circle walking ... around the tree, plant, etc

[windwalker]

Always felt the bagua practice was to develop make a center existing outside the body among other things, thoughts ?

How would you make your center exist outside of the body if you don't understand your own center first?

Understanding your own center takes many years. Maybe Bagua and circle walking shouldn't been introduced until you've practiced other internal arts for at least 10 years?

yes it does take a long time to know..."center"

speaking as someone who does, with a practice that spans decades....reading the writing of the many here
it seems like they and you are writing from the same perspective no ?

In other words from the "writing" something that most here can do "already " problem ?

[Trick]

havent been to any Beijing parks in a long long time.
Frst time i came to Beijing in the late 80's i use to go to the Tiantan-park（in the late mornings） where i saw these curious seemingly trodded paths around trees, i couldnt really make out anything about it i came to think of mushroom-circles or fairy-rings
Then i saw a group, some walking around one of the bigger trees which had some branshes low where the guys did some blocking/evasive manouvers, i understood i was witnessing the mysterious Baguazhang
The other tree-circles remained empty, i heard they were walked much earlier in the mornings , but BGZ seem in vouge there in the late 80's.

[Trick]

but i actually agree with the no tree circle walking, one of my taiji teachers here in China had done some BGZ in his youth, and he sometimes let us 3-4 students walk the tree in same time, it didnt click for me at all.
my XYQ and hunyuan-TJQ teacher in the same city is actually mainly a BGZ practitioner, he never circles trees and his preformance is just amazingly swift.
as i understand visualization is as important in BGZ as it is in the other ”arts”.
As have been pointed out, one must be in contact with the turning point

[windwalker]

circle walking by students of bagau master Tie En Fang

Tie Enfang (the fifth generation successor of the program Baguazhang)

The exerciser can walk in a circle in the range of a walk, generally in a circle of eight steps (not more than twelve steps); walk around a tree or draw a circle and walk in a circle. Left (turn) and right (turn) alternately. The number of laps to change directions is determined by the practitioner. If you walk for an hour, you will change directions every half an hour.

[everything]

To take things too literally, if I want to take only eight steps around a tree, the tree can only be so large. Lol

[windwalker]

Good examples of the why of circle walking in use


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYUhoPbrK9A

reminds me a lot of the way how we use (Zhuǎnshēn Bānlánchuí, 转身搬拦捶) in taiji

[yeniseri]

From my dusty memory, "Circle Walking" was never about meditation but about "focus" "balance" and "concentration" and as the martial direction became obscured,
it became the meditation that we all eat up (invoke!) today. The concentration, the balance, etc continues but the martial conditioning wtih corresponding turning lack the
focus of the past i.e. in defense of life, caravan security or just plain fun. The yangsheng element is a great purpose in allowing baquazhang/baquaquan to survive in this modern period

Walking around a an object (tree, etc) assists in this focus allowing for 'easier transitioning to "dissecting the circle" (as I call it) in arc(ing) /orientering the body to "muscle memory"
in integratong the many turning elements in facilitating these "odd crossing /entering the circle at x angles in 'defeating the 'enemy'.

[D_Glenn]

To take things too literally, if I want to take only eight steps around a tree, the tree can only be so large. Lol

Lol
I have practiced in a park where squirrels bury acorns so I actually have turned around trees

I’m also a 5th generation successor of Baguazhang. Fwiw

Wayne, all our animal forms use imaginary 9 poles on the ground for where we place our feet. The poles are inside the circle. The standard ‘your own body height’ = diameter of your circle, a square placed inside that circle, forms the 4 corners of the poles/palaces, and this will also be the precise width of your stance that you want to use while training.
The Penetrating Palms, the only thing that the Yin Fu school is allowed to practice in public, does its forms on the same pattern only it is weaving in between the imaginary poles. Never stepping directly on them.

Putting all your Intention into developing the martial strength is what helps your mind from being distracted and the Glymphatic system can turn on easier when you’re mind is focused on something. Circle Turning is the fastest way to strengthen and harden the bones of your forearms, which are the primary weapon in Bagua. Every muscle should be activated. The waist (Transverse Abdominal Muscles) should be active and contracting on the side facing the center of the circle, while the other half is relaxed. You should be able to demonstrate Nauli Kriya, if you’re properly “Turning your Waist towards the center”. Strengthening the whole body while Circle Walking is key, because it moves blood. If blood is moving, then qi HAS to be moving. It’s not a passive practice. I can soak through two layers of shirts with sweat, when I Circle Walk.

.

[D_Glenn]

Your own body height height diameter uses the Lion opens its Mouth posture, and the tips of your fingers will be touching the center point.
The Dragon posture needs the center of the circle to be around Neiguan/Waiguan point in your lower forearm. The Dragon uses 7 star Stepping, similar to Xingyiquan only without the follow step, where the initial step is shorter, but that allows you take a extra step forward with the front foot to get closer to the opponent. It’s a strategy of the Dragon. Marcus Brinkman really likes to employ this tactic.

The first time I went to Marcus’ bagua class my forearms were dead, they felt broken, I had to sit out through the last part of the class because they couldn’t take anymore beatings. He told me to just do more Circle Walking. After about 3 months I could hang. They got even stronger after I met Dr. Xie and started turning while using the Lion posture.

.

[gerard]

Most of the time below park tree especially those Argentinian natives, which have also a Metal Force quality in them, planted in the local Botanic gardens where I live in Australia. Training next to them will greatly benefit the Wood Force. Tendons (Jin) will quickly become more flexible and springy. Training when Wood is most active is a bonus (from 11pm till 8-9am). It is such a dominating force in the interval energetics; no wonder why Taoists call it the General of the organs, the Liver as its physical manifestation.

Plus better and more refined Qi which helps to quiten the monkey Mind!

How about you "everything"?

[wayne hansen]

I just got back from training in the Botanical Gardens
Hope it’s not the same one I don’t want u using all the chi

[everything]

I usually just walk around or near a "golden pothos". It is really small but has "good qi". I don't understand the elements theory, but my energy feels better at 11p.m.

If I happen to have a futbol at my feet, there is "an imaginary opponent". Otherwise not paying any attention to an opponent idea or any kind of MA idea.

[Doc Stier]

Training when Wood is most active is a bonus (from 11pm till 8-9am). It is such a dominating force in the interval energetics; no wonder why Taoists call it the General of the organs, the Liver as its physical manifestation.

Correction. The Wood Element Phases according to the 12 Terrestrial Branches Timetable are Gall Bladder (Wood Yang)(+) 11pm-1am and Liver (Wood Yin)(-) 1-3am respectively.

[gerard]

Yea that's in theory but when you live in the SE corner of the planet next to the Pacific Ocean the influence of Wood is tenfold. You have no idea how dominating is Wood in the eastern coast of Australia. Very Yang too like the country itself.

Wayne H., so you are in Oz too, are you? Where I train is off-the-grid. You'll never see anyone doing any KF forms in this park. Been going there for over a decade now. There are Chen TJQ people training in New Farm park next to the river and a small Gao Ba Gua group in a small park in Brisbane's south side. My teacher still teaches Xingyi and BGZ in a small park in Brisbane's north side. That's Brisbane's internal scene.

[everything]

sounds like a wonderful scene