I personnaly got sick and tired of every one flaming me because my site was radki. So I thought, I also train in Tao Ki, why not make a tradki section for all those tradkiers?
I know a bit, and maybe, just maybe, I can get more visitors! Well, fellow tradkiers, enjoy the Chamber!
YI QUAN
Here is my Article: Mind you, it is very long.
Part 1: The History of Xing Yi Quan
During centuries, the art of Kung Fu remains the same and it is only in the middle of the 19th century that it changes under the impulse of Kuo Yun Seng.
Kuo Yun Seng was called " the Divine Palm ", and he was the greatest expert of his time in Xing Yi Quan (the boxing of the unit of the body and the thought : Xing = form, Yi = will, thought, Quan = fist, boxing, or in its original significance " to do instantaneously what the heart decides ").
He insists on the postures and simplifies the form of the Tao Lu, then transmits his art to Wang Xian Zhaï, his preferred disciple.
Kuo Yun Seng
HISTORY OF MASTER WANG XIAN ZHAÏ, CREATOR OF YI QUAN :
Master Wang Xian Zhaï
1885 :
Master Wang Xian Zhaï was born in 1885 in the Hebei province.
At the end of the 19th century, in China, Master Wang Xian Zhai had observed that the Chinese society changed. The profit, base of a modern mode of production, revolutionized the relationship between the men. The martial arts, component of this same society, had them also tendency to lose their essence. The practice of the fast movements, therefore badly controlled, the exaggeration of the importance of the muscular force and hardening with excess of the body, often with a conclusive aim, characterized the majority of the practise. He then decided to return to the sources of Kung Fu, at a time when one could control " the movements of the immobility ", immobility which is the " mother " of any movement.
1913 :
In 1913 he was engaged as instructor with the army.
1918 :
In 1918 he crosses China from North to the South, he observes and learns the essence of other styles which include techniques of fists and legs. He also makes a stay at the monastery of Shaolin where he is involved in particular with the higher bonze, expert in Xin Yi Quan. (Xin = the heart)
This assiduous study helps him to discover what he seeks : control of the speed and the force by the concentration, the relaxation, and the slow movement, thus restoring a true return to the sources of art. Until the 12th century indeed, the practice of Kung Fu passed by the mobilization of the thought, the control of the posture and the slow movement, to reach the explosive force. The method used named Zhan Zhuang, which means " to remain upright such as a tree or a pile ".
The two experts find themselves perfectly in their mutual search. They share their techniques to supplement their work.
1925 :
In 1925, Master Wang Xian Zhai declares that " the practise in general neglect the importance of the thought in the movement ". He creates Yi Quan in which you find the linear work of Xing Yi, circular displacements of Bagua, the principle of " sticking and following " of Taïji and the essence of other styles such as the essence of the school of Shaolin, etc...
He preaches a martial arts serving health while proving to be a method of effective combat.
It was a new way of considering the martial arts because of the absence of forms (Tao-Lu), the most significant being the concentration, the will.
1940 :
In 1940, the colleagues of Master Wang in Beijing recognize the value of his art and give it the name of Da Cheng Quan.
The term Da Cheng means great success, achievement, perfection.
Da Cheng Quan thus means the great achievement of the harmony of the body and the spirit.
Later, Master Wang, always modest and conscious that one never reaches the great achievement in Wushu, returns definitively to the name Yi Quan.
It is just today to respect this desire.
From the beginning of the Fifties, he teaches Zhan Zhuang Gong (position of the pile or position of rooting) in various medical institutes.
1963 :
Master Wang Xian Zhaï died in Tien Tsin.
THE THOUGHT OF THE CREATOR OF YI QUAN :
"Great movements
are not as efficient
as small movements.
Small movements
are not as efficient
as stillness.
Stillness
is the mother of eternal movement"
Master Wang Xian Zhai.
SUCCESSION OF MASTER WANG XIAN ZHAI : MASTER YAO ZONG XUN (1917-1985)
Master Yao Zong Xun
The best pupil of Master Wang were Zhao Dao Xin, installed in Tiantsin where he created his own method and have practically not left any pupil, You Peng Xi, from Shanghai, which has make in the same way and the one which will become his successor, Yao Zong Xun from Beijing.
Li Wentao, Zhao Dao Xin and Yao Zong Xun
Until 1985, year of Master Yao Zong Xun's death, everyone, including Wang Xian Zhai's daughter, which she reports in her book, recognizes Master Yao Zong Xun as the successor of Wang. He is the last who has made the Yi Quan school evolve and at the same time the most gifted and the most honest of the three.
Very young, Yao Zong Xun begins the study with Wang Xian Zhaï who considers him as his son. In 1940, Wang names him his successor and gives him the nickname Ji Xiang (the successor of Xian) and symbolically offers him a demonstration costume. From this day, Yao Zong Xun has replaced Wang when this one misses, taking up the challenges and teaching.
