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Aaron Stiles, L.Ac., Senior Instructor, Bagua Zhang
Aaron has been practicing Chinese internal arts (neijia) since 1998 beginning his journey with Taichi Chuan. In 2004 Aaron began training with Tom Bisio in Bagua Zhang. After travelling to China with New York Internal Arts and years of assisting Tom with weekly classes, Aaron was invited to be a Senior Instructor with New York Internal Arts/Internal Arts International.
About
Baguazhang, "eight diagram palm," is a martial art and body cultivation practice that emphasizes spiraling, twisting, and coiling while "walking the circle." Its unique wrapped stance and fluid movement massage the organs, strengthen the tendons, and resemble a dragon swimming through the clouds. While the outer movements constantly move and flow from one pattern to the next, the practitioner maintains stillness and potential energy on the inside. Baguazhang is unique in its spiraling cultivation practice which, nourishes a connected, yet flowing strength, not only in the body, but also the mind-intention and spirit. Baguazhang is unique in its spiraling cultivation practice which, nourishes a connected, yet flowing strength, not only in the body, but also the mind-intention and spirit.
Basic
While the basic practice of circle walking (ding shi) contains all the fundamentals of Baguazhang, a beginner will also learn fundamental warm-ups (jI ben gong), standing meditation (zhang zhuan) and the twelve standing posture practice. While many forms and postures are taught, they all find root in the basics of walking slowly and freely on and within the circle.
The founder of Ba Gua Zhang, Dong Hai Chuan (?-1882) said, “Training martial arts ceaselessly is inferior to walking the circle. In Ba Gua Zhang, Circle Walking is the font of all training.”
Intermediate
Intermediate practices like changing palms (lao ba zhang) build on the basics of circle walking to challenge the student's physical and mental abilities while introducing more advanced martial arts techniques. These practices require stronger balance, twisting, lengthening, and dynamics, but they all point back to the source of circle walking. Also introduced are linear single movement forms which start the process of training the push-step, sticking and distance training.
Advanced
Advanced forms expand fighting options and develop special techniques of the upper and lower body. Training relaxation within speed and precision within listening naturally opens the adept to developing their own way of expressing the eight diagram art principles.