our breath moving our minds through both our feet while pushing down. This drill teaches us to differentiate the HIGHER from the LOWER, and helps us to move our minds UP and DOWN, DOWN and UP upon command. Breathe in for a good 3 seconds and then breathe out until our lungs are empty. There are a few interesting details pertaining to QIGONG, but we will talk about them in the PUSH HANDS section. Remember than TAI CHI CHUAN is QIGONGthey are synonymous terms. Correct TAI CHI CHUAN with POLARIZATION and breathing incorporated is a form of Qigong (Chi Gung.) Repeat this drill until you have done ten repetitions, daily.

SECRETS OF PUSH HANDS (4th Palace)

1. MENTAL COMPONENTS I could right a whole book on the vast paradoxs of PUSH HANDS. Having traveled to China and pushing hands with a dozen or so masters, I have to come to know all the tricks of the trade. I am supposing you have basic knowledge on SINGLE and DOUBLE push hands practice. Any teacher, regardless of his level can teach fundamental push hands, but few of them understand how to manipulate someone from A to Z. The lessons we have already covered will serve as a road map for your PUSH HANDS advancement. Chen Manching was asked why not all students progressed to a high level in push hands. His answer was, NO FAITH. Belief that a strong root in the feet will suffice you when your body is relaxed and seemingly vulnerable to an attack seems to be rare these days. The body and mind naturally want to tense up when we are being confronted with an offensive bombardment. For this reason, the first part of PUSH HANDS MASTERY takes us back to the mental component. The rooting drills we already went over give you an idea of how it feels to be rooted. Now the trick is to sustain this disposition while moving and being attacked. Once you realize the most someone can push you is only a foot or two when your semi-relaxed, then you can start to invest in faith and learn to let go under pressure. Using tools like, ROLL BACK, and turning your waist (CENTRAL AXIS) you can neutralize most effective pushes without even having advanced very far in push hands practice. After you settle into this mode of comfort, it is time to take the next step and advance. Your weapon is your mind! How can the mind and a few ounces of force deflect a thousand poundsby having the faith as small as a mustard seed. INTENTION and PROJECTION are called DEFLECTING JING (ENERGY) in Chinese nomenclature. When someone pushes you or tries to manipulate your position, just the movement of mental intention will stop an opponent in their tracks. This is no fantasy, I do it every-time I go with a student to the park. This is a learning process which is like a latter with no ceiling. You have to work at it to get good. Firstly, I will explain the advantage of keeping your weight toward your front foot in PUSH HANDS practice.

In the picture above, we see a teacher jolting his student with forward force (FALI.) If you take a peek you will notice almost all of his body weight is on his front foot. The foot is actually doing the pushing and the hands are only expressing the bodies forward momentum. The secret is to EXPRESS THE YANG energy under the foot at the moment of impact during a push through the hands. Even twenty percent of this YANG force can dislodge an inexperienced person. 100 percent is needed against an experienced player, as well as other factors depending on their level of knowledge.

2. PROJECTION The second factor with determines how good your push hands will be is PROJECTION. A few things have to be in alignment for this to happen on grand scale. The first thing is you need to move the YANG force through your hands within a fraction of a second upon a PUSH. The next step is to project the YANG energy outwards through your opponent as far as you can see with your eye. If there is a horizon and a distant backdrop behind you, project as far as you can see beyond your opponent. For reasons not known to science, this opens up the ENERGY FIELD on an exponential level. After you have mastered this trick, you can move on to implementing BREATH CONTROL into your pushes. This takes much practice and skill to master. An out-breath can make your root 20 percent stronger if coordinated during a projection. But there is usually a danger where you find an advantage. SHAOLIN MASTERS know of it and never let out all their breath for defensive reasons. If you RUN YOUR

CARBURETOR and exhale all your breath, your deflector shield will be weakened for a split second until you re-uptake your next inhalation. This happens to football players when they get hit in the SOLAR PLEXUS while breathing out all their air, winded. They call it, Getting the wind knocked out of you. As a rule, most SHAOLIN QIGONG exhibitionist take an a deep breath and hold it during a daring feat. When the object or objects touch their body, they let out a puff of this air and use FLEX-ATION (Yang Energy) during the contact moment. The mind is also projected outward during the flex-ation phase.