Yao Zong Xun was an expert of a very open spirit ; he knew the techniques of the other schools, therefore he always took the best of each style to include it in his practice of Yi Quan.
He said to his pupils: " Learn Yi Quan ; if you have other valid techniques, keep them, but apply them through the principles of Yi Quan ". He also taught his pupils the totality of his knowledge without mysticism nor superstition.
Master Yao Zong Xun died in 1985, leaving his two sons and good students.
Master Yao Zong Xun and his son Yao Cheng Kwang
YI QUAN TODAY :
Different schools developp themselves, especially in Beijing's area.
In Japan, Yi Quan is known by the Taï Ki Ken students. Taï Ki Ken was created by Master Kenichi Sawaï, former student of Wang Xiang Zhaï, but who mainly studied under the direction of Yao Zong Xun.
Yi Quan schools exist in France, Italy, Argentina, Great-Britain, Portugal, Singapore and Hong-Kong.
In Europe, Yi Quan was introduced by Ilias Calimintzos, only Westerner which was initiated by Master Yao Zong Xun.
Master Yao Zong Xun and Ilias Calimintzos
The School of Master Yao is still united.
Part 2: GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF YI QUAN
SIGNIFICANCE OF " YI QUAN ":
The Way of the Harmony of the Body and the mind.
It is surely the best translation than you can give at the Yi Quan term, osmosis between YI, the creative thought, the mind, the will, the higher intention, and QUAN, that is often vulgarly translated by the fist, the boxing, and which means at the origin " to spontaneously apply what the heart decides ".
Revealed since 1925, YI QUAN joins the sources of the Chinese Martial Arts, going back to the 12th century. Among the experts of the Chinese Martial Arts it is also known under the name of DA CHENG QUAN.
When one speaks about Kung Fu, one always thinks of the school of Shaolin, the school of Wu Dang, the external styles (Wai chia), the internal styles (Nei chia). Yi Quan is neither the ones nor the others, but at the same time internal and external. It does not have codified forms (Tao-Lu, Quan, Kata), nor preestablished rules.
Amongst all the Chinese Martial Arts, it is the only one being in this case.
Master Yao Zong Xun during an exercise
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS OF YI QUAN :
1) Each movement is guided by a corresponding thought (mental image). Thanks to that, you manage to decrease more and more the variation existing between the moment of the conception of a movement and that of its realization : the practice of Tui Shou (" pushing hands ") hugely contributes to it.
Thus, you concretely operate the connection sought so much by the practitioners of martial arts, the union between the body and the mind.
2) Master Wang Xian Zhaï, founder of Yi Quan, did not only observe the gesture in each movement, but considered the body as a whole. As soon as a part of the body moves, all the remainder of the body accompanies the movement.
The effectiveness in the martial arts is to manage to control explosive and short movements. That is acquired by the control of the action... from the inaction.
It is necessary for that to include/understand and know what the immobility is.
3) Absence of codified forms (Tao-Lu or kata).
The practice of the Tao Lu, in the long run, is harmful for the brain and its emanation, the thought. Too much rigid because of mechanized automatisms, it does not direct the movements correctly. The Tao Lu run up against the muscles, the tendons, the articulations, which do not cease producing forced and against-nature movements. In addition, as you can never envisage the reactions of an adversary, their application in free combat remain illusory.
THE BASE OF THE PRACTICE :
The base of the practice of Yi-Quan is Zhan Zhuang Gong. They are postures animated by the training of Yi (thought, mind, intention). The thought sharpens different parts of the brain and develops the sensory fields of the human being. The fascicles of muscle fibres obey the commands given by the central nervous system. The articulations act like levers. The living force which exists at a latent state in everyone emerges. All the body moves at the same time. The mind and the thought control the Qi, which controls the force which can be exteriorized by the seven points : head, hand, elbow, shoulder, thigh, knee, foot.
The movements of attack or defense become the natural expression of the remainder of the practice.
Dodgings, parades, attacks and displacements are also very significant. During the practice of Zhan Zhuang Gong, the practitioner must generate a force towards the six basic directions : in top, bottom, ahead, behind, in opening, closing as well as the two complementary directions, in spiral. You call this type of training the rooting. In case of a dispute, no matter who is able to draw, strike or push with the arm. On the other hand, to make the same thing by using the force of the whole body is the fruit of the work of those which practise the martial arts.
But without specific work of rooting, that is impossible...
EXPLOSIVENESS RISES FROM IMMOBILITY :
In the Karate or the Chinese martial arts of the external type, the movement is dynamic. TAI JI QUAN is a moving meditation. YI QUAN preaches the control of the movements of the immobility. Before expressing the dynamism, for better understanding the action from the inaction, it is necessary to control the movements of the immobility. YI QUAN leads to occupy the center in order to better act on the periphery. Some examples can help us to understand. A spinning top which turns quickly seems motionless, same for a wheel. A plane which goes quickly appears motionless. Several decades were necessary to recognize that the slow movements of TAI JI can improve the performances of the dynamic movements. The years which come will confirm what a long time was occulted : the movements of the immobility are the eternal movements.
