1 Introduction - How to use the Bagua Mastery Program.pdf

BAGUA MASTERY PROGRAM

;~-.~ 1:1 • :1: '~~:i?

INTRODUCTION How to Use the

Bagua Mastery Program

BRUCE FRANTZIS

Copyright© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis

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Energy Arts® system, Mastery Without Mystery®, Longevity Breathing® program, Opening the E1

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Rev Workout™ HeartChi,™ Bagua Mastery Program,™ Bagua Dynamic Stepping System,™ Bagua

nal Warm-up Method,™ and Bagua Body Unification Method.™

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PLEASE NOTE: The practice of Taoist energy arts and meditative arts may carry risks. The inform

in this text is not in any way intended as a substitute for medical, mental or emotional counseling

a licensed physician or healthcare provider. The reader should consult a professional before unde

ing any martial arts, movement, meditative arts, health or exercise program to reduce the chan

injury or any other harm that may result from pursuing or trying any technique discussed in this

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Table of Contents

Welcome from Bruce ............................... 5

Section 1: How the Bagua Mastery Program Is Structured ............................ 9 How to Make the Best Use of the Program ................................................... 9

Training Guides ......................................................... 10

Video Instruction ...................................................... 10

Guided Audio Practice Sessions ............................. 10

Meditation Audio Practice Sessions ...................... 10

Question & Answer Sessions/Webinars ................ 11

Forum ........................................................................... 11

Survey .......................................................................... 11

Section 2: What You'll Learn ................. 13

Overview .................................................................... 13

Modules .......... ~ ............................................................ 14

Module 1: Bagua Foundation Building .............................. 14

Module 2: Bagua Circle Walking ......................................... 15

Module 3:

Bagua Body Unification and Direction Changes ............. 16

Module 4: Bagua Energy Postures ....................................... 17

Module 5: Bagua Single Palm Change Posture ................ 18

Module 6: Bagua Dragon Body ........................................... 18

Module 7: Complete Direction Change and

Advanced Bagua Energy Postures ...................................... 19

Module 8: Bagua Single Palm Change Warm-up ............. 20

Module 9: Bagua Heaven Single Palm Change

and Changing Direction ....................................................... 20

Module 10: Bagua Water Single Palm Change

and Roll the Ball ..................................................................... 21

Module 11: Bagua Double Palm Change ........................... 22

Module 12: Bagua Wind Palm Change ............................... 23

Section 3: How Instructions are Presented ....................................... 25

Instructions Are Basically Circular, Not Linear .... 25

Intermediate Instructions are Separate ............... 26

No Free Lunch! .......................................................... 28

Why Intermediate and Not Advanced? ................. 28

Progress Benchmarks for Beginning and Intermediate Practitioners ...................................... 29

Safety Precautions Matter ...................................... 30

Welcome from Bruce

Hi Folks,

Welcome to my Bagua Mastery Program™!

Bagua as a movement and spiritual art can

take you on an extraordinary journey. This

program, consisting of comprehensive print, audio and video instruction as well as in-depth

guided meditation practices traditionally only taught to students within the inner gate of

Taoism, is a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity. You can use this program to take your bagua skill to the highest level possiblewhether you're just starting out or you've practiced bagua for decades.

I created this program to pass down the monastic bagua tradition /learned in China and keep this most exceptional art living and thriving for many generations to come.

Each person learning the art of bagua approaches it from a different point of view. You can practice bagua to generate chi for health, martial art applications and meditation. You will likely find that practicing bagua greatly improves your performance in other energy arts, such as tai chi, yoga or external martial arts. Often in China, internal arts practitioners would rotate between practicing

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© 2010 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

tai chi, bagua and hsing-i. Each internal art has specific qualities, thereby supporting and reinforcing one another as a whole.

If I could sum up the essense of bagua in one word, it would have to be "change." Change is at the heart of living. Many people lack the ability to flow with change and most are uncomfortable when change strikes. But your success in life depends on your ability to change smoothly and fluidly-regardless of the external circumstances in which you may find yourself.

As humanity faces more environmental, social and economic instability, the ability to flow with change becomes an even more important skill to hone and develop. Learning bagua can help you deal with the increasing speed of changes in the modern world, let go of your expectations of how things "should be" and the obsessive need or desire to control external situations.

If you can Jearn to change quickly and smoothly, then you can maintain your center even if everything around you starts ripping apart at the seams.

