The Way through Baguazhang - 八卦掌道

Are you feeling stressed and don't know how to slow down? Allow yourself to unwind with this tea mindfulness exercise... Liked what you heard & want to connect with me? Join me at… linkedin.com/in/peterhainzl/

Once upon a time, when I was a child, I used to look up at the puffy white clouds and wonder about what life would be like from up there. Those clouds, as they brought the rain, looked ever-so-tempting. Many years later, I quietly discovered Baguazhang 八卦掌 and learnt that the way of martial arts can sometimes be very mysterious. Maybe too mysterious. It ought not to be, but compared to the ordi...

The Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin 觀音 transcends both Taoist and Buddhist belief. Hence the distinction between what is internal and what is external holds no meaning with regards to her. Oolong 烏龍茶 in general is the Chinese tea category in between black and green tea. Whether light or dark, this accidental black dragon has become its own thing. One does not need to believe in dragons or Kwan Yin...

Typically at Yum Cha there are three options to the tea: jasmine green tea, chrysanthemum herbal tea and Sow Mee tea 壽眉茶. Sow Mee tea is classed under the Chinese tea system as a white tea, alongside Pai Mu Tan and Silver Needle. Depending on who you talk to, the rules on what makes a white tea can vary. But the general consensus is that it is a tea with the least amount of handling by people....

These days it is easy to get a matcha latte. But few realise that what they are drinking isn’t matcha anything. What they are actually getting is finely ground down green tea powder. Not real matcha 抹茶. Real matcha 抹茶, depending on your perception, ranges from the sublime down to an acquired taste. And in the course of experiencing Chanoyu, one comes to have a deep appreciation for what is rea...

Zhu Cha 珠茶 gets its English name from the way it looks (small gunpowder pellets), and from the way it smells (the after-smell of a used pistol). And as such, Gunpowder tea invokes feelings of a bygone era when pistol duels were permitted as a way of settling scores. Because of this, the Zhejiang produced tea is popular among Western men wanting a greener healthier choice of tea without milk, tha...

Tradition holds that on the day Bajiquan 八極拳 arrived in Hong Kong, a mighty typhoon struck. And the first cup of tea bought, happened to be a cup of Puerh tea 普洱茶. A final act of service before the tea-shop closed in advance of the typhoon. The master was well pleased, before spending the storm-drenched night at the Jamia Mosque in Hong Kong. Modern folklore, by way of the movies, holds that...

Controversy can be a challenging word around the Yum Cha table. Even when all the dishes being pushed around by the Yum Cha girls are all so temptingly delicious. It can be a little humbling to discover that what gets served with the rice is usually Jasmine Green tea: the typical ordinary default choice for most people. During the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a General named Yue Fei 岳飛 who c...

Once upon a time in a land far far away, it was and still is a common sight to see an ancient tai-chi master gently practicing his forms - at peace and at one with the world around them. Perhaps, the master has disciples imitating the moves as they try to come to grips with the deeper aspects. Perhaps… Or maybe the master is alone in their pursuit of The Way through the flowing dance of Yin and Ya...

The game of Go or weiqi is an interesting game. On the surface it is as logical as a cold hard scientist in love with nothing but mathematics. You have a board containing exactly 361 co-ordinates or points. And exactly 361 stones that fit nicely on all of those co-ordinates. And yet, a simple rule guarantees chaos – You can never have it all. Either you never touch the board or you must learn to s...

☰ A couple of years ago, I came across the term “Bossing it”. Meaning basically that a ‘non-pro’ person can be or do as good as a ‘pro’ in whatever they have set out to do. The term gets used a lot on the internet. While it feeds upon the fantasy of what life is like for bosses, the truth can be so different from expectations that I just have to laugh. ☳ Yes, being a boss gives you access to per...

Many years ago, an exhibition of the famous Terracotta Warriors visited Auckland, New Zealand. Eager as always for these things I went with my wife to see them. While it was only a snippet of a small show I enjoyed it very much. But something happened on that day that I won’t forget: While wandering past the many statues I was struck by a freezing cold shiver up my spin by the presence of one stat...

☳/☴ In a world filled with illusions and virtual reality, the art of making and drinking tea is for tea drinkers real. They use real utensils, water and tea. And it is done in real space and time. There are no what-ifs or maybes. ☵/☲ In the practice of Chanoyu 茶の湯, this realness is brought forth as the practitioner seeks to add the secret ingredient of spirit or soul into what they do. ☶/...

