Pa Kua Exercises

Folds, Curves and Palms

• Because pa kua emphasizes the cultivation of your internal energy, or chi, it's considered an internal style of kung fu and a form of moving meditation. Pa kua segments your body into three "folds" -- head-to-hip, hip-to-knee and knee-to-foot. According to Peter Chema's in his 1993 article, "Battle of the Pa Kua Chang Kung Fu vs. the Arts!" in "Black Belt" magazine, as you move these three sections of your body, aim to maintain five body "curves," which include the base of your hips, chest, back, shoulders and arms. Pa kua uses your palm as a striking surface that constantly changes. While there are eight basic palm changes, pa kua practitioners can strike with any part of their hands -- the palm heel, fingertips and the sides and back of the hand.

Walking the Circle

• The foundational exercise of pa kua is known as "walking the circle," in which you tread an imaginary circle in eight to 12 steps. As you move in this circle, you perform eight postures, or internal palm changes. Each posture relates to a particular region of the body. Your knees and ankles should make light contact when your legs cross, and your feet should lift off the ground as little as possible. It's as if you're wading through mud with your body weight sinking downward. At the same time, you rotate your trunk towards the center of the circle -- a movement that will help you to generate the revolving tornado-like energy for blocks, parries and counterattacks. Your arms are never fully extended, and your elbows and shoulders are kept in a relaxed position.

Learn to Circle

• Begin by walking a circle about 6 to 12 feet in diameter, slowly shrinking the size of the circle as you grow stronger and more adept at the exercise. Walk with your knees slightly bent and, as your body warms up, bend your knees more. Experienced pa kua practitioners can walk with their knees bent to such a degree that it's as if they're sitting while moving. Legend has it that "old-timers" practiced the exercise in a space with a 5-foot ceiling, according to "Pa-Kua: Eight-Trigram Boxing" by Robert W. Smith. Use slow and fluid movement, experimenting with different lengths of steps as well as kinds of steps. For example, lift your knees high while walking or take a forward step, but suspend your rear foot and pause with your weight shifted to your front ankle. Boost the complexity of the exercise by walking in a figure-eight and connecting two circles at the intersection. Be aware of an imaginary opponent's presence at all times.

Eight Internal Palms

• The eight internal palms, or pa kua postures, tend to be named after animals -- lion, dragon, monkey, hawk, bear, snake or stork -- and reflect the movements of these animals. They include "lion opens its mouth," "white snake hiding in grass," "black bear turns its back" and "blue lung flies upward," according to "Walking the Circle: Pa Kua's Eight Internal Palm Exercises" by Sifu Dan Farber and Sifu Valerie Lee on the National Women's Martial Arts Federation's website. For example, the "blue lung flies upward" posture is named after the lung, a fantastical creature resembling a dragon, and is associated with your liver. To perform this posture, inhale and extend your arms to your sides at shoulder level. Your elbows should be bent with palms facing up. Envision holding a tray in each hand. Exhale and draw your elbows slightly in toward your torso while rotating your trunk toward the circle's center. You should feel as if your fingers are bearing weights, which exert a downward tug on your wrists.