In YI QUAN, relaxation and calm direct the movement, thus breathing becomes regular, deep, and there are time to correct possible errors in the movement.
You become aware of each part of your body and you allow the internal breath (Qi) to circulate better with your blood, until the extremities of your limbs.
Many exercises are based on the work of the mental images. For example : you visualize your own body like if, plunged in water or molasses, you could move with flexibility, agility, relaxation. This total movement makes it possible for the individual to create the feeling of resistance to surrounding space. And it is what also makes it possible to eject easily, without apparent muscular contraction, an adversary. Of course, there is not only that mental work, we are very clear about it. There is a very precise, very assiduous physical work on the articulations, the tendons and the muscles. This work develops resistance, balance and effectiveness of the whole body, while respecting it. It is this specific approach of the training which makes it possible to practise Yi Quan and to progress until a very advanced age.
The remainder of the practice is composed of exercises of attack and defense, of techniques of fists and feet, projections, grabbing, and fighting on the ground.
The training with the boxing bag, the free combat, the practice with a partner, in particular TUI SHOU - " pushing hands " - are the different aspects of the work of Yi Quan. Tui Shou is a unique energy work with two practitioners. You are exerted there to use the force of the opponent, to distinguish " the vacuum from the full ", to develop the sense of the touch and to improve it with the limbs of the body.
Henceforth, to integrate the principles of YI QUAN to enrich and supplement the practice of each one appears a positive step.
Ilias Calimintzos carrying out a circular kick
LEVELS OF THE PRACTICE OF YI QUAN :
You can compare this progression with a staircase.
First step :
Re-establishment, improvement and maintenance of health by exercises which, in addition, are recognized of public utility in China. It is the QI GONG aspect of the YI QUAN, which is named YANG SHENG (to nourish the body), and consists in the training of ZHAN ZHUANG GONG or " Training by the upright positions ".
Second step :
Development of the concentration and muscular capacities, tendineous and osseous reinforcement.
Third step :
Practice of the martial aspect.
CONCRETE RESULTS OF THE PRACTICE OF YI QUAN :
Practice of Yi Quan :
develops and improves circulation of vital energy (QI) human being
aims to a better total functioning of the organism and combines an intense internal activity with an apparent rest
makes an new energy emerge, called Living Force, which exists in everyone in a latent state. This force results from the participation of all the body in the movement.
allows to reach the harmony of the body and mind, and supports the elimination of the muscular and emotional tensions.
WITH A WHICH AIM CAN YOU PRACTISE YI QUAN ?
From the physical and psychological applications of Yi Quan, you can lead to the disease prevention and the safeguarding of health, on the art of the combat, or many applications which concern the daily life.
The most significant in the practice of the martial arts is what the practice itself can bring to each individual.
The finality of Yi-Quan does not consist in destroying a potential adversary but in creating, like any artist.
And we, what do we create? We create the " Living Force " or what Master Yao Zong Xun called primitive chaos...
Many high level sportsmen studied the principles of Yi Quan and applied them to their discipline. The examples are already numerous : Alain Prost (Formula 1), Bertrand Sébileau (Winner of the Bol d'Or 1998-), Michel Prufer (champion of the launched kilometer at the Winter Olympic Games of Albertville) and France's team of athletics 4 X 100 meters (Marie Rose, Sangouma, Morinière, Trouaballe). But the applicability of Yi Quan exceeds the framework of the sport. Artists (musicians, actors, etc...) use for example the principles of Yi Quan in their work, in particular for his qualities of concentration, relaxation and placement of the body in space.
BENEFIT OF THE PRACTICE IN THE DAILY LIFE :
Personal health, and by extension, his longevity, fully will benefit from the practice of Yi Quan.
Why ? Precisely thanks to the muscular relaxation obtained by the work of Yi Quan, which balances the cerebral cortex. By balancing the cerebral cortex, it is possible to enter a durable state of plenitude, which will make it possible to attenuate largely or to eliminate the worry and the stress. Our neurons work for us! The health aspect, as you can see, is determining. While being able to fill the twelve ordinary meridian lines and by facilitating the way of the breath in the eight other extraordinary meridian lines, you allow the body to be maintained in form and good health. The combat and the sparring require a particular drive : various techniques of fists, of legs, sweepings, locks and a whole work in upright position or on the ground.
From there, each one is able to choose : either he only works the health aspect, in order to nourish and to improve the quality of his vital energy (by the exercises of Yang Sheng and Zhan Zhuang Gong created for this purpose by the founder Master Wang Xian Zhaï and practised in various medical institutes in China), or he also trains for the combat. It is necessary that this step is clear, passes above all by construction of the individual to go, but only in the cases of extreme gravity, towards the destruction.
