Ba Gua Walking pt. 2

Circle walking begins with a single step. In the beginning this step is often unstable but with practice we become more comfortable in our bodies and in our walking. As our comfort level increases layers of tension and stress begin to appear like layer of an onion. Dissolving these layers is the first step to releasing our attachment to the physical world and opening up to the natural flow of the Tao. 

Like so many things in life this is easier said than done. At first dissolving while moving can seem next to impossible but as the mind relaxes it becomes easier to do and with each “release” our physical movements and the motion of our minds becomes clearer and more stable. Often when this clarity and stability increase we begin to recognize not just the layers of physical and energetic tension in ourselves but the emotional tension as well.

Dissolving emotions can be extremely tricky. Positive emotions can lead to feelings of excitement or euphoria which can pull us away from the present and we can miss what it happening in the moment.  Negative emotions can also bring us out of the present and can activate our inner critic or cause our minds to become fixated on an event or problem in our lives. These are just two examples, emotions can take infinite forms and manifest in 10,000 different ways. It is in dealing with these emotions that the "inner-dissolving" method becomes infinitely valuable. 

Entering into and releasing our “inner-space” can often bring new insight into our practice and our daily lives. It is within this space that we can begin to become aware of the place where we cease to be "in" the world and become "of" the world.

At this level we can begin to take Circle Walking to a level where our minds and the bodies begin to act as  single units controlled by the flow of Chi in our 8 bodies. 

Ultimately the journey through the eight bodies comes back the physical. It is our physical bodies which root us in this time and place. This reality that once we reach the end we return to the beginning is mirrored in our Circle walking as each step ends another begins and as we reach the end our circle we are brought back to the beginning and we are given another opportunity to bring ourselves closer to the Tao.