形意拳

Xingyi quan is the art of form and intention. It is a study of how movement arises and the interplay between form and function, intention and principle, flow and counterflow. The core of the the xingyi quan method is a variety of walking meditations which work within a frame work of the five phases and the six divisions. This makes xingyi an ideal medium for the study of our place in life, balanced on our vertical axis between heaven and earth with our five shen gathering organs and our six qi transducing channels.

In addition to the walking meditations we make use of xingyi’s multitude of developmental exercises to put Neijing principles into the context of general physical culture. In this program you will see that these principles are not only compatible with general physical fitness and athleticism but in many ways have predated modern thinking in these areas.

We use exercises and concepts taken from the xingyi corpus to:

  • Study walking as a fundamental mechanism of yinyang in humans;
  • Study locomotion and its effects on consciousness;
  • Develop experiential understands of wuxing correspondences and ganying 感應 resonances;
  • Develop further understanding of the channel and organ systems;
  • Apply Neijing theory to calisthenic strength and coordination training;
  • Develop an appreciation for the sophistication of traditional physical culture.

Although the xingyi quan we incorporate into our Neijing studies is not overtly martial in nature, xingyi quan is a very well designed and effective martial art, students that wish to explore this aspect can be directed to our affiliated boxing programs.

Roots of Neijing physical culture

Applying the insights to be gleaned from a careful study of the Neijing to the practice of physical culture and exercise science is an area of study as old as the Neijing itself yet in the western world presents us with a completely new field of endeavour with very exciting possibilities.

No matter whether you look at it straight-forward or roundabout, complicated or confused, it all comes down to using the intention to create form, and using form to create qi. This is the essence of what I have learned. I tell people that what I say to them is not deception. In fact, there is nothing outside the cultivation of qi. If you can nurture qi, your mind will be calm, you will be what people call ”a gentleman of heavenly calm and composure,” and your body will have no place for sickness.

~ Jin Yunting, Xingyi Boxing Manual 1931