Part 3: THE YI :
THE THOUGHT
Martial Art of osmosis, Yi Quan includes the fundamental interests of the practices of achievement : spirituality. The action and the thought form the essence of this discipline.
YIN AND YANG :
The word Yi is part of the Chinese philosophical inheritance and in particular of taoism. Very schematically, the Tao is at the origin of any thing (Master Yao Zong Xun called it " Primitive Chaos "). The Tao is always ready to be put moving. As soon as it is put moving it becomes Taï-Ji which is the beginning of the beginning. Taï-Ji appears, according to two identical methods, Yin and Yang. Yang is the celestial aspect, the mind, the luminous activity, the movement, Yin is the terrestrial aspect, the obscure one and the rest in the movement.
All in the universe is an emanation of the Tao in which Yin and Yang are dependent in an undifferentiated breath that one calls Yuen-chi. In the human being the Yuen-chi is concretized as a gazeous essence which he receives at his birth. The Tao in its obscure demonstration is called Shen (mind which animates : conscience). In its concentration, it is called Jing (vital essence or physical frame of the body, muscles, skin, bone, humours and hormones). In its manifestation of the movement the Tao is called Qi. It is a fluid (gaseous essence) which circulates in the system involving with him blood and the organic liquids.
Jing alone is inert (corpse). It is the base of the existence of the Qi (vital activities), and forms the living matter with him. The presence of the Qi characterizes animated compared to the inanimated one. There are several kinds of Qi : that of the maintenance, which circulates inside the meridian lines, the defender Qi, which is under the skin, that of the bodies and the internal organs, central Qi, etc...
Jing and the Qi function under the instructions of a direct center which is Yi (thought). Yi is a subtle power which represents with Shen the whole of the processes by which the alive beings acquire information on their environment, on the material or emotional level.
In addition to the psychic factors, it is also the regulator of the operation of the whole of the other bodies. The father of Yi is Xin (heart).
As for Aristote in Greece (the universality of this concept is found), the heart is at the origin of the feelings, enthusiasm, generosity.
Even in our civilization, the expression " to have heart " connotes the importance of this body at the philosophical level.
THE YI IN THE PRACTICE OF YI QUAN
The living force is created by a participation of the whole body in the movement and is guided by the thought (Yi).
By the importance of the thought, and the will, you can speak about internal work in order to build a strong body and mental attitude, and this before you can possibly learn how to use the " instinctive force " for self-defense. If you base yourself on the study of the gestures of the body (kicks, fists, etc...) and of the " demonstrative force ", of the parts of the body, you can speak about external work. Yi Quan is thus at the same time internal and external. It quite simply forms part of the inheritance of Wushu.
The practice of Yi Quan under its martial aspect is very intense, very tiring. Without this difficulty of training you would surely direct yourself towards the form of a kind of soft gymnastics. On the other hand it will be necessary to be vigilant with regard to the difference between the practice of Yi Quan as martial art and in the form of competitive sport. During the combat for the life the techniques used are not limited to certain zones of the body and the only claimed aptitudes are : force, speed, suppleness, reflex. Whereas the competitive sport aspect must be considered on the same medical sport level as the athletics or the bicycle, which are very tiring for the cardiopulmonary system.
IT IS THE THOUGHT WHICH GUIDES THE MOVEMENT :
Any movement must be guided by the YI, thought or mental attitude image. This concentration brings relaxation. The relaxation thus obtained dissolves the stiff forces. When one slackens, one releases oneself from any hard force. At the same time, it is necessary to make what confers to our body the true force circulate, that of Qi (KI) : you must appear slackened without really being it. A rubber pipe inside nothing runs, is soft, inert. On the other hand if an abundant water flow circulates in the pipe, this one will not be soft any more, but it will not be either hard or rigid. It is alive. The exercises of YI QUAN make this living force, which exists in everyone at a latent state, emerge. The body is then put to move in a continuous way. All the limbs take part in each movement. The suppleness, the agility are the result of the relaxation. This new energy creates an external litheness which brings the wanted movement, extreme hardness.
The top of the body becomes light, bottom is heavy.
Breathing is controlled.
The agility and easy displacement appear.
Lastly, the emission of the force is explosive.
Part 4: 8 STAGES OF THE PRACTICE
OF YI QUAN
WUSHU IN THE LIGHT OF YI QUAN:
Study of Yi Quan integrates the techniques of limbering-up, natural musculation, techniques of combat and self-defense, techniques of fists and legs, projections, locks and strangleholds.
The principles of Yi Quan are applied to the whole of these techniques, principles without which the physical and mental effectiveness, in particular in the long run, is illusory.
A STUDY IN EIGHT STAGES :
THE BASE : TECHNIQUES OF ROOTING
Ilias Calimintzos during a postural exercise
Zhan Zhuang Gong (position of the pile or position of rooting) is the base of the practice of Yi Quan. It is divided into two parts:
1) positions of rooting for the strengthening of the body and the fixing of the mental attitude.
