An Introduction to YiQuan: A Pragmatic View to Practicing Internal Martial Arts Exercises
After the publishing of my article on YiQuan in 2004, people asked me the following questions:
- What do I do after learning YiQuan exercises?
- How do I keep up with my training?
Both of us are in the business where we spend much of our time on our feet. In most cases, we do not spend enough time practicing our YiQuan exercises.
After some research, we were able to continue our training of YiQuan through the use of standing tables.
Whenever we are working, we are standing while practicing the YiQuan principles of Song Huo Yuan Zhang.
- Song means relaxation
- Huo means flexibility in movement
- Yuan means circle
- Zhang means whole body
This set of words encompasses the principles that define all of the exercises in YiQuan. Any move that is executed must have these four principles to be correct.
We start by using variations of the following eight different YiQuan health-enhancing postures performed by YiQuan master Han Xing Yuen. (See the postures.)
Beside the practice of the YiQuan postures, we also recommend the standing practice of postures from Taiji, Bagua Zhang, and Xing YiQuan.
When standing, we felt that we were able to quickly devise plans, becoming more innovative and taking more initiative than our professional counterparts.
Standing up while working has improved our health and productivity. From our personal experience, it's true. Before our practice of standing, each one of us used to suffer lower back pain. Since our practice, there has been immediate relief to our lower backs.
Some of our ailing associates learned some of the YiQuan postures and tried using the standing tables exercise and now no longer suffer from backaches, leg cramps, and poor digestion. They also reported a dramatic increase in their productivity. There is also less fatigue at the end of the day as a result of improved circulation and exercise.
While Mr. Matz uses any table for his work, M.E. Hom is currently uses an old customized drafting table as his "centerpoint" for standing, strategizing, and producing.
Trivia
The great Renaissance man Zheng Manqing (aka Cheng Man Ching) (one of the greatest Yang Taiji players was the master of the "Five Excellences" of painting, poetry, calligraphy, medicine, and martial arts) performed most of his drawings while standing.
Summary
As players of YiQuan and other internal martial arts, we have always believed in the importance of standing. To most beginners, it is quite boring. Some of our practice time is spent just standing in front of a table working.
If you want to be productive in your work, we recommend the combination of YiQuan standing exercises and stand-up desks. It will increase and improve your health and productivity. Our personal experience supports that point.
From our constant practice of "never stop relaxing," our physical balance, concentration, and health improved. Many internal martial instructors that we have met constantly advise the following: "Wherever you are at, whatever you do, always relax."
The other advice is, “When your attention goes, the energy flows.”
Rick Matz practices YiQuan and Wu Taiji. You can check out his blog.
M.E.Hom plays his Bagua Zhang, YiQuan and Yang Taiji Quan exercises. You can check out his blog.
References
Both sites are popular source for YiQuan articles, history, and links.
Also:
Other Recommended Internal Martial Arts Websites
- English translation of XingYi and other internal martial arts system classics can be found at www.smilingtiger.net
- Videos of YiQuan exercises, Taiji Quan, BaguaZhang, Xing YiQuan, and other Chinese martial art systems can be found at ChinafromInside.com
Previous M.E.H. Writings on Strategy
- Playing with the Dao: A "Pragmatic" Strategic View
- The Mind of the Strategist: Knowing the Questions
- The Tao of Becoming a Strategist
- Learning from the Chinese Strategic Classics
- A New Year's List of Books on Strategy and Leadership
- Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare (Military Methods)
- Zhuge Liang (Kong Ming): The Original "Hidden Dragon" – Part 1 and Part 2
- Jiang Tai Gong: The Supreme Strategist – Part 1 and Part 2
