Internal martial arts are the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese nation. The famous internal martial arts are Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Baguazhang. Tai Chi is the most popular. In the end, it was discovered that if you want to quickly practice internal martial arts, even Tai Chi and Baguazhang, you must start with the practice of Xingyi. Starting here is the fastest and easiest. The reason why the three internal martial arts are listed in the internal martial arts is that they have the same parts. The power of their boxing comes from the unique whole strength of the internal martial arts. Tai Chi’s sticking and following, Xingyi’s rising, drilling, falling, and Baguazhang’s walking, turning, and fighting are all derived from the whole strength. Therefore, if you want to practice Tai Chi well, you can practice the whole strength from Xingyi three-body postures and then practice boxing. The effect is very fast. Eighty or even more than a hundred postures can only be practiced proficiently in a year, which is not good for strength. But Xingyi can be proficient in whole strength in a year. Martial arts train strength. Whether it is health preservation or fighting, without strength, there is no way to open the meridians and defeat the enemy.
1, Essentials of basic body movements of internal martial arts
Xingyiquan is an internal martial art. It first emphasizes the practice of internal strength and intention. Therefore, it has the characteristics of clear theory, easy understanding and easy achievement.
The internal strength practice of Xingyiquan is similar to general static exercises, and the basic requirements are the same. It also starts from standing. The stance of Xingyiquan is a three-body stance, in which the external three-in-one and internal three-in-one are required. The twelve forms should be reflected in the external posture, with the momentum of bear top, dragon neck, monkey eyes, black mouth, swallow wings, eagle claws, snake waist, tiger hips, chicken legs, horse feet, turtle tail, and toad belly.
Bear top refers to the back of the head (that is, the hair ring about an inch behind the Baihui point) pushing up, like a standing bear, with a stable center of gravity. Dragon neck is the neck stretched straight upward, with the momentum of a green dragon emerging from the water and ascending to the sky. Monkey eyes refer to the mental state of the eyes when standing, like a monkey, and should be smart outside and smart inside. Internally, we need to look inward at Dantian, follow or lead the mind and essence, follow or lead the essence and essence, and use the mind to open and close the acupoints or operate the meridians. Externally, we need to look at the other person’s three tips. The two poles of the gravity line (three tips refer to the two shoulders and the top of the head). Black mouth means the mouth is like a crow’s mouth, the tongue should be pressed against the upper jaw, and the qi should sink into Dantian. Swallow wings means the shoulders are like swallows, with the shoulders and elbows dropped. Eagle claws means the hand shape is like an eagle’s claw, the tiger’s mouth should be rounded, with a grasping posture, the little finger and ring finger should be naturally bent, which can play a carrying role, and the middle finger should be straightened to have the function of acupoint pressing. Snake waist means the lumbar spine should be vertical to the center, the waist joints should be naturally loose, and the movement should be flexible, fast and powerful, like the lumbar spine of a snake when flying. Tiger hips means sitting on the hips like a tiger sitting down when jumping into a mountain stream. Chicken legs means the front foot is straight, and the back foot is at a 45-degree angle with the front foot. The inner heel of the back foot is on the extension line of the inner line of the front foot, like a chicken walking in a straight line, to ensure that its own gravity line falls on the edge of the support point of the two feet. Horse feet refer to the two feet being like riding a horse: when getting on a horse, open the two hips, and when running on the horse’s back, the two feet should clamp the horse’s belly tightly to prevent being thrown off, also like a pair of open large pliers, the consciousness of the two feet goes straight into the ground, hugging the center of the earth, the intention of the two hips should pass through the two knees, and the Yongquan acupoints of the two feet point directly to the center of the earth. Turtle tail refers to the shape of our spine and coccyx should be like the coccyx of a turtle, the coccyx should be pulled inward, and the anus should be pulled inward. Only in this way can the body be kept straight and the Ren and Du meridians can be unblocked. Toad belly refers to the lower belly being like a frog, the toad’s belly is bulging, and the qi sinks into the Dantian.
2, Qigong, Neijiaquan, Taoism
When Qigong was popular, its training requirements were basically copied from the requirements of Xingyiquan, including the three-body stance. However, Qigong mainly emphasizes the practice of thoughts, so that the spirit, energy and spirit can reach the goal of fullness and vigor, and achieve the goal of a healthy body. To achieve this goal, we must first understand and master the laws of the rise and fall of our own spirit, energy and spirit, and consciously control and adjust them so that they can increase production and save, and make them conducive to storage and transformation. We try not to get sick, make our spirit and energy vigorous, and make us live longer.
Martial arts can enter Taoism, and entering Taoism to refine the elixir can be divided into five stages: First: entering into a fixed fetal breath. Second: opening the three gates. Third: taking medicine and forming the elixir. Fourth: forming the fetus. Fifth: birth. These five stages are like elementary school, middle school, and university. Each previous stage is the basis of the next stage.