In the Bagua Mastery Program I'll share with you powerful and progressively deeper levels of instruction on how to practice bagua as an art. Bagua is first and foremost about the legs, so the first three modules cover straight-line walking and Circle Walking stepping methods that power bagua energy postures and palm changes-more advanced techniques to be learned in later modules.

A Jive teaching is the best way to Jearn any movement or art form. However. I developed the Bagua Mastery Program with the intent of making available the benefits of a live course. Training materials are delivered over a twelve-month period in four installments (each consisting of three modules), so you have the time necessary to practice, integrate the lessons in your body at a sustainable pace and hopefully come to see me in person for an event, where I can help solidify what you've been practicing at home.

Each module includes several hours of video and audio derived

from live trainings as well as new material/ created just for this

program. So you'll not only have access to once-in-a-lifetime

teachings, but you'll also get some idea about what it's like to

personally training with me.

The Bagua Mastery Program will provide the framework for you to

understand and embody the art of bagua. Never before has anyone,

especially a Lineage Holder, publicly taught bagua this way. I've

structured the program so that each module will progressively and

systematically teach you how to practice bagua as it has been done

for millennia in China.

I recommend that you spend time reading material in the order

released. If you have limited time to study or practice, simply save

it for later and come back to modules in the order in which they are

presented. The content of this course would ideally be offered over a

five-vear period. giving you plenty of time to embody each

progressive layer before moving on to deeper ones. So set a pace

that works best for you and don't be in a hurry with a "been there,

done that" approach.

The Bagua Mastery Program has many layers, which you can revisit

and come back to again and again. I've practiced bagua for more

than four decades, and I can tell you that it's truly a lifelong

practice that can penetrate to the core of your being. It's

sophistication and depth is unlike anything else I've ever found

in my life.

My intent is to share my knowledge with all of you in the hope that

even just a few of you will take your bagua practice to its pinnacles.

This journey will take courage and perserverance, so give it your

best effort and accept your human limitations, and the time it takes

to acquire anything of value.

I commend you for having the guts to join the program and hope to

meet you in person along The Way.

Section 1 How the Bagua Mastery Program Is Structured

This first installment includes three modules, each one should be practiced for

one month. There are three types of media content included in each module:

• Training guides with a binder

• DVD video instruction

• CD guided audio practices.

How to. Make the Best Use of the Program

This is the most comprehensive program I've ever offered to give you the best

shot at establishing a lifelong bagua practice. You will have the opportunity to

learn from a variety of presentations.

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© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis-AII Rights Reserved.

10 Bagua Mastery Program

Training Guides

All instructional and supporting informational material is presented in-print with

an accompanying binder where you can include your personal notes, such as

from live trainings. Each module contains pictures, images and graphic aids to

provide a complete explanation of each technique.

Intermediate-level material is typically offered in separate sections within each

document. Regardless of whether you are new to bagua or an intermediate

practitioner, all other material is meant to be read by everyone.

Video Instruction

Live footage from my 2009 Bagua Instructor Training and other demonstrations

by me and my Senior Bagua Instructors will help you learn various techniques

and components of bagua and the Single Palm Change.

In general, we have presented the video Instructions in a linear fashion as they

were taught at the instructor training. Many times there will be material present

ed that may not be in the current module. My suggestion is to focus on the way

the material is presented in the text and to follow that as your guide and to use

the video as a reference to the text.

Guided Audio Practice Sessions

Each module includes guided audio practice sessions on COs. You can copy them

to any MP3 device (ipod, iphone) or you can listen to them directly.

I've recorded two levels of guided practice sessions for each module to help you

learn the components taught in that module. The first is for everyone and the

second is for intermediates only. If you're not an intermediate-level practitioner

already I recommend you save the intermediate sessions for later when you have

a stable foundation in the basics or you'll be wasting your time.


Introduction: How to Use the Bagua Mastery Program 11

Meditation Audio Practice Sessions

Each module contains two meditations that can be used while Circle Walking.

Often the meditation sessions will have multiple themes so you may find it is

easier if you focus on one theme at a time. I would also recommend all interme

diate students to go through all of the beginner materials before practicing the

intermediate meditations. The meditation topics are ones that are timeless and

you can come back to them over and over again.

Bonus Material

From time to time, I'll include other useful bonuses as supporting information to

the main instructional material as well as video and audio from live teachings.

Question & Answer Sessions/Webinars

Several live question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions will be offered for which you are

welcome to participate. We will also offer you an opportunity to listen to these

sessions even if you are not on the call at the time. We will notify you of these

events via email, so make sure you keep your email address up-to-date with my

staff.