2) positions of rooting for the combat which are the prolongation of the first ones. You involve yourself there under an appearance of immobility. You actually learn how to direct yourself with the unit from the body towards the six principal directions (six basic directions) : front, behind, to the top, to the bottom, in opening and closing), as well as two complementary directions : circular, towards the left and the right-hand side.
These are the small movements which give you the means of using the muscular contraction in an explosive way.
By the participation of the thought, you develop your sensory field and improve the homogeneity of the body. All things considered these positions make us discover a force known as instinctive, different from the force that each person has naturally. This because it is the result of the participation of the whole body in the movement.
Yi directs, the body operates, the Explosive Force appears.
THE STUDY OF THE SLOW MOTION AND OF THE LIVING FORCE
3) Shi-Li " To test the force ". The movement is slow, the force linked to the whole body. The purpose of these exercises are the development of the instinctive force and its insertion in the movement. At this stage, there is a work on the sounds, which can accompany certain movements.
4) Zou-lou " To go ". You learns how to move your centre of gravity correctly.
5) Fa-Li " To expel the force ". You study there the explosive expression of the instinctive force in all the directions around yourself.
Fa-li, China, 1999
ENERGY WORK WITH PARTNER
6) TUI SHOU or " pushing hands ". You are accustomed to control the center of gravity of your partner and to protect your own center, to develop the direction of the contact of the body and particularly of the front armlevers.
CONTROL OF THE WHOLE OF THE TECHNIQUES
7) JIAN WU or " Yi Quan shadow boxing ". It is the spontaneous use, in the open space, of all the other techniques.
THE APPLICATION IN COMBAT
8-) work with the boxing bag, or with a partner and the free combat (or Jiji Wu) supplement these phases.
To practise Yi Quan, breathing is natural and accompanies the movements. The exerted YI makes it possible to dominate the limbs, therefore there is freedom of movement of vital energy (QI). Yi controls and governs the emission of various humours and hormones of the body (Jing, vital essence), and in the form of exercises it contributes to the maintenance of this one. It helps the blood circulation so that there are renewal of the " old and of the new " and it regulates the functions of the lower bodies as well as possible, finally it balances the unit.
As, if it is true that certain people have the deterrent force naturally, the punch, we, practiser of Yi Quan, we will not consider it as a gift from the sky, but like the fruit of a work.
Quite simply because through your practice you are able to have it and to use it in a relatively short time.
Part 5: WHO PRACTISES YI QUAN?
Of course, Yi Quan concerns first of all the people who initially want to approach a complete and thorough study of Kung Fu Wu Shu, for its applications in combat, the sporting competition, the self defense, the maintenance of the body and health by Qi Gong, but also the search of a mental equilibrium and a certain art of living.
The practice of Yi Quan can facilitate the search for a certain spirituality, WHICH REMAINS DESPITE EVERYTHING A PERSONAL STEP, and for which no teaching nor orientation are approached in the teaching exempted at the National Academy of Kung Fu.
FOR WOMEN AND MEN, AT ANY AGE :
Specificities of its teaching enable Yi Quan to be studied by women and men, even for people who never had a physical activity, and to adapt the practice of each one to his age, his morphology and his motivations.
The bases of the practice allow the practice and the progression until a ripe age.
WOMEN AND YI QUAN :
In addition to the benefit in the field of health in general, the women appreciate the effects of the Qi Gong in the field of the regulation of the hormonal system and the menstrual flows.
CHILDREN AND YI QUAN :
Respecting the physical integrity of the individual and privileging the long-term practice, the teaching of Yi Quan is particularly adapted to the children. Within specific courses, the children discover and improve the capacities of their body without endangering their physical and mental development.
PRACTICE OF YI QUAN FOR THE OTHER SPORTS:
The practise of other martial arts benefit from the practice of Yi Quan, while preserving advantages and respective specificities from their own practice. If you have other valid techniques, you increase their effectiveness by applying them through the principles of Yi Quan.
Other famous sportsmen also seek an improvement of their performances by the practice of Yi Quan. The examples are already numerous : Alain Prost (Formula 1), Bertrand Sébileau (Winner of the 24 du Mans1998 and 1999), Laure PEDUEGNOT (6th at the Slalom World Cup 1999), Michel Prufer (champion of the launched kilometer at the Winter Olympic Games of Albertville) and France's Team of athletics 4 X 100 meters (Marie Rose, Sangouma, Morinière, Trouaballe).
The principles of Yi Quan are applicable to all the other sporting activities whom they increase the efficiency, the concentration, the energy level, the recovery.
Many sporting disciplines can benefit from the use of the living force and explosive force.
MARTIAL ART AT THE SERVICE OF OTHER ARTS :
The musicians often suffer from pathologies, due to the prolonged asymmetrical positions which they adopt when they play their instrument. The painters, the sculptors, the writers, the graphic designers, the cameramen, can also be subject to the same problems.