3, Kung Fu Trilogy: Practice, nourishment, and transformation
“Practice” is the opening and closing between two or more acupoints, or the operation of meridians. For example: the opening and closing between the lower dantian and the middle dantian is like inhaling from the lower dantian to the middle dantian, and exhaling from the middle dantian to the lower dantian, and so on. Another example: the opening and closing between the middle dantian Tanzhong point (front heart), the upper Jiaji (back heart), and the lower dantian, inhaling from the middle dantian to the upper Jiaji. Then exhaling from the upper Jiaji to the lower dantian. Another example is the opening and closing of the Ren and Du meridians. Inhaling goes up along the Du meridian, and exhaling goes down along the Ren meridian.
“Nourishment” refers to the opening and closing and breathing of an acupoint itself. For example: focusing on the dantian, this method is nourishment. It is to treat the lower dantian as a breathing body, an opening and closing body, and a luminous body. Once closed (inhaled), the air in the universe is directly absorbed into the lower dantian through all parts of the body, including the pores of the skin. Then once opened (exhaled), the air in the dantian is exhaled through all parts of the body to the distant space of the universe.
“Transformation” refers to refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, and refining spirit into emptiness. Qigong has different specific practice methods at different stages. Because most people can only reach the third stage, here we will only introduce the specific methods of these three stages. When you start practicing until the first stage of entering into the fetal breath, the “transformation” can be to sink your mind into the Dantian after completing the Yanggong, rest for a while, and then do a full body relaxation activity, or massage various parts of the body, or take a slow walk. Especially after practicing each internal boxing, you should do more walks. After the first stage of entering into the fetal breath, until the third stage of taking medicine to practice the elixir, the “transformation” before the completion of the elixir is to practice the transformation of essence into qi. The specific method is to sink the qi into the Dantian and rest for a while, then take the navel as the starting point, and inhale from the bottom to the top, from the left to the right. Then, inhale and exhale in a circle from the top to the bottom, from the right to the left. This is a circle of one inhalation and one exhalation, and repeat 36 circles. These circles are from small to large (like the spring of a clock). Then rotate 24 circles in the opposite direction from large to small and return to the navel. Finally, inhale from the navel (about 1 inch). Then exhale to the lower Dantian. Rest for a while. The method for women is the same as above, but in the opposite direction. In the third stage, take medicine to make elixir. After the elixir is formed and before the fetus is formed, the “transformation” is to practice qi and transform spirit. The specific method is to inhale from the lower Tianmen (perineum point) to the upper Tianmen (Baihui point), and then exhale from the upper Tianmen back to the lower Tianmen in the opposite direction along the Du channel route. Do this for twenty rounds of breathing. In the fourth stage, after the fetus is formed, the “transformation” is to practice spirit and return to emptiness.
4, Internal training method of entering the Tao with martial arts
The standard for completing the fetal breathing in the first stage is that the breathing and opening during our practice can restore the state of breathing and opening in the mother’s body. The breathing opening and closing of the fetus in the mother’s body is not carried out by the lungs and nose, but by connecting the whole body through the blood, and the overall opening and closing is carried out. There is no opening without opening, and no closing without closing. To achieve such a state, you must be in a relaxed and quiet state. However, people often add various factors, from physical to mental, and often fail to reach the level of relaxation and tranquility at the beginning, which often hinders the circulation of blood in the meridians. If the meridians are blocked, there will be feelings of heat, numbness, pain, etc. In addition to the above reactions, there may also be bowel sounds, visceral twisting, and other internal movements. Following the above external and internal movements, hallucinations may also occur, and the body may feel light or heavy. All of these are common phenomena for beginners, and they are not surprising, and there is no need to be afraid. But we should also clearly realize that these things are not our goals, so we should not be afraid, but also not let them develop, so as to avoid deviations. When these phenomena and movements appear, we only need to be relaxed and calm, concentrate our thoughts, and use the “transformation” method of practicing essence into qi to eliminate them and restore them to normal. In order to reduce deviations, when we focus on the acupoints, in the initial stage, it is best to make sure that the positions of these acupoints are not higher than the shoulders and lower than the knees. At the same time, you can also practice “Yuye Dan” first because after having “Yuye Dan”, the acupoints and joints of the human body are like having lubricants, and they are easy to flow smoothly. The specific method of practicing “Yuyedan” is: focus on Xuanying acupoint (i.e., throat). After a period of time, more saliva will be produced. At this time, you can swallow the saliva to the lower Dantian with your mind, and then return to focus on Xuanying acupoint and repeat the above method.
