September 14, 2007 by george.

Baguazhang in its essence is a method of understanding and training one’s physical and mental self and how one interacts with that which is outside oneself.

One of the areas towards which I have great respect for the art is in its wholeness. Baguazhang is perhaps the most far-reaching of the physical/mental arts that I know of. This capacity for breadth in its study is one of its greatest strengths, though some might also view it as a drawback.

Baguazhang is a simple art, in the end. It just seeks to understand everything, as it is, and to provide one with the tools to influence. Sure, it has a process. If it did not, there would be no way to reach its goals or to help others along towards those goals. It is not merely a philosophical construct, it is a roadmap, it is directions, it is both, by necessity, the finger pointing the way, and the moon.

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September 14, 2007 by george.

Just thought I should get around to mentioning that I had a great time at the seminars with my teacher. As always, he continues to be very generous with his insights and skills. It somehow still amazes me that I’m always learning something new, even after more than a decade of studying with him. He continues to refine his teaching method, and continues to present the material in different ways.

Not that I ever remotely think “I’ve got it all,” but what continues to amaze me about these arts and Baguazhang in particular, is their depth. Sometimes one can rest on their laurels and think “I’ve learned that before,” but then reality and humility come running up behind you to kick you in the butt and whack you upside the head! Luo Laoshi is a remarkable teacher in that he continues to research. He takes what I might once have thought was mundane, turns it around and shows it in a different light, and then those lights tend to go off in my head for me. The learning process for these arts is something unique.

I should just, once again, take the time to say thanks to Luo Laoshi. Not only are these arts amazing, but its always strikingly apparent that without Luo Laoshi’s training, research, thought, willingness to look everywhere for understanding, fight experience and continuing joy with which he approaches these arts, they would be a very different animal. Its so rare that something like this still exists, I hope that we all can treasure it as much as he does.

Posted in Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, Training, General Info | 1 Comment »

September 14, 2007 by george.

Here’s a pretty good, pretty basic explanation of alignment, posture and structure and how it relates to back pain. Then the following videos (parts 2 and 3) also get into some exercises from the Egoscue system in how to address the problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWUHTEJOyKs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Pt_e5gHyc

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Te7gFcy_AiQ

Although I’ve only watched the first video so far, I thought it was a pretty simple explanation of the problems of alignment and structure. This is very basic information that might help out people in their study of bagua and xingyi structure and alignment. Hope it helps out.

PS: Egoscue is basically a physical therapy guy that does rehab and prehab with a heavy concentration on alignment and balancing out the body’s musculo-skeletal (sp?) systems. He has written a number of books, and works with professional athletes as well as laymen on his methods to help their performance and health.

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