Forum

As a part ofthe Bagua Mastery Program, you will have exclusive access to a mem

ber-only forum where you can ask questions. We will also post new and revised

content here from time to time. When you become a member of the program,

you will be given a login at http://www.energyarts.com and you can access these

forums and additional content at http://www.energyarts.com/forum.


Survey

From time to time, I'll send out a survey to get feedback. Your comments will be

reviewed and suggestions will be integrated into future modules as time and

resources permit. Your feedback will not only help us to improve the program,

but also allow us to clarify any common gray areas before you move on to more

advanced instruction. So I encourage you to participate. Positive feedback is seri

ously lacking in the world and is equally appreciated.

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'"~ •, I ''~- -•,'l '-.~ .... , , __ __

Section 2 What You'll Learn

Overview The process of learning bagua can be likened to that of learning how to read.

First, you learn the individual letters, then the alphabet. Next, you learn to use the

alphabet to understand short, simple words, which leads to an understanding of

the most basic grammar.

Expanding on the principles involved in these short words and basic rules of

grammar, you can understand bigger words and smoothly read progressively

longer sentences and paragraphs. Compounding the simple principles and

fundamentals seamlessly allows you to gain maximum value. Eventually, by

expanding on the earlier building blocks, you learn to read most anything with

varying levels of complexity.

In this analogy, the alphabet includes all of the bagua exercises within the

fundamental preparations. The components of each exercise technique act like

the letters of an alphabet, which are applied in endless combinations within all

qigong, bagua and tai chi movements.

13



The exercises of the Bagua Internal Warm-up Method™ are like vowels, while the

practices of straight-line walking are more like consonants.

The later exercises of unifying the torso, arms and legs in the Bagua Body Unification

Method™ are like the tiny words "cat" and "dog" from which reading starts. All of the

same principles and techniques are incorporated into larger words that comprise the

Bagua Dynamic Stepping System,™ morphing into more complex movement forms

(sentences and paragraphs), such as the Bagua Energy Posture Series™ and ultimately

arriving at the Bagua Single Palm Change itself.

Modules

You will learn how to perform the Single Palm Change as well as how all of

bagua's other palm changes are created from the ground up.

Module 1: Bagua Foundation Building

Module 1 starts by explaining the context of bagua and how to use this program.

One of the most important elements is knowing how to warm up your body, so

you start by learning the Bagua Internal Warm-up Method.™ This is a powerfully

effective approach to getting a larger return on your practice time.

Warm-up exercises by themselves can build strength and power. In the first

module, five warm-ups will be introduced, but your focus will be on only the first

three warm-ups until you can perform them reasonably well. In fact, the last two

warm-ups should only be practiced by the most experienced of practitioners

for safety reasons. They can be done perfectly safely, but only if your body has

opened to a certain degree, which can take several years.

The Bagua Dynamic Stepping System™ is the foundation for bagua walking

techniques. All serious students want to start by practicing and perfecting

straight-line walking.



In China, it was typical for masters to make their students practice straight-line

walking for up to a year or more before teaching them to Walk the Circle. This not

only exemplifies the importance of building a strong and solid foundation, but

also points to the commitment necessary to perform more advanced movement

sequences.

If you cannot walk in a straight line, adhering to all of the instructions with ease

and fluidity, then your body will become a series of disconnected parts when

you begin Walking the Circle or walking at higher speeds. You will likely spend a

significant amount of time practicing straight-line walking, even beyond the first

month to fully master the skill.

I've included guided audio meditations that accompany each of the stepping

practices in the Bagua Dynamic Stepping System since I can't come and sit in

your living room to train you personally. These audio sessions are invaluable if

you want to master the material. I highly recommend listening to them again and

again to solidify your foundation.

Finally, in this module, we'll jump right into using bagua as meditation since

meditation is at the heart of everything I teach. Short introductions for practicing

bagua as meditation are included along with guided practice sessions that you

can listen to while practicing each of the stepping methods.

Module 2: Bagua Circle Walking

Circle Walking can give your body all the aerobic exercise it needs. It brings up a

vortex of energy from the earth through your body, which energizes, nourishes

and strengthens your body from the inside out. It also sets the stage for using

Circle Walking in Taoist meditation.

In Module 2, we'll transition from straight-line walking to Circle Walking basics.

You'll spend some time learning the basic footwork for walking a clockwise and

counter-clockwise circle.



You'll learn inside and outside stepping techniques since you won't make a true

circle if you don't get the placement of your feet down pat. Refinements such as

how far you turn your torso and how high you raise your feet come into play.