In the picture above, Chen Manching takes on the weight of four grown men. The combination of BREATH CONTROL, WEIGHTING, and PROJECTION can make this possible for any human being. The highest level of PROJECTION IS LIGHT ENCODED not ELECTRICAL as many may think. Think of it this way, velocity is relative to ENERGY FORCE. Which is faster, a dial up electrical modem, or a fiber optic cable? In the section, FORCES IN THE FORM, I will show you how to work up toward a small GRAVITATIONAL FIELD which can be used in PUSH HANDS.

In the small photo above, Dong Bin creates a small GRAVITATIONAL FIELD by projecting downwards, keeping the YANG in his foot, and YIN in his hand. The field is projected low to get an effect, because the students weakness is in his LOW ROOT. Average practitioners of TAI CHI CHUAN have a moderate root at waistline level. By projecting at the weak point, his lead foot gets almost under the student and wobbles his legs. Whether or not the student is an actor is open to debate and I wouldnt doubt that he may be. Regardless, Dong Bins level of PUSH HANDS is beyond most.

Looking at the picture above, ask yourself why this man could never budge Chen Manching even one inch? He probably outweighed Chen by a good 50lbs, yet despite the weight advantage he is easily manipulated and pushed around by Chen. The answer to this question lies in three simple factors. Firstly, though Chens spine looks more erect than his push hands partner, he is actually more supine and almost in a sitting position. His form is better. The second reason is that he is rooting all his weight in his front foot; the back leg touching the ground but only concealing yin. Thirdly, his consciousness is doubly driving his foot down, while keeping a forward intention. It is true the mind can be in only one place at a time, so for this reason Chen keeps downward awareness, but forward intention. The way he does this is by minding the whole of his body. This deflection method enables you to keep a deep root, and at the same time use deflecting energy.

3. POSITIONING IN PUSH HANDS There is a few other tricks worth mentioning which pertain to position. First off, the most vulnerable angle to be pushed at is a 45 degree angle. Pushing a teacher head on is hopeless, and many people have never trained HORIZONTAL ROOTING so pushing someone at a 90 degree angle for most people is fruitless. I surprised a few Masters in China by pushing them HORIZONTALLY, and they immediately wanted to know who my Master was. The drills I have provided you with will increase your horizontal rooting, but the trick is getting inside someones CLOSE RANGE ZONE. The further you can sneak a lead foot inbetween someones legs, the more dangerous the push will be. To get good at this, you need to develop what I call a SHUFFLE STEP.

The photos above are grainy, but you can make out Dong shuffling inward on the left. There is no transition photo, but he actually steps in-between his legs, and the second photo is the result of thisUPROOTED OPPONENT.

Simply put, the closer you get INSIDE YOUR OPPONENTS CENTER, the more damage you can do. The Master in this photo is in the yellow silk suite. His

shoulders are more rounded and you can see how his body is more SUNK DOWNWARD, compared to the gentlemen in the white outfit. The Master can easily put his left arm across the students chest and use the leverage of his left leg to take down the novice. If the student knew the secrets to rooting and projection, he could, like wise, wrap his right arm around the Masters head, cuffing the nap of his neck, and apply force with his right leg taking the Master down. Most things that can be done in push hands can be reversed by someone better. This is an important rule of thumb to remember. WHERE THERE IS AN ADVANTAGE, YOU ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISADVANTAGE.

Single and Double PUSH HANDS can be mastered by keeping FORWARD MENTAL INTENTION during the circling of your hands. No matter the direction or speed, FORWARD INTENTION must be adhered to, or someone will get the better of you. The most vulnerable position in PUSH HANDS is in DOUBLE PUSH HANDS, when you roll back toward your own body and wrap your free hand under your colleagues wrist; connecting and pulling the inside arm (your other arm) out to reconnect with your partners elbow. This is when your partner will look to PUSH and you must use CLOSE RANGE WARD OFF with FORWARD INTENTION to nullify his energy. When the time comes that no one can push you in this position, you have finally mastered push hands.

Double-Dragon Alliance Master Dong Bin, always working on the fundamentals

FORCES IN THE FORM (5th Palace)

1. ELASTIC FORCE Wu-Wei or EQUILIBRIUM is from where all forces emanate in TAI CHI CHUAN. PROJECTION and WEIGHTING are YANG, and INTROSPECTION and LIMBERNESS are YIN. The Will-Power is KINETIC YANG ENERGY waiting to be released and expressed. Anatomically there are many things going on while practicing TAI CHI CHUAN.

