Yi Quan Training Journal - November 2006

This entry is my attempt to take all the knowledge and experienc I've acquired on the subject of Yi Quan and provide my own unique point of view. I have to admit, my dedication is not consistent. I commit to aprox. 1hr standing per week. That's broken up into small intervals here and there. I found myself avoiding practice because the conditions weren't perfect, i.e. silent surroundings, no bing bong music, not enough time, etc.. I started researching Yi Quan more and more to get all the details about what you should be thinking about while standing still and what you should feel at certain points. After driving myself nuts with too much to think about and over analyzing, I thought I just start doing it. After a little over a year, I began to feel sensations in my fingers, hands and arm pits. I also noticed the difference between when I was rooted and when I was off balance. During the weeks with several days between practice, I could feel myself become more clumsy with my balance when I attempted Xing Yi. I wasn't falling over, but I could definitely sense the difference. This sensation led me to increase my practice times to as much as an hour per session, but after these I wouldn't practice again for almost a week. During the 1 hour sessions, I experimented with music. I tried to get into the bing bong traditional monk music, but I couldn't get lost in the stance work. On one occasion I swapped out the bing bong stuff for some music I can get lost in. I know this music very well and can subconsciously tell how much time has passed because I'm familiar with the song. That session was my best up until that point. I was able to switch between postures at even intervals without looking at a clock, which often reminds me how much standing can hurt. I'm able to stay focused on stillness and calm my mind. I don't know if this work for everybody, but it helped me. I've also notice a more unified feeling with my top and bottom half of my body. My body seems to understand what I'm trying to do and is helping me get there. In the beginning all my body did was hurt, but now thru the pain there is a definite sensation of connectivity. I'm determined to stick with the basics of mastering physical stillness. Once I've grasped that concept and I can apply it, I will move onto mental and emotional stillness training. I've learned not reach beyond my skills. Enhance my skill and the next level will come into reach automatically. Don't forget to check out http://www.OCFightCenter.com and http://www.chinesefightingarts.org for videos of Yi Quan in action.