Hi Everyone,

This Summer I will release a live DVD Training Program for Hsing-i, Santi and the standing postures of I Chuan. In my opinion these practices are ‘the fastest way to build your Chi and martial power’.

Join the launch list to see free videos and to download a PDF on Hsing-i from my book Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi:

Click here to join the Hsing-i Launch List

Hsing-i is the least known of the three main internal martial arts (the other two being tai chi and bagua). It is the most yang of the internal martial arts and with consistent practice can rapidly make the body healthy and strong.  Each of the five core movements correspond to one of the elements within Chinese Medicine’s Five Element Theory.

I Chuan was derived from hsing-i and involves standing in specific postures to open up the chi in your body. I am happy to be releasing this material and hope that more discover the amazing benefits of Hsing-i and I Chuan.

Thanks,

Bruce

P.S. This DVD set will have lots of useful information for anyone practicing qigong and tai chi for health even if you are not a martial artist…Join the Hsing-i Launch List

Photo by morning_rumtea

Spring is the time of the year when all is awakening, new and fresh. Having just come out of the winter, you plant the seeds that will sustain you for the whole year. So springtime gives you the energy to do.

The spring brings out the energy of the liver, which can bring up one of three possibilities:

• The neutral aspect of really getting out there and doing things, getting things done–whatever they may be.
• The negative aspects of anger and frustration–sometimes to a great degree–because you’re not getting things done.
• The positive aspect of taking the energy to do and turning it into compassionate love.

Don’t Fall into the Anger Trap

Keep in mind that all angers boils down to either not getting what you want or getting what you really don’t want.

If something  is blocking you, then by definition it’s causing a result that you don’t want. So it’s easy to get angry. But there are three practices that might help you overcome it.

First, if you know the Dissolving process of the Taoist Water method, then it’s a good time to simply dissolve all of the negative energies that come up. The spring is the ideal time to address negativity and all that hold you back in life.

Likewise, if you find that you’re having trouble getting yourself going, then simply make an agenda in your meditation practice to release the energy inside you that is stopping you from acting, stopping you from doing things.

Be clear that this is the energy generated by the liver, which can sometimes become stagnant. If left unattended, in time it can turn putrid, compromising your ability to get things done throughout the year. It may not be an isolated event, but rather a general inability to make things happen.

Finally, in any circumstance in which you find yourself, see if you can dissolve the energy that stops you from being compassionate, stops you from being kind, stops you from being generous, stops you from doing well for your fellow human beings.

Can you identify any blockages? What do they feel like? See if you can do something that will release whatever you feel that blockage is.

Meditation Practice: Breathing into Your Liver

In addition to belly breathing, during the Springtime remember to consciously breathe into your sides. This will help you to contact and activate the liver.

Then, take both of your hands and make an energy ball between them. Continuously shrink and grow the ball by having the center of your palms move around to connect with all of the areas that you need to dissolve inside you. Even if you can’t dissolve, then at least moving your hands and the fingers will help you contact and activate these areas while you evolve your meditation practice.

Breathing into your sides and the short practice is very useful during this time of year.

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Taoist Meditation Circle

We currently have a group of over 300 who are going through the Taoist Meditation Circle, an online monthly meditation program. The program was created to help people calm their mind, learn concentration and focus thus enabling greater peace and providing a foundation for deeper spiritual work. You can find out more and sign-up here: Taoist Meditation Circle

Year of the Metal Rabbit – Photo by Zanthia

The Metal Rabbit in 2011

Happy Chinese New Year of the Metal Rabbit. Last year was the year of the Metal Tiger, and it was a very rough time for many. The Metal Tiger year is known to bring problems, wild swings and much excitement. This previous year also brought things to the surface personally and collectively so that you had to deal with them.

World events that have built up and come to fruition during the Metal Tiger year of 2010-2011, for example the current protests in Egypt and surrounding areas, will be influenced by the peace-loving and harmonious influence of the Metal Rabbit in 2011-2012.

The Rabbit together with the Metal element equals harmony. This year harmony will be pursued, and everything will be made very smooth and even. Some might find this year very boring, but sometimes that is the nature of harmony, it lacks excitement.

The wonderful Tai Chi Master William Chen of New York has been known to say that instead of getting excited, what you need to do is allow yourself to relax.

Guided by Creativity

Besides harmony, creativity will be the biggest single influence of this year.

Artists and spiritual people will find themselves greatly inspired, and creativity will simply move forward. This is a good time to trust the creativity coming out of you, whether you are trying to write a song, paint a picture or come up with grand organizational ideas for businesses.

This year the creativity inside you will be a true guide rather than play you false.

The areas of education and the environment will be emphasized and should definitely reach a level of high importance this year.