I've also included practice tips that will help you get the most out of your training

as you go deeper into the material. For example, the considerations for a brand

new practitioner are much different from intermediate students who may have

practiced for a couple of decades.

Module 3: Bagua Body Unification and Direction Changes

The simplified turn for changing direction while Walking the Circle will be

taught in this Module. It works out the basic kinks of getting used to reversing

direction-including maintaining your balance and not getting disoriented. The

complete turning method is the fundamental technique of reversing direction

germane to bagua, and will be taught in Module 7.

In the beginning, it can be overwhelming and difficult to assimilate many micro

components without undue strain. So start by practicing the simplified method

of turning before taking on the complete-footwork turning method.

My strategy here is to ensure that when you begin focusing on the Single Palm

Change posture and Dragon Body that you have a solid foundation. Other

wise, you'll build in a destabilizing force that can make all future complete turns

unbalanced and break the flow you generate while walking.

The Single Palm Change posture and Dragon Body will be taught in Modules 5-6.

Pactice them for a discrete period of time while using simplified footwork before

adding the complete footwork for reversing the circle's direction (to be taught in

Module 7).

You will also learn the Bagua Body Unification Method™ in this module,

which is comrpised of three exercises. Many move their bodies with very little

internal connection, so these unification exercises will firmly connect all parts



of your body in a relaxed way without causing physical tension. Unification

exercises open up key energy channels in the body and provide a simple and

relatively concrete path for your mind to enter into your body.

Although these connections can be achieved by Walking the Circle or practicing

qigong or tai chi, it places an incredible burden on people whose bodies are not

fully internally connected. This method makes it simpler, so you can better obtain

internal cohesion in your walking or meditation practice.

Module 4: Bagua Energy Postures

In Module 4, the circle of learning begins anew. You will learn my Bagua

Energy Posture Series.™ A bagua energy posture involves the position of your

arms while you Walk the Circle being relatively fixed in relation to your body, so

they do not move in space. Bagua energy postures, like the standing postures of

tai chi, hsing-i and qigong are used to develop a strong foundation for all moving

practices in the world of chi.

In Module 4, you will learn the first four postures of the series. Although many

dozens of bagua energy postures are widely practiced, all derive from the

complete system of two-hundred static arm postures within the Taoist monastic

tradition. Each posture opens up specific energy channels within the body. I de

signed my energy postures series, consisting of twelve in total, to open specific

energy channels in a progressive manner and connect chi flows in very deliber

ate ways to help you advance to the Single Palm Change.

All bagua energy postures are designed to serve three primary purposes:

• Physically open and strengthen particular areas of the middle

or upper body.

• Seamlessly connect, integrate and open different parts of the

arms with all parts of the torso, spine, head, waist, hips and

legs.



• For intermediates, connect specific energy channels and flows

within the physical and etheric energy bodies.

Module 5: Bagua Single Palm Change Posture

Holding the palm posture of the Single Palm Change (SPC) while Walking the

Circle focuses and develops the chi of the body, mind and spirit more than

any other independent single technique in the world Taoist chi arts. It has

tremendous value on every level from health to spirituality.

Besides the formation of the palm itself, a palm posture also includes how your

arms and torso both externally and internally mold or morph to hold the palm

position. Together they are called the Upper Body Palm Posture. Both strongly

influence all aspects of your body-energy-mind while walking.

This module focuses on learning to hold the Single Palm Change Upper Body

Palm Posture while Walking the Circle and changing direction using only the

simplified turning method.

In addition, you will learn Postures 5 and 6 of the Bagua Energy Posture Series.™

Module 6: Bagua Dragon Body

The Dragon Body is distinct to bagua. It should only be learned after stabilizing

the Single Palm Change posture. The Dragon Body's form has the following two

qualities as you Walk the Circle:

• Waist turns toward the center of the circle.

• Torso maintains the four points and all of the other alignments

of the preceding sections.

In this module, you will learn how to safely turn your waist into the center of the

circle in incremental stages.

In addition, you will learn Postures 7 and 8 of the Bagua Energy Posture Series.™



Module 7: Complete Direction Change and Advanced Bagua Energy Postures

In Module 7, you will learn the complete footwork for changing and reversing the

circle's direction.

First, you use a toe-in step to turn your torso from the waist and shrink your body

into itself, toward your body's centerline. Then, you use a toe-out step to turn

your torso to the outside of your body's centerline and in the opposite direction

from which you started.