To correct these attitudes by the work of Yi Quan makes it possible to eliminate the contractions, to rebalance the body by a total and natural musculation, to relieve the back and to prevent the appearance of rheumatisms.
The comedians and the dancers will particularly appreciate the training of the displacement of the centre of gravity, the concept of vacuum and full, as well as the development of the sensitivity to space and the sensory field. The control of the emotions, like the stress, the stage fright, as well as the energy work will enable them to add an new dimension to their interpretation.
YI QUAN AND THE WORKING WORLD :
In general, all the people subjected to stress, upright or sitted prolonged stations, to noise, nervous tiredness of working and urban environment, can very clearly increase their quality of life as a practitioner of Yi Quan, in particular through its wellbeing aspect, the QI GONG.
Well, thats my article.
Practice Well,
Mason Bliss
QI GONG
Part 1: HISTORY OF THE QI GONG
DESCRIPTION OF THE IDEOGRAMS WHICH MAKE THE WORD QI GONG
QI (energy) and MI (uncooked rice)
GONG (work)
Uncooked Rice gives energy (ideogram of the Qi Gong)
KEY DATES OF THE HISTORY OF THE QI GONG
1) Before HAN dynasty, up to -206
Appearance of YI KING (the book of the transfers) and of the concept of 3 energies : sky /man /earth.
2 types of training also appear at this period, Confucianist and Taoist, of which the goal is uprightness, to preserve a good health and to increase longevity. At the origin, in the first forms of Chinese acupuncture, the doctors used stone punches, then of bone and bamboo. Then came the metal needles (bronze).
2) -206 to +502
Development of 3 schools of Qi Gong
- Buddhist
- Hindouist
- Taoist
The goal of the Qi Gong is then to make the man escape the cycle of reincarnations.
A doctor of the 3rd century, Hua Tuo, affirms that one can work the Qi thanks to the thought. He formalizes the movements in order to allow a better work of energy.
3) 502 to 1911
Work concerning the Qi develops and reaches a very high level.
The Qi Gong adapts itself to the practice of the Martial Arts, in particular thanks to the practice which is made by it in the Temple of Shaolin.
Between 585 to 910 the massages and phytotherapy appear .
Around 1106, a doctor named WANG WEI YI creates the copper mannequin or "Bronze Man ", natural size, in order to visualize the points of acupuncture. He looks after the emperor, cures him and this one enables him to develop his art.
Between 1102/1106, he works on tortured victims whom he dissects alive, helped by secretaries and draughtsmen, this in order to increase his knowledge. It is around 1068 -1086 that, for the first time, one teaches acupuncture at the university.
WANG WEI YI wrote the " Illustrated handbook of the points of acupuncture and moxibustion according to the bronze statue ".
At the beginning of the twelfth century, General YUE FEI (dynasty of the SONG of the south) creates XING YI QUAN.
He also develops the series of exercises of health called " the 8 parts of brocade " or BA DUAN JIN.
He insists on the fact that thought (YI) must lead the breath of life (QI) and the movements.
Around 1279, CHANG SAN FENG, a hermit taoist, creates the TAIJIQUAN.
Under the MING dynasty (1368-1644), doctor YANG CHI CHOU gathers all that relates to acupuncture and matches up the divergent sights on the subject.
At the 18th century : creation of the BAGUAQUAN, an other martial arts which uses the principles of the Qi Gong.
4) THE QI GONG IN CHINA TODAY
The QI GONG must make it possible to the man to be put in resonance with nature. If that is difficult in our Western societies, that also became in the modern Chinese societies.
Nowadays, the Chinese, Japanese and extreme Eastern cultures in general carry out many exchanges.
The vision of propagation of the Qi Gong since the advent of the People's Republic of China is more to increase the health of the people than to obtain an opening on the universe, a more spiritual vision.
HOW MANY FORMS OF QI GONG ARE THERE ?
There are 5 schools :
1) Medicinal School :
its goal is to reinforce health, prophylactic, and if required to look after diseases.
2) Confucianist School :
Created by Confucius at the 6th century before our era and developed by Mancius at the 4th century before our era.
This school is characterized by three directions of work:
- knowledge
- morality
- uprightness
3) Bouddhic school :
- teaching rests on the mental drive and the release.
- the SAMADHI school which says that " everything is only illusion "
- the CHAN school (Japanese ZEN), which aims at the purification of the person.
4) Taoist school :
preaches not-to act, " WU WEI ". It has for goal to increase longevity and of living in harmony with nature.
5) The martial arts school :
aims to the maintenance and the improvement of health, then if required to use this strength for combat.
Part 2: GENERAL PRINCIPLES
OF QI GONG
COMMON POINTS OF THE VARIOUS FORMS OF QI GONG :
It should be stressed that the Qi Gong is a method which considers the human being as a whole.
The various forms of Qi Gong are always based on the same principles.
postures of the body
fixing of mental attitude (concentration/meditation)
regulation of breathing
movement
All the exercises of Qi Gong require patience and a steady practice.
