Sky Palms

Try this…

• See the Sky: notice its colors; see the sun or stars or moon.
• Hold your palms up. Notice the weight (even in your room) of Sky.
• Soften your focus and imagine: holding it. It—pressing down. Feel it.
• Resist the weight of the Sky. Hold it up…really.
• Lighten up. Relax, and let its weight sink through you.
• Enjoy your Sky.

Why Sky, Not Heaven?

Baguazhang Systems typically revolve around Eight Palms: Heaven, Earth, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, and Cloud (some prefer Lake or River instead of Cloud). Following my eyes, I see Sky not Heaven.

Why? I can watch Sky from here. Right now.

Heaven requires believing. Heaven conjures mental images. Heaven provokes, for some, imaginary ideals. In my practice and teachings of Baguazhang, I avoid integrating belief systems. I prefer tapping the shoulder of perception. See what I mean?

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Many Baguazhang Styles Avoid Mud-stepping—It’s Difficult

Mud-stepping is a peculiar method of gaining….[doh! the why and what-for of mud-stepping is for a different article].

How-To-Mud-Step seems simple—

• Slide your weightless front-foot forward,
• Quickly step onto it,
• Swishing the old back-foot past the new back foot,
• Never pick up your back-heel before your back-toes.

It’s not a sequential order because it all happens so fast!

It’s tough at first. There’s a nnnrrghhing sense of lifting the foot without lifting the heel first. How do I do it? You’ll wonder. Doesn’t it seem natural to push from the toes?! Then you’ll fake it, pretending to not-lift the heel before the toes, gently pressing from the toes.

Many (I bet most) Baguazhang styles and even more Baguazhang instructors never bother with mud-stepping. That’s fine; many versions of Dong Hai-Chuan’s Baguazhang exist, thrive, and produce martial artists. Tension, difficulty, and lack of understanding drive folks to avoid mud-stepping.

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