☰/☴ Today as part of Tea Time equals Me Time, I will quote the poem from Guru Laghima... ☷/☲ "Let go of your Earthly Tether. ☴/☱ "Enter the Void. ☳/☷ "Empty. ☵/☰ "And become One." ☲/☶ Which was explained further by Zahir: When you base your expectations on only what you see, you blind yourself to the possibilities of a new reality. ☱/☵ Both Guru Laghima and Zahir were fictional carto...

☴ (魂) Reaching the top of the Bagua Mountain 八卦山 is the anti-climax of a long drawn out process in which our soul takes over the captaincy of our martial arts path 武術道. This has nothing to do with the style being practiced or a person's beliefs. In other words, the pilot has switched off the autopilot and is flying the plane again.   ☲ (靈) I am aware that there will always be people who...

☴ Mindfulness 正念(靜觀): What is that? ☳ And Tea Time equals Me Time: What is that? ☲ In the great journey that is our life, we sometimes find ourselves needing to get off one train and rest for a while at a station for the next train that will take us to where we need to go. ☶ If we are in luck, the station will have a teahouse 茶館 or somebody offering refreshments. This scene is repeated a...

☰ Make yourself a cup of tea 茶, gently sit down and mindfully start practicing Tea Time equals Me Time for what I am about to tell you is this: I have been told once or twice that Baguazhang 八卦掌 is the martial art of the Gods 神. And that the Grandmasters 大公傅 of Baguazhang 八卦掌 are the high priests 大祭司. ☷ On the surface of things, this may or may not be true. But as I gaze upon the G...

☰ Today Tea Time equals Me Time can be done anywhere. There is no such thing as the perfect location. ☳ Sometimes the modern human life can be overwhelming and all-consuming. And the ritual of Tea Time equals Me Time can help in the coping of it, just like exercise, good diet and proper sleep. ☶ But then, sometimes, none of it helps and we need to get away from civilisation and be in a place wh...

☰ In martial arts 武術 we sometimes live by our memories. Some are good and others are bad. And all are open to interpretation. In our minds and hearts the past seems like a topsy-turvy adventure. ☳ But as I now look back upon old photos and pictures of the person I was when started this journey to the top of martial arts 武術, I do not recognise that man. I remember and know him. But I am not t...

☰ Dong Hai Chuan 董海川 is the founder of Baguazhang 八卦掌. After him there are five official orthodox styles. Followed by countless other lesser known forms and styles. And in China 中國 at least, they keep coming up with new ones. It's very impressive. ☲ The martial art of Baguazhang 八卦掌武術 is known for swapping direct confrontation for vulnerable openings. We walk the circle to help us d...

☰/☴ Today I watched an episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and in it Leonardo 彊獅 (yang 陽) was having a tea party with a sweet little girl (yin 陰). He could have been out saving the world from his home in the gutters but instead he gave a little girl a little bit of joy in her life. ☷/☲ As a consequence I am feeling "the love" again from a martial arts 武術 perspective, if you know what...

☴/☳ Today I woke up feeling unusually tired and glum. My bones ached and I seem to have pain flowing throughout my internal systems. While I was at an energetic low point, outside the weather and locale seem at their perkiest. ☲/☵ At the breakfast table there was a bowl of matcha 抹茶 waiting for me. I drank it up slowly but felt compelled to make myself another one: A scoop of matcha 抹茶 in...

☰ In Zen 禪 it is only a room. Nothing is in it. Except for the tatami 畳 mats. And some walls, and me holding the camera. But you don't see me. ☳ The room is supposed to be full of potential. Staring at it allows myself calmness and sanity to flow back into my life. I drink a cup of matcha 抹茶 and that is my chanoyu 茶の湯 session. ☵ To find oneself here is to admit that one's war 戰 is over....

☰(無) Tea 茶 has many benefits. In conjunction with regular exercise and a healthier diet, the benefits listed below can help to reduce the need to end our days in the hospital. ☳(龍) Using a holistic approach to life, by way of Tea Time equals Me Time, these health benefits can include: Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease. Helps Fight Obesity and Promote Weight Loss. Lowers Risk of Cancer. Diabet...

☰(無) For a lot of martial and (0) non-martial artists, martial arts is just a hobby or amusing pastime. Anything more than that is open to derision. It is like only allowing oneself to drink tea 喝茶 on special occasions rare and far between. ☳(龍) The first (1) level of doing martial arts (as a hobby) is like drinking instant powdered tea. Instant powdered tea may seem great at first, but a te...