The Pre-Heaven Bagua with Palms
Baguazhang's "Wind Palm"
Bagua's Wind Palm is characterized as a "splitting palm" (pi zhang) in which the fingertips point forward and the edge of the palm faces downwards as if chopping. It is used primarily to perform a straight split, but it can also be used to press. Pressing with the force of gravity onto joints or pressure points can be quite disturbing to an opponent's flow of chi and balance. In this particular application, the Wind Palm is used to follow a strike to the abdomen with a splitting motion that presses down onto the opponent's Supraclavicular Fossa. As such, their center of gravity can be compromised, and a spinal crank used to finish. The pre-heaven symbol with palms is from the book, Pa-Kua Chang Illustrated, by Lee Ying-arng and Yen Te-Hwa. I chose this particular illustration to represent the "Wind Palm" because it is as if all the palms can be trained to move with a "wind like" quality and on a continuum from calm to seemingly gale force. Interestingly, Plato associated the Greek element of air to wind and geometrically to an "octahedron," a polyhedron with eight equilateral triangles (which he identified as atoms).The Wind Palm marks the beginning of "Early Summer".and the midpoint between Spring and Summer. The internal arts of Taiji, Xingyi, and Bagua help promote balance, circulation, and flexibility. The Mother Palms are a simple practice that serve as a gateway to the classically circular martial art of Baguazhang.
Check out the following popular pages: Yi Quan, Liangong, and Applications of the Mother Palms
The T'ai Chi Power Combo! Our T'ai Chi Power Combo combines Two Complete Video Series in One: The Power Push Hands Video Series (Single Hands, Double Hands, Moving Push Hands, and Self-Defense Concepts) with The Wu T'ai Chi Power Training Video Series (Includes 3 Wu Style T'ai Chi Inner Door Sets, Hand and Spear Power Cultivation, Deriving Power from Form's Practice, and Integrating Power in Push Hands.)
We have combined two of our best stand alone Chi Kung instructional videos to create the Chi Kung Duo (Ancient vs. Modern). The Swimming Dragon Chi Kung, is thought to have originated with the Yellow Emperor, and, with one look at its shapes and simplicity of movements (based on the Five Elemental Phases) it's easy to conclude that this may very likely be something special that has survived the ages-not to mention the fact that some people swear by the wonders it does for their spine and posture. The Soaring Crane Chi Kung was created by Zhao Jin Xiang in the 1970s, and is one of the most popular forms of Chi Kung the world over. With its specific focus on therapeutic points, patience, and stillness in movement, it rivals the chi cultivation sets of the ancients. The unique "sixth section" (or, Advanced Meditation) is a marvel amongst any and all Chi Kung practices. NEW to this series is the "seventh section" or Walking Methods. This completes the series and supports comprehensive instruction for students and viewers. While we don't advocate practicing two types of Chi Kung at the same time, these two popular and useful forms of Chi Kung practice, that we have combined in the "Chi Kung Duo" are certainly worth utilizing to compare, contrast, and ultimately cultivate.