Interpersonal Peace

In your own personal life, this is a time to end wars between people. This is a good time to let go of any sort of interpersonal warfare or conflict.

It is useful to remember that deep harmony, strong harmony can develop into deep love. In the year of the Metal Tiger, many things occurred which could have ripped relationships apart, either relationships that could’ve happened, ones that were happening, or ones that were in a flux point.

During the year of the Metal Rabbit, if you seek to develop harmony with all those with whom you have had various kinds of relationships, a level of love can emerge. This ultimately leads to the relaxation of your being, which is one of the true gifts of living on this earth.

This is a year for making very good, long-term friendships and relationships, and not a time to be overly antagonistic or pushy.

The Courageous Rabbit

Rabbits generally avoid conflict. However, the Metal Rabbit has a particular quality of strength and courage and is known for being able to hold its ground.

This will be a good time to carry through and finish any projects you have started in the last year.

It’s very important to stay out of the murky waters of indecision during the Metal Rabbit year. It is better to simply decide one way or the other and then abide by it.

Very important for everyone during a Metal Rabbit year, and especially for anyone who is a Metal Rabbit, is to always keep your word. Once committed, you should make a point of honoring your promises. Avoid making a promise unless you have the necessary information and you know that you can pull it off.

The big problem all Rabbits have in this sort of year is a tendency to become semi-depressed. This happens as they take on large projects or simply work toward a greater harmony, but when things don’t go as planned this can result in a fatal loss of confidence.

In 2011 this may be the one time in the cycle of Rabbits where they can take on projects that seem larger than what they could usually handle. If they do fail for any reason, then its important for them to simply deflect or let go of the pain of the so-called failure.

Remember the key to this year is harmony, trusting yourself, keeping your word, moving forward and getting things done.

Have a great year,

Bruce

Photo by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

The phrase “bones of the all” in the Tao Te Ching is sometimes referred to as meaning something old or ancient, but the true meaning is that all and everything is in the earth.

Taoists hold the position that the earth is a living entity with a consciousness of its own. Just as you have a consciousness, so does the earth. And just as what is most active in your body changes from day to day, the earth also changes.

You have the choice to link with any living being. But what is meant by “linking”? When you go internally, it’s your consciousness that feels inside your body. The way in which anyone can clearly feel inside their brains or bone marrow, for example, is through their consciousness.

Now your consciousness has many interesting qualities. You can feel inside your body by linking with your body, by somehow focusing on, joining with and becoming one with it. Eventually you become aware, in tandem with your body and do whatever it is you’re trying to do. Likewise you can link with an animal, a tree, a human—even the earth.

The earth is a funny creature, but it’s no different than a human being or an animal. If you pay attention to and put your energy into one particular human being, that person will respond.

Likewise, if that human being does not get attention from any other human beings, he/she will not respond and very often becomes ill or goes crazy. The strongest example of this is babies who are never touched and die of crib death. They die from not having any real human contact.

Now if you consider very powerful relationships, there’s always one thing about them—regardless of sex or even the nature of the relationship itself. It’s the ability to just sit together and somehow fulfill each other.

For many marriages the biggest single factor that holds it together is that when the partners lie together they are fulfilled. What happens is that each person settles into the energy of the other—each person’s energy flows into the other’s energy. Women are usually aware of this more than men. Making love is not just in the action, it is in the energy flow. And, at the end of the day, that is what people really remember, or at least that’s what holds people together for long periods of time.

The earth is no different. Equally, the earth responds to the tension of human beings. The earth doesn’t need us, we need it. All the people on the earth could die, but our relationship with the earth intrinsically has to do with the fact that we pay attention to it.

If you use the earth’s energy to rejuvenate you and while you do that, you somehow have the feeling of what is coming into you, then this is a mutually beneficial relationship. I recommend people do this for a simple reason: otherwise the earth might decide to get rid of us just as a dog doesn’t need fleas, but tolerates them.

Some people can make contact with the earth and dissolve the energy inside themselves. To a certain degree you will not be able to know if what you are dissolving is yours or if it’s some pain the earth is having. And, it actually doesn’t matter because as one goes the other will go too.

It will not be one, it will not be the other; it will be both. It is like when two people sit in a room or when your cat or dog sits next to you and it’s just quiet. You’re just being. You can do the same with the earth. You can use its energy. And, if you care about the earth, you can also help the earth by what you’re doing with your awareness and intent.

To start you have to link to the energy in the earth. The mountains are the easiest place to link with the energy of the earth, much more than flatlands. For example, in China many people practice in front of trees so they can link with them. The energies of the different layers of the tree activate the energy layers in their body.