Foot and leg movements are done in two basic ways between your toe-out

foot moving forward and finishing with a footbrake. Both ways are guided and

created by the outward turning movement of the waist. In some bagua styles,

the turning circle of the waist can be exceedingly tight and minimal or very large.

I teach the classic bagua method for changing direction, as traditionally it has

shown itself to be the best way to develop the expansive energy qualities of

mud walking in the legs, allowing the chi to circulate all the way to the toes.

After these two qualities are stabilized in a practitioner's body, the toe-out step is

incorporated into bagua energy postures and the Single Palm Change with more

complex combinations of waist turning and straight-stepping, toe-in and toe

out footwork.

The toe-in and toe-out steps ultimately drive and amplify all the physical twisting

and spiraling actions of the arms and waist. Both steps emphasize the depth and

power of horizontal rotating, twisting and spiraling.

You will also learn the final four postures (9-12) in the Bagua Energy Posture

Series.™ These four postures develop your energetic body to its highest level,

opening up and working with the channels of your body. So they should only be

practiced by intermediate practitioners who have a solid grounding in the first

eight postures.



Module 8: Bagua Single Palm Change Warm-up

In this module, you will learn a physical and energetic warm-up that will help

make the Single Palm Change one single, fluid movement as you change direc

tions while Walking the Circle.

The Single Palm Change warm-up can be thought of as a sequence of energy

postures that fluidly go from one to the other, using all the principles mentioned

in Module4.

The central goal of the Single Palm Change warm-up is to integrate arm

movements with foot movements as you Walk the Circle. Later, because you'll

be familiar enough with the movements already, changing direction won't be so

overwhelming.

Module 9: Bagua Heaven Single Palm Change and Changing Direction

All of the techniques and principles in the previ

ous modules will now be applied as one integrated

whole while you Walk the Circle and change direc

tion using the Single Palm Change.

This module puts all of the components you have Heaven Trigram

learned together so you can do the Heaven Single Palm Change correctly. Once

you have reached this module, you will have already built a solid foundation from

which to learn the Single Palm Change.

The Bagua Heaven Single Palm Change has many layers. It often takes those

who practice regularly many years to truly realize its full potential. Over time the

Single Palm Change can:

• Open the hidden capacities of your body, mind and spirit.

• Develop into a compact, lifelong exercise program that can be done

almost anywhere without equipment or apparatus of any kind.



• Maintain your health and well ness.

• Develop and embody all the chi methods created and

systematized in China.

• Advance your internal martial art skills.

• Lead you to understand natural energy flows that can enable

you to heal others by focusing and directing your own personal

chi and the Five Elements of the environment.

• Heal and make free the deepest needs of your human soul,

including the ability to flow with rather than resist the natural

process of change.

• Learn to meditate in the Taoist way.

It will take many years to actualize the Single Palm Change. This module is a step

toward what is possible. In terms of the energies of the I Ching, the core of the

Single Palm Change is the Heaven trigram and hexagram where heaven is on top

of heaven (six straight lines on top of each other). In terms of chi, its salient qual

ity is to produce very powerful, clear and pure yang energy within the body and

mind.

Module 10: Bagua Water Single Palm Change and Roll the Ball

The Water Palm Change trains the complexity of

the spiraling arm actions. Although they are best

learned through live instruction (due to the often

hidden complexity within its arm and waist move

ments), learning to perform this palm change well

has immense value, including: Water Trigram

• Fully loosening the shoulders in a time when neck and

shoulder pain and stiffness is pandemic.

• Completely opening up the rotation, twisting or spiraling of



the arm's soft tissues. This trains great flexibility and strength

into all the joints of the arms and relieves arthritis.

• Providing the foundation for extreme fluidity of movement for

which bagua is justifiably famous.

• Enable the twisting or spiraling of the arm's soft tissues in

progressive stages to connect to and enable the same motions within the neck, entire deeper anatomy of the abdominal

cavity, pelvis and eventually the legs.

• Provide the physical infrastructure to more fully open the

spiraling of energy within the practitioner's body, which is

a major energetic goal of all forms of bagua.

• Give your internal organs a workout above and beyond that which the Heaven Palm is normally capable. Eventually, you

will loosen and connect the energy of the internal organs.

• Provide the basis of an extremely wide range of martial

applications, especially those regarding being attacked from

the rear, using your hands to change the angle of an

opponent's body and fighting multiple opponents.

In this module, you will also learn a more advanced body unification warm-up

called Rolling the Ball. Only for intermediates, practice can significantly advance

your Single Palm Change or significantly upgrade the other palm changes of

bagua zhang's martial tradition.