In the picture above, Yang Chengfu shows us the form Playing Pipa, or Lute. This is also sometimes called, Playing the Guitar. Notice the DIAGONAL position of the legs from heel to heel of his feet. This OPENING SPACE, should always be observed while practicing the form. This stretches the GROIN and PELVIC regions and opens up the DAN TIEN. When you practice TAI CHI CHUAN correctly, observing this rule, you should always feel sensations of STRETCHING, PULLING, and ELONGATING in the legs and arms. The keystone of TAI CHI CHUAN is ELASTIC FORCE, or coiling energy which is transmitted from the feet, through the AXIS (waist) and out the hands (wires.) The INNER COILING motion makes FAJING and FALI possible. For reasons of those mathematically inclined, the most force is generated TRANSVERSE MOTIONS. Lets take a look at one in the picture below.

In this picture we see Yang Chengfu shooting out his RIGHT ARM, with the YANG ENERGY concealed under is LEFT FOOT. This CROSS ACTION, can create explosive FAJIN ENERGY. The left foot, and right hand are the two points connection YIN and YANG. The split second, and small amount of space needed to create a FAJING EXPLOSION is due to the changing of Yin from the hand to the foot, and the changing of Yang from the foot to the hand. The faster this exchange is made (velocity) the more powerful the REACTION. But the exchange must be a true exchange of YIN and YANGmeaning the YANG foot must really be concealing: WEIGHT, GRAVITY, and INTENTION; likewise, the YIN hand must be a true Yin hand: EMPTY, LIGHT, DOCILE. Once these two poles are expanded to their EXTREMES, then the INNER-EXCHANGE may take place creating a MACRO-QUANTUM-REACTION.

2. AXIS FORCE The coiling of elastic force is only the shaking of the axis and spinal-column; while bending the knees and driving from the feet. This motion, in effect, is a PARABOLIC TORSION of energy released in a compilation of degrees: QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT, PROJECT-IVE FORCE, and HYDRAULIC DECOMPRESSION. Also horizontal force and pushing or striking in a SIDE TO SIDE motion as practiced in CLOUD HANDS comes from the CENTRAL AXIS of the waistline. PULLING, PUSHING, PRESSING DOWN, LIFTING, TURNING and OPENING, all of the above come from the forces expressed by AXIS TORQUE, a result of FULL-BODY COORDINATION and CONNECTEDNESS.

3. CIRCULAR FORCE The final and most important FORCE we will speak of is CIRCULAR FORCE. The reason behind this is because the circular motion can create a TORSION FIELD, and draw energy from its surrounding environmentlike a TORNADO or CYCLONE. A spinning body using centrifugal forces also spreads its energy outward. In the case of a human being, we know the blood can be pushed to our extremities in old age using this force. Blood circulation can get bad as we age and a CENTRIPETAL ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD can help us stave off conditions like Varicose-veins. By practicing SPIRALING MOVEMENTS, sometimes referred to as SILK REELING, we can up our energy levels and create a low-level GRAVITATION FIELDwhich only effects things on a quantum level. Quantum fields are enough to stop an opponent in his tracks, as thoughts, reactions, and will-power all operate on the quantum level. A gravitational projection isnt easy to master and can take years of Tai Chi Chuan and circle walking practice to perfect. Baguazhang as an art-form is attributed to Dong Haichuan who died in 1882. Yang Luchan was around in his time and died in 1872. Whether or not Dong had a direct influence on Yang style Tai Chi Chuan has yet to be established academically. I what I do know as fact is Pakua Circle walking is an extended exaggeration of SILK REELING from TAI CHI CHUAN. I mean this in the good sense of the word. The DRAGON GATE sect of Daoist advanced this idea, although few practitioners seem to understand the GRAVITY of the YIN-YANG PALM.

The YIN YANG PALM or FISH TAIL PALM can be used to spin concentrically in tight circlesspinning around like a TOP or BALLERINA. The more advanced the footwork, the tighter the circle. This can wreck havoc your knees if you have never trained circle walking before. Start off with BIG circles, about six to eight feet in diameter, and then work your way up to small circles (one to two feet.)

