(Great Achievement Fist / I Chuan)
Xing Yi Quan has its theory based on the five element theory, commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) and Chinese Acupuncture. There are two cycles to note. The first is the constructive cycle, or sheng cycle, where metal creates water creates wood creates fire creates earth. The second cycle is the destructive or ko cycle, where metal chops wood, wood separates the earth, earth damns or absorbs water, water puts out fire, and fire melts metal. The following graphs illustrate these two cycles. As it is in TMC, so it is in fighting in Xing Yi Quan. If some one attacks you with a metal you would retaliate with what destroys metal, fire, and you would over come your opponent. Understanding this principle is key to understanding how to fight using Xing Yi Quan.
General rules to holding the Da Cheng Quan (Yi Quan) Stances
- Head pulled upward at the crown Chakra
- Eyes looking forward into the distance
- Ears listening inward
- Drop the shoulder and round the back of the shoulders
- Sink the chest
- Flatten the stomach, and normal diaphragmatic breathing
- Keep the back and neck straight
- Knees slightly bent
- Feet shoulders width apart and parallel
- Palms slightly rounded as in the Xing Yi Quan (Hsing Yi Chuan) Palm
- Fingers separated but not stretched apart
- Focus on the energy flow
The 10 Essentials
- The Occiput harmonizes with the coccyx
- The neck concurs with the waist
- The shoulders integrate with the inner thigh (adductors)
- The elbows reconcile with knees
- The two shin bones (Tibias) balance with each other
- The toes on one foot accord with the toes on the other foot
- The mind is in concurrence with the Shen (Shén) (Spirit)
- The Shen reconciles with the Chi (Qì)
- The Chi integrates with the internal strength
- The internal Chi and Shen both harmonize with the external posture (form) (Li)