All you have to do is simply stand, sit or lie down in nature, close your eyes for about 20 minutes and let your mind go very, very quiet. Then, when your mind is finally still, do your best to link with the earth. Leave your own body out of it and go into the layers of the earth. A little appreciation for the bones of the all truly can go a long way.

Bruce Frantzis demonstrating Hsing-I with Jess O’Brien

In my 40+ years of working with different forms of energy arts I have found that Hsing-I’s (also called xing yi) first form known as Santi is probably the most powerful method I am aware of that integrate all the elements of your body into one whole. Hsing-I practices like Santi also help your chi develop in the fastest possible process.

Considering the number of different martial and chi development forms on the market this is no small thing. I myself have trained and looked at hundreds of qigong styles. In my opinion, Santi is much stronger and more effective at chi development than any of the standing tai chi postures or any of the standing qigong postures…

What are Hsing-I and Santi?

Hsing-I is one of China’s most powerful martial arts. The oldest of the internal methods, it uses standing qigong ( also chi gung) and short, repetitive line forms to fully unify the body and mind as quickly and efficiently as possible. Without fancy or beautiful movements, Hsing-I is all about getting the job done without any wasted motion.

Hsing-I is based on the Chinese theory of the Five Elements where all the different aspects of movement can be boiled down to five different elements.

Santi is the first of Hsing-I’s training methods. The Santi posture is a standing posture where the practitioner begins the process of stretching the body from the inside out. At the same time the mind is trained to submerge itself in a state of relaxed awareness that allows one to be awake to of all that is outside them, and at the same time gain access to the inner workings of their body and mind.

Activating the Five Elements in Your Body

Santi basically starts to work with everything in your body — your breath, your energy, what you’re doing with your eyes, and what you’re doing in mind, all in one package.

From Santi standing qigong (chi gung), one can then begin to develop the rest of the Hsing-I system, which is composed of five different moving forms. Each of those forms correspond to each of the five elements of the body. Each time you practice, you activate an energetic element within your body. Over time you begin to feel and experience the five elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth.

Each element has a specific energetic that manifests in your body. Each of these elements also corresponds to different fighting applications, a different emotion and a different internal organ. The system is very concise and powerful training.

The purpose here is to use those five movements of Hsing-i to give you a practical form that you can practice afterwards. Like the Tai Chi forms, these are martial movements but they are incredibly useful for anyone who does any sort internal martial art or qigong/tai chi practice.

Summer Workshop – Two Paths

During the course I’ll be teaching this summer, I’ll be dealing with not only how to do the movements of the five elements, but also how to activate the energy of each of those elements inside of you.

I will be splitting everyone into two sections. In one section will be those who have no interest in the martial art side of it. If you have interest in the energetic and the mind work in developing the five elements of energy inside their body this is one of the most direct ways to get your mind and the elements to awaken inside your body. It is a powerful way to strengthen and connect all the parts of your body. For the western mind, it is an incredible training if you want to learn to get things done and to go through any obstacle in your way.

In the other group will be people who have an interest in the energetics as well as wanting to learn how the martial art techniques of Hsing-I are used. I would also say that Santi is a great training method for anyone who wishes to learn Ba Gua at a high level. Santi is one of the most solid foundations you can get, and both myself and many of my teachers used Santi in this way.

In China around 100 years ago, it is interesting to note that many of the premier internal martial arts schools taught Santi to their beginning students in order for them to start getting a genuine sense of internal power. This was the traditional path. They would to do Santi for a long period of time with or without the other forms of Hsing-I.

Hsing-I as a Complementary Practice for Bagua, Tai Chi and Qigong

In China, Hsing-I practices were often a prerequisite to learning Ba gua zhang so that a person could actually have the energetic capacity and physical capability to put their arms in precise positions as they walked the Ba Gua circle and not lose the physical or energetic connections when movements become or complex or are done at a higher speed. This is how many of my teachers were trained.

For those who practice Tai Chi and/or Qigong, Hsing-I and five element practices can be useful to learn. They are also an integral part of the foundation training for meditation to develop concentration and focus. So, that will be the goal this summer, and that will be what the essential content of the weekend will be about.

Discovering and awakening the five elements within oneself is a tremendously powerful and enriching training method, no matter what aspect of the Chinese energy arts you want to work with.

I am looking forward to expanding my teaching of Hsing-I and Santi as well as continuing to teach Ba Gua for those wanting to learn it for martial arts, health and meditation. I welcome interest from dedicated practitioners who are committed to their practice and also those starting out wanting to learn the real deal. This course will help you to build a solid foundation for everything that comes after. I invite you to join me this summer at this powerful workshop:

Hsing-I and Santi Workshop, Menlo College, Atherton (30 min south of San Fran, CA), June 11 to June 13th