The Standing Palms of Baguazhang
Here is the Standing Palms of Eight Trigram Palm. These are fixed upper body postures held while walking the circle. They are the core of Baguazhang practice.
You can follow the Lesson Plan or choose a few palms to practice each day. Presenting these lessons through the web allows you to develop your own rhythm without artificial limits or structure.
Lesson Plan
Walking The Circle
By taking your standing practice from Wuji Posture through Trinity Posture, with the supplemental exercises, you are well on your way to understanding the whole body connection that makes practicing mindfulness martial arts worthwhile. For Baguazhang practice, the next critical component is walking.
Traditional Walking Methods
Once you are comfortable walking around the circle with the Natural Step described in the previous section, you can practice two alternate stepping patterns that come from traditional Baguazhang practice. The first of these is the Sliding Step, and it is probably the most common type of stepp…
Introduction to the Standing Palms
Now that you have learned to walk, you will hold increasingly demanding postures with your upper body while walking around the circle. In traditional Baguazhang practice we call these the Basic Palms, or the Standing Palms. The name Standing Palms implies that the palms are standing, or fixed in…
Lowering Palm
Start in Wuji Posture facing in the counterclockwise direction on your circle. Raise your hands to the height of your belly button with the palms facing down. Remember the lessons from Holding the Moon Posture in your standing exercise. The shoulders and elbows need to have that sinking feeling, …
Pushing Palm
This posture is the Holding the Moon Posture, but your palms face outward. By twisting the arms, you are engaging the muscles along their entire length and encouraging interactions with supporting muscles in the torso. You can imagine that a large ball is pushing against you, and you are resi…
Holding The Fruit Palm
Begin on the edge of the circle in Pushing Palm posture, then turn the palms upward by sinking the elbows down. It is important to make this movement from the elbows. If you make it from the shoulders, you will roll your shoulders forward.
Supporting Palm
The Supporting Palm is a classic posture in Baguazhang practice. In some schools, the only fixed posture practice is Supporting Palm.
Rolling The Ball Palm
Rolling the Ball Palm is an excellent exercise for your torso. It is also the first posture that requires you to change hand positions as you perform the Simple Change.
Holding The Spear Palm
Stand on the edge of the circle facing in the counterclockwise direction. Assume the Rolling the Ball Palm posture and then turn the right palm over so it is facing away from you. As you turn it over, bend the elbow so the right palm is level with the forehead.
Sky and Ground Palm
This change differs from the previous palms in that the arms do not complete their change until you take the Sweeping Step.
Pushing Millstone Palm
The last Standing Palm posture is the main posture for Baguazhang practice, and you can add it as a fifth posture for your standing practice.
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