SOME PRINCIPLES OF CHINESE MEDICINE AND COSMOGONY
AT THE ORIGIN, CHAOS :
Everything starts from the primitive Chaos : the Way and its Virtue or Tao in Chinese.
WU CHI : state of being, non-energy.
YIN AND YANG :
symbol of Yin and Yang
Yin : female principle, dark side of the mountain. Negative -
Yang : male principle, illuminated side of the mountain. Positive +
JING : vital essence, fixed on the ovaries or the gonads, generated from ovule or sperm. It is the home of the SHEN (the mind). It represents the potential of the external aspect of the processes part of the fine living matter (like the synthesis and the degradation of proteins).
The most significant organs to maintain in good health for correct use of the JING are the kidneys.
The quality of the Qi (vital energy) will depend of the use of the JING.
QI : VITAL ENERGY
The antenatal Qi is the mixture of the respective Qi of the father and the mother.
The health and emotional state of the parents at the time of the conception enormously influences the Qi of the child to be born.
The postnatal Qi depends on several factors :
quality of the inspired air
quality of the eaten food
quality of the thoughts (emotions...)
quality of the training of the body and the mind
The Qi circulates in an optimal way through the meridian lines when the relaxation is maximum (relaxation of the muscles, tendons, articulations). An insufficient relaxation blocks the circulation of the Qi.
In the whole Chinese history, the common notion of Chinese medicine is that the diseases appear when the mind is not awake.
The Thought (Yi) includes a higher form of energy which makes it possible for the Jing to provide its functions.
The SHEN (mind) covers the functions of the consciousness, unconsciousness, and controls all the functions of the system.
Information is collected in our environment thanks to our senses.
WEI : external, external
The thoughtless practice of the WEI (external forms) causes a dispertion of the Qi, a premature ageing of muscular tissues and a degeneration of the individual.
NEI : internal
NEI GONG : internal training
The practice of the NEI GONG brings longevity, a wellbeing and a diffusion of energy in all the body, until the extremities.
Exogenic factors of balance of the Qi :
cold
wind
heat
moisture
dryness
fire
But also way of life : for example the irregularity of wakefulness and sleep overworks the liver, sexual excesses overwork the kidneys.
Endogenous factors of balance of the Qi :
7 emotions :
joy
anger
melancholy
obsession
sorrow
anxiety
fear
The 6 sensual pleasures penetrate by the :
eyes
nose
body
ears
tongue
thought
The balance and the quality of all these factors determine the quality of the Qi.
Excesses of emotions affect health.
For example : anger acts on the liver, which distils blood towards the brain, sadness and the melancholy oppresses the lungs, which causes an oxygenation of poor quality, etc...
ORGANS OF THE HUMAN BODY :
The 5 organs known as " principal " (heart, spleen, liver, kidneys, lungs) direct organs known as " secondary ".
1) " principal " organs :
Zang organs : organs of reserve of energy
Flat organs, of Yin nature : heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen, liver, pericardium
(pericardium: " around the heart ". Membrane surrounding the heart.)
2) " secondary " organs :
FU Organs (organs of transport) : hollow internal organs, of Yang nature
- large intestine (Yang) : associated with the lungs (Yin)
- small intestine (Yang) : associated with the heart (Yin)
- stomach (Yang) : associated with the spleen (Yin)
- gall bladder (Yang) : associated with the liver (Yin)
- bladder (Yang) : associated with the kidneys (Yin)
3) Heaters :
They control the functions or systems which work out and distribute the new energies created in the body starting from ancestral energy, energy coming from the air and that coming from food.
SANJIAO : triple heater (San=3)
Higher heater : the rib cage and lungs.
Average heater : higher part of the abdomen and the digestive organs.
Lower heater : lower part of the abdomen, organs of elimination and reproduction.
EXERCISES OF THE " 8 PIECES OF BROCADE" OR BA DUAN JIN, CREATED BY
GENERAL YUE FEI.
These exercises, which act on Sanjiao (heaters), make the Qi circulate in the 5 principal organs (heart, spleen, liver, kidneys, lungs) and by consequence in the secondary organs.
Each exercise has specific effects. By activating the circulation of the Qi in the organs which need some, they make it possible to preserve, maintain or improve vitality of those, and by consequence the health of the whole person.
There existed in the beginning 12 exercises, which were brought back to 8.
The brocade was a cloth constituted with pieces of precious silk, richly embroided with gold, exclusively worn by the highest dignitaries of the Empire.
In the chinese symbolics, a long coat represents good health.
The use of the name of this exceptionnal coat symbolises the great value of these exercices.
These exercices are studied in detail within the Yang Sheng Qi Gong courses.
Practice Well,
Mason Bliss
ZHAN ZHUANG GONG
ZHAN ZHUANG GONG : POSTURES FOR ROOTING
The work of the postures is initially intended to involve the body, with an aim of reinforcing it. But the man exists at the same time through his physical and his mental aspects. When you practise a posture, you concentrate on a mental image and this mental image brings relaxation. In its turn, the relaxation of the whole body involves freedom of energy and the vital breath (QI) movement inside the meridian lines. All the body profits, and is thus invigorated and reinforced.