Rolling the Ball enables you to begin a new bagua journey by giving you a

pragmatic tool for making your movements dramatically more circular and even

tually spherical. This practice is invaluable for tai chi practitioners who want to

become better acquainted with the fundamental principle of circularity upon

which the movements of tai chi chuan are based.



Module 11 : Bagua Double Palm Change

The Bagua Double Palm Change is represented by

the second triagram of the I Ching, known as "earth"

(or kun in Chinese). It signifies the essence of yin

energy as the prime yin or soft power generation

method of bagua.

Module 12: Bagua Wind Palm Change

The Wind Palm Change develops the spinning

techniques of bagua whereby the practitioner's

body spins like a whirlwind. Bruce will be teaching

a course on the Wind Palm Change in the Spring of

2011. This Bagua Mastery Program will include live

footage and transcripts from this training.

- --- -Earth Trigram

Wind Trigram



Section 3 How Instructions

are Presented

Instructions Are Basically Circular, Not Linear

Bagua and tai chi are primarily circular or spherical rather than linear movement

arts. Instructions are deliberately structured to conform to this circular rather

than linear way of learning.

Therefore, some of the material presented in each lesson will not necessarily

follow normal conventions of linear instructions. For example, the definition of

some terms may not be fully explained when first referenced.

When a term is defined in its appropriate place in the learning circle, it will yield

more of its deeper implications. This is true for each go-around in the circle. The

challenge in teaching material that includes many layers is that sometimes terms



have to be used before it's the right time to define them. Moreover, if the term is

defined, it is usually forgotten without the proper context. Definitions will make

dramatically more sense and therefore can be absorbed when provided at the

stage of learning for which they relate.

This strategy is based upon my forty years of experience teaching thousands of

students. Experienced practitioners that have more background will most likely

know what is being discussed without needing initial definitions.

The circular teaching approach is Eastern and not particularly Western. It is based

on, to paraphrase an old saying: Telling too much too soon before it's time stunts

the creative growth of understanding and acquiring real knowledge.

The instructional text is written so that with each read, the larger context of

how the art of bagua (and by extension tai chi) are manifested and their highest

potential can be revealed. The details of any art form cannot be explicitly stated.

Stating the full complexities from the beginning would likely make it dramati

cally harder for most people to genuinely absorb lessons.

Intermediate Instructions are Separate

All instructions are multi-level from the initial warm-ups to the concluding

Bagua Single Palm Change. For these to relate and make sense at their appropriate

locations within each level, it's helpful to know how the instructions are

structured.

As the list of instructions gets progressively longer, each next step will provide

either:

• The best learning sequence so that each new piece fits into, expands and fulfills the previous instruction's promise.



• Or, it will provide the best order of the internal qualities that

will bring about the step's full potency within each learning

sequence.

The foundational level is the first phase or instruction set in learning the skill.

Regardless of skill level. you should read foundational material. Foundational

material should be the focus for those who ask the simple questions: What should

I do to get started and how specifically should I do it? How do I master the core

elements?

The instructions are simple enough to be assimilated. The foundational level is

critical to completely master before attempting any of the intermediate levels,

so unless you have practiced bagua with a competent, well-trained instructor for

several years, you are advised to skip intermediate sections.

The intermediate level of learning is for those who want more in-depth instruc

tion and are willing to make a serious commitment to their practice. Genuine

excellence and mastery requires real commitment since nothing less can get you

there. Most people will not be willing to put in the energy and effort or sacrifice

what is required to walk down this path.

Intermediate instructions teach you how to develop chi, internal power and Taoist

meditation techniques within bagua (and by extension qigong and tai chi). Each

progressive instruction in the sequence is in effect a more advanced instruction.

It carries the presupposition that you can do the previous instruction reasonably

well, so do not skip ahead until you can perform all of the previous instructions

comfortably.

You must be able to perform the gross physical movements of foundational in

structions easily and while remaining relaxed before attempting the intermedi

ate stages. Likewise, if your interest is primarily to enhance another practice, for

example tai chi chuan, you must have practiced the physical movements of your

form sufficiently that you can do it without strain or trouble remembering the

sequence of movements.



In the intermediate stage, you expand upon and implement internal chi or

neigong (components of internal power) content to correlate within the exact

same instructions that you received for the preceding foundational stage.

