Baguazhang of Bagua is, by reputation, the highest expression of martial arts. Bagua sword is the highest expression of Bagua. This art is as deep as the universe and a human being and is rooted in physical integrity and sincerity.

The origin of Bagua is Tibetan Bon Shamanism which includes the practice of walking circular mandalas, chanting mantras and holding mudras or sacred postures and hands. These practices also open gateways to the ancestors and is still seen in the Bon dances of Japan which still contain the 5 element qigong and shamanic practices of the Tibetan Bon.

Bagua was born and developed in the Kunlun mountains of Tibet, which is famous for its magic and swordsmanship and is also the birthplace of Taoism. By legend, all sacred dance and martial arts originated from the root practice of Kunlun Bagua.

Its said that if the mastery of vortexes are not accomplished, false reality comes in the form of prophetic speech, strange visions, convulsions, speaking in tongues, quaking, shaking, spinning, jumping, emotional fits.  Although catharsis of angst is always appreciated, in a higher prospective, the person cannot handle the energy going through because their understanding and tempering is not there. When the mastery of vortexes is accomplished with the oldest traditional practice, it becomes a beautiful dance of vortexes called Baguazhang, coiling and uncoiling with the Tao originating from Wu Chi.

This is the importance of skill and wisdom which, in Tibetan Bon tradition, brings enlightenment or awakening.

The first posture is the oldest form of qigong as well as the oldest form of prayer, a form of levitation. This posture forms the 3 dragons (main frames) of Kunlun which activate the body’s natural pulses and waves which must be mentally refined.

Vajra Ksatriya body and hand mudras follow to temper the connections to heaven and earth and further create the dragon body for kung fu. The triangle practices develop the pulses and waves to emit from the body as a whole generated by the feet. This practice is also called golden bell.

Vajra mukti is the practice of vortexes which physically illustrate the saying ‘all things manifest from the Tao then return to the Tao’.

The practice of circle walking enables one to learn the way of the dragon and the spiritual pivot – The big dipper’s revolution around the pole star. Pole star stepping is unique to bagua and is one of the pillars of the practice.

Real baguazhang must be experienced in order for learning to occur. It is one of the most enticing and fascinating of the martial arts. By legend, it is the last art you will ever learn. Those who practice baguazhang say ‘We practice bagua to show us how bad our kung fu is’….. It is a very humbling practice, yet so beautiful. A magical dance of vortexes played in physical poetry and woven on a circle.

The 64 changes of bagua relate to the 64 codons of DNA.  The 8 trigrams which correspond to the 8 forces of nature relate to the 8 psychic channels of the human body.