In the picture above Lu Zijian is over 100 years old. He lived to the advanced age of 118, and is seen making the YIN YANG PALM in the photo. Li Ching Yuen, shown below, was reported to have lived 256 years practicing Bagua, and eating natural foods. Many have made claims in their books he practiced the EIGHT BROCADE, but this seems unlikely since the EIGHT BROCADE was a SHAOLIN tradition and LI was learning the DRAGON GATE techniques of the

EIGHT PALMS. Learning the eight palms for circle walking is quite an easy task. I recommend at least mastering the basic walking, mud stepping, methods and using, PUSH THE MILLSTONE PALM, DOUBLE LIFTING PALM, YIN-YANG PALM and CLOSING EMBRACING PALM. Details of these palms can be accessed in the BAGUA JOURNAL PDFs located at this online link: http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/tomiasik/journal_6-1.pdf And the other five here: http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/tomiasik/

Li Ching Yuen reported to have lived 256 years

Xie Peiqi sitting in the DRAGON WRAP

CLOSING EMBRACING PALM, TIGERS MOUTH

DOUBLE LIFTING PALMS, SERVING TEA CUPS

If you practice the SPINNING YIN-YANG PALM on a regular basis, you will increase your projection ability for FAJING. Remember to root, and breath out at the end of five or six circlesprojecting outwards with strong intent.

SECRETS OF THE BODY (6th Palace)

1. CALISTHENICS Stretching out on a daily basis is central part of longevity and well-being. The key is to hit every muscle from head to foot. Here is a list of stretches you should do every morning before starting your workout. 1. Toe touches 2. Back bridge bend 3. Front lunch, works thighs and calves 4. Toe ups, and toe circles 5. Calf raises 6. Full Squats 7. Waist turns, and torso circles 8. Side waist bends 9. Neck circles 10. Shoulder rolls 11. Knee circles 12. Arm circles/variations

2. AEROBICS CROSS TRAINING Breaking a sweat is important for people who dont enjoy jogging and dont get out much. Here is a list of exercises you can do in sequence to get your heart rate up and build-up some endurance. 1. Push ups Do as many as you can do, even if its one. 2. Jumping Jacks Immediately after the push-ups, move right into the next exercise. (Dont take any breaks between each exercise.) (20 reps) 3. Leg Lifts Lift you legs to chest height, one at a time (20 reps) 4. Toe touch, then touch to sky (10 reps) 5. Running in place Do this for 30 seconds 6. Side Jumpers (stand with your feet together, jump and spread them out as far as you can. Jump, and move them back into starting position. (20 reps) 7. Wide Squats (10 reps) 8. Front Lunges (10 each leg) 9. Calf Bouncers Bounce up and down on your toes, working your calf muscles. 10. Punch and Kick - Alternate punches with your right arm, then with your left arm in a comfortable stance for 10 reps. Then kick with your right foot and switch to left. (10 times each) Do this ten-exercise cycle two to three times in a row, or as long as you can before feeling feint. This is a great way to build up your endurance for combat conditioning. Cut down on reps if you are out of shape. HARD WORK, DEDICATION!

3. ISOMETRIC FLEX-ATIONS (QIGONG) I am going to go over my complete system of breathing and coordinated muscle contractions. This takes concentration, breath control, and stamina.

Breathe in for six seconds and flex in the form of position 1. Breath in again for six seconds and breath out while flexing in position 2. Each position is a flex position with a six second inbreath during the transitions. The series which include a. b. c. etc. are one movement to be repeated three times. (12, 12a, 12b are all a series of movements and the lower back is flexed in that position.) The arms, chest, and stomach are flexed in all of the above photos. Hold each flex-ation for a 6 second count, then move into the next position.

The same rules apply for this photo as the one previous. (13a, 13b, 13c, are all one movement, flexing the upper-back region.) (14a, 14b, and 14c are all one series, flexing the middle-back region.) (18a, b, and c are are done by clasping the fingers into each other like hooks. Swing the arms back and forth like a pendulum while applying DIAMETRIC PULLING PRESSURE. Position 19 is using diametric force to push outward like a push-up. Change to other side after six second count. Position 20 shows the same drill but pushing upwards at an angle. Change sides to right arm after finished. Position 21 is the same drill but pushing downwards with opposing forces. Also, change arms after you are finished with one side.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! GOD BLESS!

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