surviving santi

If you are anything like me you probably hate standing in santi. However santi is an extremely important posture in xingyiquan and if you don't stand in it everyday you will Never get the correct structure to maximize the force put out by your body.
So, lets discuss why santi is hard to practice and what you can do about it:
1) santi is difficult because it makes the muscles in your thighs burn and your arms ache from holding them stationary for a long time.
2) Santi is boring because you are just hanging out holding on to a posture for half an hour.

Solution:
1) switch sides every once in a while.
Say you can stand for five minutes before your legs give up the ghost, then in that case stand for five minutes on one side, switch and do it on the other side, and then when that side gets tired switch again. This gives your legs enough time to have a chill out session and stop hurting and to get your mind ready to stand on that side again. I have used this method and I find that it really helps when building up to longer standing sessions. Of course you eventually want to be able to just stand in one posture for fifteen or twenty minutes, but you have to take baby steps.
2) pay attention to body mechanics and body feelings. this goes to the heart of what santi is about, IE: developing your liuhe (six harmonies). When you focus on how your body is moving into place then you are developing you external harmonies, when you focus on the body feelings and creating feelings in your body you are working on your internal harmonies. Not only that bad focusing on those things will make standing for a longer time feel like standing for a shorter time (another great method is to count your breaths since you end up thinking about your breath and not just about how boring standing in santi is).

I know that for some of you this is old hat, but if it helps your practice then I'm happy :D

64 palms of cheng style bagua.

Here is a partially translated list of my teacher's version of Cheng style bagua's sixty four circular palms :D


64 palms of Cheng style Baguazhang


1, Single Changing palm(单换掌)
青龙探爪--Black Dragon Extending Claw
掩肘掌--Elbow Blocking Palm
推窗望月(推掌)-Push the Window and Watch the Moon,
叶底藏花--Flower Under the Leaf
青龙反身--Black Dragon Turning Back
青龙探爪--Black Dragon Extending Claw
1-2，行步撩衣--Walking while Holding the Coat
1-3，进步沉掌--Stepping Forward and Sinking Palm
1-4，提膝冲掌--Striking with Palm While Moving Up the Knee
1-5，片旋掌--cloud-chopping palm
1-6，反身腋掌--Turning Body and Inserting the Palm
1-7，反背掌--Strike with the Back of the Palm
1-8，提膝单撞掌--Single Palm Pushing while Moving up the Knee

2,double change palm (双换掌)
青龙探爪--Black Dragon Extending Claw
掩肘掌--Elbow Blocking Palm
推窗望月--Push the Window and Watch the Moon,
指天插地--point to the sky and the earth,
合肘分掌--elbow inward and extend the palm,
燕子抄水--the swallow skim the water,
走马活擒--capture alive
青龙反身--Black Dragon Turning Back
2-2，拧身盖掌--twisting the body and attack downward palm
2-3，拧身摞带掌--turn back the body with pulling palm
2-4，迎面三穿--three thrusting palm
2-5, 下揶上扑--(cloud chopping) inserting downward and pushing upward
2-6，返身挑打--turn back and attack with upward-block
2-7，转身顶肘--turn the body and attack with elbow
2-8，撞掌转身双扑--double pushing with turning body

3, 顺势掌--positive turning palm
3-2，风轮劈掌--wind-wheel chopping palm,
3-3，顺势探掌--positive turning and extending palm,
3-4，顺势腕打-- positive turning attacking with waist,
3-5，顺势转身后蹬腿--positive turning the body and kicking backward,
3-6，顺式摆莲--positive turning and lotus-kicking
3-7，顺式顶肘--positive turning and attacking with elbow
3-8，燕子斜飞--Swallow flying obliquely

4，背身掌
云片掌
阴阳掌
伏虎式
前推掌
点脚穿手
转身抄水掌
蟒翻身
翻身点脚
转身跨虎
背身吐信
叶底翻花
走马活擒
叶下藏花
青龙翻身
4-2，背身轮劈掌--turning back and wind-wheel palm,
4-3，背身探掌--turning back and extending palm
4-4，背身腕打--turning back and attack with waist
4-5，背身卧牛腿--turning back and kicking backward,
4-6，背身摆莲--
4-7，背身顶肘--
4-8，背身斜飞--

