Sun and Rain

Almost all of my training for the past few days has been rather quiet and internal rather than external. That's primarily because of the sun and rain. Due to my rather severe sunburn, which is now subsiding (and peeling in sheets), I've been hiding from the sun almost all day long every day, saving my outdoor training for the early mornings or late evenings. Unfortunately, almost every evening or night, we've received a fair amount of rain, turning my circle into sticky-then-slippery mud that is almost detrimental to turn on. Therefore, I've put forth a greater effort in reviewing the videos, practicing static striking methods (and three-step in my living room), standing practice, and lots and lots of much-needed stretching, qigong, and seated meditation. While this hasn't really netted a strong increase in my ability to perform the techniques of baguazhang in a martial way, I believe it has really strengthened me by allowing me to express some of the more yin aspects of my training, balancing me and allowing me to recover from some of the seemingly chronic fatigue and soreness that plague my efforts to become the Lion.

That's not to say I've ignored turning entirely, of course. While today offered me no opportunities for turning (though I did perform qigong and meditation for almost two hours), I've managed thirty-five or forty-five minutes just about every day since the two-hour marathon. Hopefully the weather will be agreeable enough to get in another hour or so tomorrow afternoon. If not, I may have to suck it up, open a bunch of windows, and turn inside or maybe out in the driveway. For some reason, I really don't like turning on the driveway, though. I think because it's not level, but sometimes I like to pretend that it has something to do with the poor qi conditions of asphalt.

My brother is arriving tomorrow evening as well, coming in from his abode out west. He and I began our baguazhang journey together, and yet he had to move to the desert for school soon thereafter. His interest his high, but being a bit of an island of bagua out there, he trains very little. Also, the sun in the high desert and its inhabitant fire ants aren't the most welcoming situation for performing the exercises, and standing practice is still notoriously difficult for him, apparently, after last summer's little fire-related incident. Speaking of fire, I'm looking forward to passing some more of the bagua flame to him this time, hopefully enough to give him something to drum up interest in some of his crew when he returns there for the summer. At the least, I think at least four of the "magic eight" forms are in order: those from the sweeping, cutting, seizing, and grasping palms. If he gets into it enough and trains over the summer, he might be persuaded into going to see He Jinbao up north with us this fall, which I think would be awesome for him and totally light his fire. In addition, of course, I'm looking very much forward to having a partner with which to practice techniques again.

On a side note, some of my training partners here in Knoxville and I have been discussing the possibility of making a video of one or more of us turning for an hour or so in Lion's representational posture without putting our hands down (or perhaps without even changing directions) to post on the net. I think it would be interesting, but on the other hand, our main motivations are rather egotistical, which can't be right. Maybe if there's interest. Of course, for me to hear about it requires someone to actually read this other than myself and perhaps my wife every now and then. She already knows about our crazy ideas.