No Free Lunchl

As a bagua lineage master, a word of caution is in order for future bagua practi

tioners who may have certain new-age sensibilities or believe in the proverbial

"free lunch":

Within the ultimate non-dualistic Eastern spiritual or meditation perspective, all

levels of accomplishment can be thought of as equal. Any specific level is only a

little more or a little less of what is essentially the same since "all is one:' There is

no place to arrive, only a continuum of being. Being closer or farther away from

any goal is not relevant, as any goal is only a part of a continuous flow of being.

This viewpoint, although very high and lofty, is almost impossible to implement

for most people. Some even use it as an excuse for never getting anywhere. After

all, why practice or exert any effort if you're there already?

The bagua practitioner who sticks to basic training before moving on to more

esoteric topics will ultimately excel much more quickly than one who doesn't

stabilize their current practice before trying advanced work.

Why Intermediate and Not Advanced?

Given the range of valuable internal content within bagua and tai chi, which I

personally experienced in China as a practitioner within the martial art commu

nities of bagua, tai chi and Taoist meditation, it is my opinion that within this text

there is no truly advanced material.

That said, especially given the limited amount of material and qualified instruc

tors available, much of the intermediate instructional content could be consid

ered quite advanced. For example, "having money" is different for a millionaire

and billionaire.



Progress Benchmarks for Beginning and Intermediate Practitioners

In bagua and Taoist meditation, some level of internal and/or external bench

marks are necessary to know whether you're progressing toward a goal. It takes

more to get more and you get less if you put out less. Each new step of an

intermediate instruction presents a more valuable benchmark for which you may

choose to aspire.

Intermediate instructions imply benchmarks related to questions such as:

• How much chi do you want to cultivate within yourself?

• Is being healthy sufficient or do you wish to go the extra mile

and become energetically vibrant and physically stronger?

At times, intermediate instructions can be quite lengthy.

• They build and expand upon the same basic external

framework and content of the beginning instructions.

• They take your practice to a higher and more beneficial level for you.

• They create progressively higher benchmarks, which enable

you to achieve the potential opportunities and the internal

content that is inherent in the practices.

The sequence of intermediate stage instructions is not set in stone, but rather

is based on the best way for the majority to practice. The ideal order for each

individual student can ultimately only be sorted out by a competent instructor or

master-someone familiar with the specific conditions and possibilities present

within the learning curve of an individual or group.



Safety Precautions Matter Why will I keep strongly emphasizing safety procedures and explaining the tech

niques necessary to implement them? Why are some safety precautions overtly

stated while others are implied?

Lack of safety precautions is an age-old problem. Today, the science of intelligent

sports training is gaining ascendancy. However, for thousands of years it was

quite uncommon because a significant number of serious athletes got injured.

Sometimes this was only for months or years and sometimes with permanent

injuries that lasted a lifetime.

In the twenty-first century, most practitioners involved in low-, medium- or high

level bagua or tai chi practice primarily for health benefits. Taoists think it is great

for people to become physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually healthy by

practicing energy arts.

BRUCE'S EXPERIENCE WITH SAFETY PROCEDURES In the 1970's, Hung I Hsiang was an authentic martial art bagua

master with whom I trained extensively in Taiwan. I trained what I

Jearl]ed for thousands of hqurs and taught it to many of my

students in the 1970'sand early 1980'sln New York City and Denver

and Boulder, C6/ordao.

As a result of the practices, however, for many years I underwent

very severe painin my., sacrum and along the outside of my thighs.

© 201 0 Bruce Frantzis- AII Rights Reserved.


>> For years following, I was puzzled over how this situation came about as none of Hung's Chinese students had these problems. At first, I thought it might have been a language problem.

It turned out, that there were at least five missing physical pieces to the puzzle. My thighs and buttocks muscles are huge-genetically and from hard training. Twisting pressures from the legs only went to my thighs and below, rather than all the way up to my buttocks as they should have done.

This in turn caused the twisting, which did not happen in my buttocks, to localize pressure in my sacrum and consequently irritate spinal nerves with something like sciatica. What should have happened is that the twisting pressures should have been fully dissipated through my buttocks and transferred into my back muscles.

This might not have happened if I had spent my youth squatting on the floor (using squat toilets)- as was the case with virtually all Taiwanese of that era who learned these arts.

I also didn't understand that the leg twisting at the knee should only occur at the back of the knee and not in the front or sides of it-otherwise this could cause real problems, such as the leg pain I experienced or even worse, damaging the joints of the knee, hip or sacrum.

I didn't understand that leg twisting should have only occurred in the soft tissues of the legs and should not have twisted the leg bones themselves.