The first stage of practice is often the opening and closing between the lower Dantian and Mingmen acupoints, or the opening and closing between Tanzhong acupoint and Shangjiaji acupoint. That is, inhale from the lower Dantian to Mingmen (or inhale from Tanzhong to Shangjiaji) and then exhale from Mingmen to the lower Dantian (exhale from Shangjiaji to Tanzhong). Because the lower Dantian is the innate foundation, and Tanzhong is the acquired foundation.
The first stage of nourishment is also usually the opening and closing of the breathing of the lower Dantian itself, or the opening and closing of the breathing of the Tanzhong acupoint itself. “Practice” and “nourishment” are carried out alternately, and the length of time should be natural, but the general principle is that you cannot be tired when practicing, and you cannot lose your mind when nourishing, that is, to meet the requirements of relaxation and tranquility.
The standard for opening the three gates in the second stage is that the first three gates and the last three gates are all opened and unobstructed. The first three gates refer to the three acupuncture points in the front of the body: lower Dantian, Tanzhong, and Yintang. The last three gates refer to the three acupuncture points in the back of the body: Mingmen, Shangjiaji, and Baihui. The acupuncture points of the first three gates and the last three gates are corresponding and connected. When one acupuncture point is opened, the corresponding one will naturally be opened. When each of these three gates is opened, there is a more obvious and strong feeling. For example, when Tanzhong and Shangji are opened, it is like a fireball bursting out like fireworks, exploding, and sparks spread all over the body. The body feels very soft, warm, and comfortable, which is hard to describe. For example, when Yintang and Baihui acupuncture points are opened, Baihui acupuncture point is like a window, and also like a breathing body. The hair nearby feels fluttering, and Yintang is also like a nose. After these two acupuncture points are opened, changes in one’s own physical condition and changes in the weather in nature can be perceived and reacted, with obvious beating and strange feelings. It really feels like “a scholar knows everything in the world without leaving home”. Only when the three gates are opened, can the Ren and Du meridians be connected, and the small Zhoutian be opened. When the second stage is completed, we can adjust ourselves, control ourselves, and feel ourselves. We can prevent the occurrence of diseases and eliminate diseases.
After the second stage is completed and the three gates are opened, we can take medicine and practice elixir, and enter the third stage of practice. For example: when we are “on fire” and “hot”, when the yang fire is too strong, we can use our mind to lower the qi from the “Baihui point” on the top of the head to the “Yongquan point” on the sole of the foot for 36 times. We can also use our mind to inhale from the Tanzhong point to the upper Jiaji, and then exhale from the upper Jiaji to the lower Dantian. Repeat this 36 times, this method is called “entering the dragon beach”. The “practice” in the second stage is mostly the opening and closing between the lower Dantian and the Mingmen, the opening and closing between the Tanzhong and the upper Jiaji, and the opening and closing between the Yintang and Baihui. “Nourishing” is mostly about the lower Dantian, Tanzhong (middle Dantian), Yintang (upper Dantian), Mingmen (back Dantian), upper Jiaji, Baihui (Tianmen), and their own opening and closing. “Transforming” is the transformation of refining essence into qi.
The third stage is to take medicine and refine the elixir. The standard of forming the elixir is to refine the golden elixir. This is the Taoist name. In Buddhism, there are “sariras” (note: it is not the same as the so-called Buddha bone relics that people in the world call after death, which are burned but not melted. It is something that can be felt when the internal strength reaches a certain stage. It seems to be tangible, but it is actually invisible and actually exists.) It is as big as a bean, moving in the human body, not fixed in one position. When we practice to this stage, our essence is usually very full, and we often feel sexual arousal, overflowing semen, and menstruation. At this time, if we do not “take medicine and refine the elixir” in time, the essence will overflow, the semen will flow by itself, the menstruation will be discharged, and the essence will be lost. A lot of effort will be wasted. Therefore, this stage is very important for people’s physical health and prolonging life.
The third stage of “practice” is mostly the opening and closing between the lower Dantian and Mingmen, the opening and closing between the Tanzhong and the upper Jiaji, and the opening and closing between the Ren and Du meridians. “Nourishment” is mostly the opening and closing of the lower Dantian and the Tanzhong acupoints themselves, and “transformation” is still the transformation of practicing essence into qi.
