Bagua & Tai Chi as Chi Generators

By Paul Cavel, Posted April 2009

Although bagua and tai chi use the same continuum to generate chi, they come from opposite ends of the spectrum. The most common breakdown I’ve noticed in both tai chi and bagua practitioners is the stopping and starting versus flowing quality in their forms. Many tai chi practitioners stop at the end of each posture, breaking both the external form and internal content. In bagua it happens when practitioners Walk the Circle, stop walking while they do some form with their arms and then turnaround to walk in the opposite direction. You can watch plenty of examples on YouTube.

Turbine Power

A turbine generates power through smooth continuous rotation. It costs energy (fuel) to get the turbine running and then the turbine starts to produce energy (thrust) which is used to fly the plane.

Both bagua and tai chi, in their own specific ways, use the principle of a turbine to produce and develop energy: bagua with its continuous Circle Walking and palm changes; tai chi with its continuous rocking back and forth and flow through the form.

Bagua and tai chi work in a similar way. Initially, there is a cost or investment involved in learning the moves, unblocking the system and getting the turbine turning. When the turbine is going (you are in the flow of your form) you start to generate more chi from the practice than it costs you to keep practising. Obviously, at some point, you run into diminishing returns or you would have discovered perpetual motion. But, for a time—which depends on the practitioner and a whole lot of other factors—you get more out than you put in. If you stop practising just before you plateau and then drop into diminishing returns, you will have successfully adhered to the 70% rule and raised your energy levels.

Now, again, what prevents people from finding their flow is the perpetual starting and stopping. It’s like starting the turbine and just when it’s getting going you stop it and then start it again. This uses a lot more energy than it produces. However, a second problem can crop up when the practitioner puts too much effort into the practice, which is like running the turbine with the brake on. You never get to the point of having the internal flows strong enough to generate more energy than you use. Once these two problems are dealt with you are in the clear. The smoother you keep the turbine running and the less effort you put in to accomplishing your forms (bagua palm changes or tai chi style), the more you get from your practice.

Connecting Everything into One Smooth Flow

So, this month focus on eradicating the problems of start-stop-start-stop and pushing too hard. First work your forms. For each circle, let go and put in less effort to achieve the same motions on the next circle. As you go from one movement to the next in your short or long form, try to let go and make the transition smooth. Reduce, reduce and reduce the effort you put in, yet keep the same size postures, including stance, range of motion, arm and leg stretch, etc. Putting less effort in and reducing the size of your posture simply doesn’t work—that’s just collapsing. A slight (5-10%) reduction in size is acceptable as this is softening, but basically the posture remains the same size.

Next, become aware of your tendencies to stop. This normally happens at the end of the posture, but can happen at any time. Where are your personal hang-ups? Just become present to them and don’t worry too much about doing anything about them at first—make a mental note for the time being. Then, repeat your form more slowly than usual to give you the time needed to focus on the critical places. You may not completely remove the glitch the first time, but with focused practice you will eventually connect everything together into one unbroken flow.

Separate and Combine

If there are any places where you repeatedly stop or tense up, practise that component by itself a number of times until you remove that glitch. Finish by repeating the form or section of the form/palm change, to end with a nice continuous flowing practice. The point is to smooth everything out and generate some chi, right?

Finally, remember to properly close your practice, as discussed in last month’s tip, to ensure you bring that good chi you’ve generated into your daily life.

Happy practising,
Paul

Any physical and/or energetic exercise can carry risks. Do not attempt these exercises if you have any physical, emotional or mental conditions that may make you susceptible to injury.

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