Relaxation and energy reinforcement are synonymous with homogeneity of the whole body, of course, but also of elasticity (not only in the direction of the suppleness but rather in a participation of the body in the movement). As we practise these postures in slightly bent position, we involve all the articulations and the muscles.
Beyond, the most significant work is the work of Yi , the thought, the intention. Yi concentrates itself " physically " speaking on the area of the brain. Concretely, by the concentration on a mental image (example: the image to hold a balloon extremely close, for not that it bursts, nor too slightly for not that it falls), you lead the surfaces of the brain to work on a plan of balance. This balance induces a mental relaxation and a " release-catch ". The tonicity of the muscles and the tendons is affected positively and the whole body is ready for action. In this waking state, when there is external excitation, information circulates much more quickly in direction of the brain. And as information in opposite direction is also fast, the speed reaction, the agility and the power is multiplied by ten.
SPECIFIC POSTURES FOR THE COMBAT :
With work on a first group of postures, you reinforce the power of concentration as well as the physical form : the muscles and the tendons are reinforced on the energy level and a sensory perception of space and yourself is established, which makes it possible to become more receptive.
With the second group of postures, you approach the combat. Once that the body was prepared and that the concentration was comparable, you add the work of the comprehension of the position of the man in space and time...
That means, simply, that each time you take a posture, you work towards the six basic directions where the man can move in space (in front of, behind, in top, bottom, towards the right-hand side and the left, plus the two complementary " directions " like swivelling on the right-hand side and the left).
Thus, you work on your space, by the intermediary of the directions width, height, length) and its subdivisions (to the top, bottom, etc.) as well as the perception of time. By doing this, you include the human being in his totality and not only the muscles and the bones, by giving him his true place again within the universe !
Here, we evolve in a spiritual sphere, certainly, but also physical with this kind of postures. It is possible to develop the perception of your articulations, which play the role of levers. You develop the perception of the state of contraction and muscular relaxation, which will be able to possibly lead to an action, on a future event. And you hugely work the widening of the sensory field, for example via the eye: the eyes look in front of themselves, see everything but do not fix anything.
They remains centered.
The ears, in the same way, hear everything without fixing anything either.
They remain centered on something while trotting at the periphery. It goes from there thus for all the directions... thus, the widening of the sensory field makes it possible to collect information of the environment.
In the field of the martial arts, that means being able to immediately analyze the state in which the person opposite you is... His way of breathing, his behavior (nervous, calm) and so on.
To summarize, this sensory information is drawn around yourself, is transmitted to the brain and from there, this last treats them to react with speed, since relaxation avoids the response time !
TO MAKE THE VACUUM :
To manage to create this state of " not-parasitized " thought or vacuum, you take at the beginning a mental image like having your arms rolled up around a tree, for example.
This image makes it possible for you, little by little to some extent, to become " like a tree "...
I.e. that the centre of gravity drops, a closed articular chain is created, passing by the correct positioning of the basin, the knees, the ankles, the spinal column, the shoulders, the elbows and the wrists. Thereafter, this mental image makes it possible for you to be better centered and learn how to move your body by coordinating all the limbs. Once the body is used to this practice, the mental image disappears from itself. When you face somebody, you do not need mental image. Because it is very important to pay attention not to separate the work of the postures from a work of sparring.
When starting, of course, the posture with mental image makes it possible to the person to take his reference marks, in space and compared to himself.
THE LIVING FORCE :
The following stages consist of movements carried out slowly, which set this force in motion. As if one precisely sought to unroll a silk wire. We enable to correct the movement in order to ensure the good circulation in the meridian line of the vital breath, at the speed of blood circulation. But once the body is reinforced with energy, the movement will be able to become faster, of course ! Thereafter, this movement can become explosive, using the natural weapons of the human body with your own benefit.
THE EXPLOSIVE FORCE :
The relaxation dissolves the stiff force and makes what confers on our body the true force, the "QI ", circulate. What some also name " living force ". This force involves the whole body in the movement. During Zhan Zhuang, one appears motionless, but in our in reality....
The body moves in an uninterrupted way. The flexibility, suppleness and the agility are the result of the relaxation. This new created energy allows external suppleness which, at the chosen time, can change into an extreme hardness. The top of the body becomes light, bottom becomes heavy. Breathing is controlled.
The agility and displacements are easy. Lastly, the emission of the explosive force is possible !
UNION OF THE BODY AND THE mind :
The exercises of Zhan Zhuang bring the unit between the three components : mind (by the concentration), space (by the posture) and the " action " by the movement, in spite of the appearance of the immobility, such as a spinning top or a wheel turning very quickly, which appear motionless to the eyes.
Practice Well,
Mason Bliss
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