BAGUA QIGONG – Breathing is the main gate to our nervous system
Breathing using specific postures connects body and intention, increases flexibility and resilience, adds quality to our daily routines. Especially useful for health and body care.
Breathing is the main gate to our nervous system and with some exercise can become a two-ways connection to our inner world: when we are under stress or in deep peace, we unconsciously change breathing, according to our feeling. In the same way, if we replicate a peaceful breathing in a stress situation, our state of mind will change and adapt. Putting breathing into movement and walking the circle allows us to connect the state of mind with the usage of the body, creating an anchor into muscles and tendons to our emotions and making us quiet.
Giving attention to body and breathing together is already the first step to better health generally, specifically for the body (pressure, heart, joints, nervous system, lungs, intestine etc) and for the spirit (attitude, tiredness, anxiety etc.). Attention is mind energy that fuses into the body, and is a way to care of, to energize, to enhance wellbeing. Walking the circle teaches us to be always present and attentive, checking constantly for balance, taking care of each step, very much as we do in moving meditation, and applying a torque/twist quality, that enhances power, resiliency and flexibility in our body.
Internal practice can bring higher results if we reach a further level: not only making our health from normal to good, but taking our general state and bringing it to strong level. When legs are strong and moves easily, when our heart is relaxed, our joints lose and our spine at ease, the general torque/twist work of Baguazhang becomes the real engine that makes body increase quality, connection and power. Allowing our whole system to move better, squeezing blood vessels, fascia, muscles and tendons, bones and skin, Vital Energy (Qi) flows without hindrance and we make more with less: more vitality with less effort and consumption.
Breathing controls the mind, as said, and this way we can change our mindset, since breathing is the bridge to unconsciousness. Breathing is more than consciousness of mind and body: is a willing mind and a present body, which reinforce the harmonic circular movement in every part of the body through the management of the core (Kua). One thing at the time: mind cannot focus on different things at the same time, so if it’s busy listening to breath process, nothing more can come in, and stress is released. In holistic medicine its known that joints keep memories of the past shocks and problems. Opening and honing them back to work properly can and will enhance deeply our life quality and movement. Only for these reasons I think that walking in circle to breath better is a great tool for starting Baguazhang.
Author: Luigi Zanini
Images: Luigi Zanini
Introduction to the three Baguazhang Seminars
Baguazhang is one of the three known Chinese Internal Martial Arts, and is the youngest one, since he was divulgated and diffused around 1850 in the Beijing and Tianjing area. The fighting ability of his founder, Dong Haiquan (1797-1882), his special footwork, the specific way of training the body and the number of skilled specialists he taught and helped him to spread his art: all this made Baguazhang a highly-reputed and effective combat art. Dong himself made his fame inside of the Imperial Court and soon his style became the combat method of the last emperors in the Prohibited City.
Breathing using specific postures connects body and intention, increases flexibility and resilience, adds quality to our daily routines. Especially useful for health and body care. Continue reading
Walking the Circle – How this simple and very rich tool can change our muscles, tendons, essence and mind. Walking is an art itself and can bring every practice to a higher level. Continue reading
Bagua and the 8 Extraordinary Vessels – Theory and practice of the Micro and Macro Cosmic Breathing applied practically to produce body connection and health. Continue reading