It was so nice out I thought I'd mix things up, give the trampoline a break, and go outside for awhile.
Did all 8 of the Jiang Rong Bagua palm changes (both directions),
a little of the Xingyi 5 element fists,
the beginning of the Guang Ping Tai Chi set,
and some standing stance practice that included:
Universal Post, Horse stance,
Half Horse Stance, and Chin to Toe
(though that's just the name not what I can actually do).
A blog about my adventures in mountain biking, fat biking, rebounding (bouncing on a mini trampoline),and various martial arts (tai chi, bagua zhang, and xingyi quan).
Showing posts with label baguazhang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baguazhang. Show all posts
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Progress so far, Looking forward to the future
So, after Christmas I bought a mini trampoline. Not a particularly nice one. It only cost 30 bucks at Walmart, but it may well have changed my life forever. I had started wanting a mini trampoline sometime before Christmas. If you asked me now I couldn't tell you why though. Sometimes good things just happen because they're supposed to.
Anyways, I started bouncing on that thing, and discovered a feeling I only got on my best days of doing Tai Chi or Bagua. A full body tingling as every single cell in my body is squeezed and massaged. In Chinese martial arts they call it chi. After all the research on rebounding I'm inclined to say that feeling is getting the lymphatic system going. I've been bouncing for over a month now, and while I haven't yet lost any weight I have definitely added some muscle to my arms and legs. My tummy has also tightened up considerably and is slowly shrinking.
I'm quite in love with rebounding, and I've been researching the different types and brands of quality rebounders out there. When we get our tax return back I'm going to spring for one of these. The top brands for those who don't know are: Needak, Cellerciser, ReboundAIR, JumpSport, and Bellicon. Now Bellicon is the Cadillac of the bunch with a silky smooth bungee bounce. It costs 800 bucks though, and the bands need to be changed out every two years or so. JumpSport is also a bungee based rebounder, and it seems nice enough. Just not sure that a bungee bouncer is right for me. The other 3 are all spring based bouncers, and of the 3 I think the Cellerciser is the nicest and most likely to last. That's the one I'm leaning towards right now.
When I get my new rebounder I'm planning on using this blog more frequently to track my progress.
Anyways, I started bouncing on that thing, and discovered a feeling I only got on my best days of doing Tai Chi or Bagua. A full body tingling as every single cell in my body is squeezed and massaged. In Chinese martial arts they call it chi. After all the research on rebounding I'm inclined to say that feeling is getting the lymphatic system going. I've been bouncing for over a month now, and while I haven't yet lost any weight I have definitely added some muscle to my arms and legs. My tummy has also tightened up considerably and is slowly shrinking.
I'm quite in love with rebounding, and I've been researching the different types and brands of quality rebounders out there. When we get our tax return back I'm going to spring for one of these. The top brands for those who don't know are: Needak, Cellerciser, ReboundAIR, JumpSport, and Bellicon. Now Bellicon is the Cadillac of the bunch with a silky smooth bungee bounce. It costs 800 bucks though, and the bands need to be changed out every two years or so. JumpSport is also a bungee based rebounder, and it seems nice enough. Just not sure that a bungee bouncer is right for me. The other 3 are all spring based bouncers, and of the 3 I think the Cellerciser is the nicest and most likely to last. That's the one I'm leaning towards right now.
When I get my new rebounder I'm planning on using this blog more frequently to track my progress.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
This morning's practice:
- Ding Shi Ba Gua (walking the 8 mother palms. I used to do this walking one way, making a change walking the same palm the other way, then changing to the next palm on the next change. Now I flow from one palm to the other in the same direction until I end up at Fire/Dragon/Millstone Palm then do a Single Palm Change to get going the other direction and repaeat the proce
- Ding Shi Ba Gua (walking the 8 mother palms. I used to do this walking one way, making a change walking the same palm the other way, then changing to the next palm on the next change. Now I flow from one palm to the other in the same direction until I end up at Fire/Dragon/Millstone Palm then do a Single Palm Change to get going the other direction and repaeat the proce
ss. This way seems to help me focus not only on the palms and the energies of them, but also the circle walking involved.)
- Jiang Palm Changes (I only know the first 6 of 8 so far. This time I ramped up from 1 to 6 alternating sides then went back town to one on the other side. Sometimes I'll repeat the first a couple times on both sides then the same with all the rest. Bagua is all about change so why keep the routine stagnant?)
- Walking Tea Cups (I don't know if anyone else is doing this. Looking on the internet I can't find proof that anyone else is doing the Tea Cup exercises while walking the circle. I think it's a great exercise to try to coordinate the hand movements with the stepping around the circle and tying the waist and hip movements into it to generate power. Adds a whole new dimension and way more fun than doing the Tea Cups while standing still.)
- Focus on the 6th palm change. (This is the last one I have learned, and while it's relatively easy...it's deceptively difficult. So, I did this one back and forth on both sides til I was happy with where my form and technique was.)
- Random Palm Changes (Just doing whatever number palm change comes to mind.)
All in all a great practice. Not as intense as some have been, but that's OK. It had an energy and flow all it's own. That's the fun thing about exercising to music. If you coordinate your movements, flow and pace to the music you'll end up with a different energy to the practice because the music is different.
- Jiang Palm Changes (I only know the first 6 of 8 so far. This time I ramped up from 1 to 6 alternating sides then went back town to one on the other side. Sometimes I'll repeat the first a couple times on both sides then the same with all the rest. Bagua is all about change so why keep the routine stagnant?)
- Walking Tea Cups (I don't know if anyone else is doing this. Looking on the internet I can't find proof that anyone else is doing the Tea Cup exercises while walking the circle. I think it's a great exercise to try to coordinate the hand movements with the stepping around the circle and tying the waist and hip movements into it to generate power. Adds a whole new dimension and way more fun than doing the Tea Cups while standing still.)
- Focus on the 6th palm change. (This is the last one I have learned, and while it's relatively easy...it's deceptively difficult. So, I did this one back and forth on both sides til I was happy with where my form and technique was.)
- Random Palm Changes (Just doing whatever number palm change comes to mind.)
All in all a great practice. Not as intense as some have been, but that's OK. It had an energy and flow all it's own. That's the fun thing about exercising to music. If you coordinate your movements, flow and pace to the music you'll end up with a different energy to the practice because the music is different.
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