Ba Gua Retreat
T
he 2009 Ba Gua retreat is from 21st – 25th August – see below for further details.
All phenomena arise from and return to the same source. This 4-day retreat focuses on two aspects of internal energy: releasing and charging. The external form will be Ba Gua, the Taoist circle walking martial art. Participants can look forward to learning movements that very quickly give a boost of energy. We’ll be using that boost initially to detect blockages and imbalance in the body and mind. Later, having cleared, that energy boost can be used for any of life’s pursuits.
We’ll learn how to walk the circle for meditation and as aerobic exercise although, as always, the emphasis will be on gently working up to 70 - 80% of our maximum. We’ll also work as a group and in pairs generating ‘spatial’ energy, allowing what has been generated to radiate into our environment, be it our home or the river. These are natural practices: there is no mystique. We simply need to recover our awareness of the natural process. Finally, we see that the giving and the getting are the same.
More About Ba Gua and the Retreat
Ba Gua Zhang means 'eight trigrams palm boxing'. It is among the most effective of all martial arts and is associated with the I Ching, the book of changes of which it is said to be the moving and bodily application. The practice will be taught essentially as meditation and healing techniques.
Because of the amount of heat and energy that Ba Gua generates, each day will begin and end with standing dissolving and the energy gates programme and spontaneous chi release to ensure thorough cleansing. In this regard, the diet on the course will be supportive of deep tissue and liver cleansing. Ba Gua is generally more energetic than tai chi and is well suited to those whose restlessness prevents them from reaching deeper states of meditation.
The health benefits are more intense than those of tai chi, but the art requires time to be allowed to develop gently. The course is open to all who have experience of the energy gates programme or any other form of tai chi or nei gung.
The 4 days will involve movement and stillness and it is hoped that each participant will directly perceive the twisting wind power and the gentle cooling and clearing feel of water. During the course participants will also be able to make use of the natural environment to support their practice and work.
There will be plenty of opportunity to explore and enjoy this very special venue and surrounding countryside and also enjoy the benefits of delicious home cooked organic food.
When's the next retreat taking place?
The 2009 retreat commences in the evening at 6.30pm on Friday 21st August and finishes in the morning at 10.00am on Tuesday 25th August. Participants are asked to arrive between 4.00pm and 6.30pm on Friday 21st August. Participants who have attended the 100 Days Group 1 meeting immediately beforehand (for details of the 100 Days click here the 100 Days) are advised that lunch will not be provided on 21st August – local restaurant and shops available.
More information about the venue
How to get to the venue
Syllabus:
Continuing the annual exploration of Ba Gua, emphasis will be on deepening the single palm change and its more subtle components. Beginners will be taught the fundamentals while more experienced practitioners will have the opportunity to look again at the second palm change. As a group, we will undertake collective Ba Gua temple dances - the natural unfolding of the I Ching without preconception or rehearsal. A profound cosmology and anthropomorphosis unfolds quite naturally through collective and individual application of the palm changes.
A wonderful opportunity to experience the profound nature of Ba Gua Zhang in the beautiful setting of Tourné in Southern France.