5, 翻身掌--Body turning-over palm

5-2，怪蟒翻身--serpent
5-3，懒龙翻身--dragon turning the body lazily
5-4，燕子翻身--swallow
5-5，狮子翻身合口--lion
5-6，鲤鱼翻身下按--carp(can be done with clouding chopping movement)
5-7，鹞子翻身啄食--sparrow hawk
5-8，蛟龙翻身--dragon turning the body downwardly

6，磨身掌 Body Grinding Palm
青龙探爪--Dragon Extending the Claw
转身摞带--Turing the body and Pulling
阴阳鱼掌--Yin-Yang Symbol Palm
阴阳摆步--Yin-Yang Turning Step
背身指天--Turning Down the Body and Pointing the Sky
背身上转掌--Turning Down the Body and Up-turning Palm
举火烧天式--Fire the Sky
白蛇缠身--White Snake Coiling the Body
白蛇伏草--White Snake hide in the grass
前探掌--Forward Extending Palm
走马活禽--Capture Alive
叶底藏花--Flower hiding under the Leaf
青龙反身--Dragon Turning the body
6-2，磨身双分掌--extending two palms(one upward and the other one downward)
6-3，磨身献桃--present peach
6-4，磨身顶肘--elbow attack（上下肘法）
6-5，凤凰夺窝-- phoenix protecting the nest(presenting peach and kicking at the same time)
6-6，鬓角插花--put flowers on the side of head

6-7，金鸡撒膀--Rooster extending wings
6-8，顺水推舟--Following the flow and Pushing the boat (原先：脱身换影）

7，回身掌--returning back palm
迎风甩头--snake whipping forward against wind
平削掌--horizontal chopping palm
翻身吐信--turning the body and spit the tongue
金鸡独立--rooster stands with one leg
转身掖掌（或者低架子，叫转身燕子抄水）--turning the body and inserting the palm（ the other palm extends)
片旋钻天--chopping and fly to the sky
蹲身插地--insert to the earth
（狮子）俯身张口--lion on the ground and opening the mouth
力转乾坤--turn the universe
风摆荷叶--wind swinging the lotus leaf
翻身吐信--turning the body and spit the tongue
背后推山--push the mountain from the back
转身伏虎式--taming the tiger while turning the body
走马活禽--capture alive
叶底藏花--flower under the leaf
青龙反身
7-2，横扫千军（接反背掖掌）--sweep the army
7-3，回身上挑前击掌（推窗照鬓）--pushing the window and soothing the forehead
7-4，青龙盘爪（上摞下后膝顶打，接后手盖横推掌）--blue dragon holding claws
7-5，青龙盘腿下势--blue dragon coiling the claw and moving to low posture(象山西宋式形意拳龙形单腿双推兼下势）
7-6，回身双劈掌--turning the body and double chopping palm(first vertical second horizontal)
7-7，海底探针--seeking needle from the ocean
7-8，扫眉摞手横推掌--

8-1，转身掌
青龙探爪
扣步横拨掌
摆步横推掌
旋掌掩肘
转身伏虎
穿手点脚
转身下扫掌
进步穿掌1，2
转身下按掌
阴阳转掌
背后推山
走马活禽


8-2，转身指天插地--turning the body and pointing to the sky and earth
8-3，转身反劈下盖掌--turn the body and reverse chopping and smashing palm
8-4，转身狮子张口揉球掌－－
8-5，转身双推 （金龙合口加缠手杀双推 ）
8-6，转身双分上挑肘
8-7，转身天王打伞（上下）
8-8,

chest movement

once you have the basic posture of xingyiquan its time to start thinking about what kind of internal movement you can make to develop more power. Xingyi focuses on sinking the chest and rounding the upper back, but there is more to the chest than just that requirement. To achieve power in certain movements the chest has to do one of three things:
1) sink and close: This is useful in vertical movements such as pi quan, where the power created by the chest rounding closed develops the jin of the movement.
2)open and close: this is important in many animal movements. In the deffensive part of the movement the chest opens up and then on the attack the chest closes and rounds inward. This is a more advanced method of jin development and allows for more power to be obtained, but requires the situation to be right if it is to be applied practically.
3) horizontal waving of the chest: this is important in some animal movements such as swallow. This especially useful when going from defense to attack in movements that go straight forward such as moves with beng quan contained in them.
Not many people talk actively about the role of the chest in xingyi so I just wanted to throw this out there for anyone who is interested.