5, Collecting herbs to make elixirs
How to collect herbs to make elixirs? The general principle is to collect the medicine that is neither old nor tender when “medicine” is produced, and collect it back to the Dantian along a certain route for mixed cultivation and transformation. “Medicine” refers to essence, qi, and blood, which are things inside oneself. Not old or tender refers to the most appropriate time. In these issues, men and women are different. For men, the time when “medicine” is produced is often when sexual arousal, when sexual climax, when practicing the “adding oil method”, and when sexual arousal is about to overflow. For women, the time when “medicine” is produced is not only when sexual arousal and sexual climax, but also when menstruation comes. The medicine that is neither old nor tender refers to the medicine that is tender when the first sexual arousal occurs, neither old nor tender when the second occurs, and old when the third occurs, when the semen is released. The medicine that is tender when a woman just feels it before her menstruation comes, and old when she starts to see red or has her menstruation. The medicine that is neither old nor tender just after the feeling comes, or on the same day, is neither old nor tender. The route for collecting medicine is: use your mind to inhale from the perineum point along the Governor Vessel to the Baihui point, and then exhale along the Ren Vessel to the Huangting point (about 2 inches below the heart). Then use your mind to inhale from the lower Dantian to the Huangting point, catch the medicine, exhale from the Huangting point to the navel, then inhale about 1 inch from the navel, and then exhale to the lower Dantian. After a short rest, use your mind to bring the “medicine” to the navel to practice the transformation of essence into qi (that is, the method of 36 circles and 24 circles), and send it back to the lower Dantian.
6, Adding Oil Method
The “adding oil method” is to put the middle fingers of both hands together and massage upward to the middle part of the sternum at the lower abdomen, and then use the two thumbs together to massage downward to the middle upper part of the lower abdomen. One round trip is one time, a total of 36 times. Then, put the base palm on the liver, the right hand on the back of the left hand, and massage from left to right, from bottom to top, around the navel for 36 circles. After the massage, change the right hand to the navel, press the left hand on the back of the right hand, and massage the navel in the opposite direction for 36 circles. After the completion, hold the left testicle with the right hand, and hold the left testicle with the right hand for 81 circles. Change the left hand to hold the right testicle, and massage the right testicle with the right palm for 81 circles. After the completion, use the method of collecting herbs and refining elixirs to send the essence back to the lower dantian. “The method of adding oil” can make people vigorous and prolong their life by 20 to 30 years. This method is often practiced in bed before going to bed or getting up in the morning, and will not affect our work and study.
In the initial stage of the method of collecting herbs and refining elixirs, it is often because our skills are not deep enough, often because we have not reached the state of having sex but no emotions, and we have not fully reached the level of self-control, so we cannot rely solely on the method of thought to complete it. At this time, we often use the middle finger to press the perineum point tightly, and use the index finger to strengthen the middle finger to complete it together.
7, Arrangement of time for practice and precautions
For nature, the best time to practice internal skills, qigong, and standing should follow the method of Ziwu Liuzhu, specifically, Zishi and Wushi. But according to the changes in seasons, there are: from the winter solstice to the summer solstice, this period should be Zishi The period from the summer solstice to the winter solstice should be from midnight to noon (11pm to 12pm is the midnight period, 11pm to 12pm is the pre-midnight period, 12pm to 1am is the midnight period, 11am to 1am is the noon period, 11am to 12pm is the pre-noon period, and 12pm to 1pm is the afternoon period).
According to the law of yin and yang changes in people, the best time to practice qigong should be when the person’s sexual desire is rising and the yang is rising, generally speaking, from 4am to 6am. As for other people’s own midnight and noon periods, the best time to practice qigong may be different for each person, different for sex, different for age, different for weather and season, etc. I hope everyone can understand it according to the principles.
After having a certain foundation of internal strength, the posture and appearance of standing in a pile, the strength of boxing training, etc. The requirements for various movements can be much more casual and free. For example, the three-body posture can be one-step three-body posture, half-step three-body posture, parallel-step three-body posture, single-leg three-body posture, etc. In addition to the three-body posture, the standing posture can also be Wuji posture, or other forms of standing posture. In addition to standing posture, you can also sit in a posture, lie in a posture, walk, run, ride a bike, write, or do other work activities, including singing and dancing, etc. It can really be done at all times and everywhere. All postures and movements have the connotation of “training” and “nurturing”. They all require that the human Dantian and the center of the earth and the zenith be connected to form a vertical line, and require the small Zhoutian to be connected. They are all the opening and closing of the Dantian’s own different directions (including straight lines and curves), and the opening and closing between the Dantian and other acupoints. For example: walking and strolling can be based on nurturing The main thing is to focus on the opening and closing of Dantian itself. When riding a bicycle or taking a walk, you can focus on “practice” and measure the opening and closing between the two Huantiao points. When practicing boxing, you can do the forward generation as “nourishment”, that is, the opening and closing of Dantian itself in different directions (do it according to the direction of the action), or you can do the reverse restraint as “practice”, that is, based on Dantian, pull (or press) to another acupoint, and then immediately close (restrain) back to Dantian from the other acupoint. At this time, Dantian is like a steel ball that is filled with air in an instant.
It should also be pointed out here that the opening and closing, movement in the process of “practice” and “nourishment” or “transformation” is not completely the same as our usual breathing. Sometimes it can be the same beat, sometimes it can be faster than it, and sometimes it can be slower than it, but the general principle is to be in rhythm.