I didn't understand the leg twisting was not just about twisting the muscles themselves. Rather it had to proceed in parallel with

lo~:ening and twisti[)llf\*~!1 the lower body~t~~i,~::;tt~sues, including ~r,":ligaments, tendons ana fascia, as well as 8/fpg blood fully to the

various depths of the leg between the skin and bone. This is something which necessitates the leg twisting itself and should only progress very gradually. Otherwise, you only increase the intensity. As you feel each deeper layer, you then comfortably open up, >>



>> increase the intensity of the twist and move yet deeper toward

the bone.

Later, around 1990 when I visited Taiwan, in conversations among

Hung's senior students, I found this was not the case. All of them were equally stumped, including Ong Shen Ming with whom I was

a good personal friend and arguably Hung's most intelligent senior

student. All of them missed it and I figured if Ong missed it, they

simply didn't know it.

I also didn't understand the precise method of aligning the joints of

my legs, called threading the needle in China. If must occur

simultaneously with twisting the legs if potential problems are to be avoided with heavy training, especially in bagua where the knee

can curve inward to the inside of the ankle joint.(:~~ '~~~¥

Taoist chi practices are adamantly against any kind of regular physical practice

that damages any energy body of an individual in the name of achieving some

high-performance skill. Safety precautions aim to prevent people from getting

unwittingly injured from not knowing what needs to be present in their practice.

A fitting analogy is that everyone who invests wants to make money, but

they often don't consider how much they can lose. This is a common situation

encountered by many who practice sports, yoga or dance. If they don't know

how to protect their bodies or minds, they often suffer for it later.

In the Taoist tradition, the responsibility of a good teacher is not only to give their

students the "goods;' but also to do their best to prevent students from unknow

ingly causing themselves harm.

Many of my earlier teachers, including Wang Shun Jin and Hung I Hsiang, at least

with me, did not always apply due diligence in this area. Whereas Liu Hung Chieh,

who was a martial art and Taoist master, definitely did. During my many years

as a qigong tui na Chinese doctor, I fixed injuries sustained by martial artists.



Most of them could have been avoided-along with the accompanying pain and

suffering-if simple safety procedures were followed.

Many see the external moves of bagua and tai chi, but don't know what is inside

the complete package. Like a car, they drive it without knowing how they might

be trashing the transmission or otherwise damaging the engine. Putting oil in

the engine is important, for example.

Today, the foundational safety protocols are more likely to be taught in qigong

and not within more complex arts like bagua, tai chi or hsing-i, as was traditional

ly practiced. Many instructors and advanced students don't take the time to learn

the details of the safety material-especially when the specifics don't necessarily

relate to their body type or disposition.

Many assume they've got it right because they haven't been hurt practicing a

specific technique. They can't figure out why their students get hurt doing the

same thing they did when they were learning.

Traditionally, the safety protocols were folded into and specifically taught inside

internal power (neigong) training and the bagua and tai chi forms themselves.

The same principles were shared, so each mutually reinforced the other. Not

teaching safety precautions was unacceptable, as it ultimately diminished the

maximum amount of internal power a student could manifest downstream.

Over time, as maximum internal power standards have declined in many schools,

so has the emphasis on safety precautions. Consequently, many instructors are

unclear about how some techniques should be practiced or taught and therefore

don't emphasize or pass them down to the next generation clearly. The result is

that an essential ingredient in learning the authentic arts is slowly forgotten.

My urgings to train with a competent, well-qualified instructor is advice that

could very well determine how far you are able to advance in your own practice.

It is better heeded than ignored.



LIU'S VIEW OF SAFETY Liu explained how safety procedures were explicitly taught in his youth at Beijing's last original bagua school. If he "screwed up" and forgot to do them, it was not uncommon for a senior in the school to hit him with a wooden weapon. It was the method for "reminding" him about where he was failing to pay attention. From time to time, Liu also used this method on me when I practiced in front of him. It was not done in the spirit of abuse, but rather of genuine compassion. It may have saved me many more years of needless pain and suffering.

Liu said that only some of the seniors bothered to make these memorable corrections while others didn't. One of the common denominators seems to have been that in their own training, they misunderstood something, got hurt and fortunately their teacher put them back together correctly. Or, they had friends in other martial arts that had been hurt and wanted to be spared of those downstream, if possible. Sometimes you only recognize when something is right after having experienced it having gone terribly

;~'::'.~ wrong. l:~j}J: ,t~!

'',.~r;.'7 ·~;,


Documents

1 Introduction - How to use the Bagua Mastery Program.pdf