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[Summer]

Edited January 28 by Summer

[steve]

@Summer

San ti shi is a wonderful practice.

I’ve let my xing yi training go except san ti. Here is an old thread you may want to read -

 

[Summer]

Edited January 28 by Summer

[Gerard]

Probably the best online written source of information about STS. It has been sitting there for many years:

 

https://www.ycgf.org/Articles/XY_SanTiShi/XY_SanTiShi.html

 

 

[Gerard]

From what I know, I have practised this standing method a bit with my teacher who also teaches Ba Gua Z/Q:

 

1. Don't get too carried away with it. Stick to the basic principles and you should be fine.

 

2. The mental aspect is the real deal. Uniting Mind, Form & Spirit and being aware of the Body-Mind connection and its inner workings. Once you realise there is really only one thing then you move on to the next stage: integrating those principles into movement ---> Pi Quan (splitting fist) from which the various forms of Xingyi arise, that is the rest of the Five Element Fists of which Pi Quan is the foundation (Metal Force), 12 Animal Fists, Spear training, etc.

 

As an example, when you no longer feel the body and you merge it with the Mind then you know STS has bore fruit. It takes time and standing for many hours to attain that level. My teacher used to practice it while facing the ocean. It makes a big difference practicing in nature compared to standing indoors or in the urban environment.

 

Hope this all helps. 

[steve]

On 10/16/2023 at 9:22 AM, Summer said:

Thank you. That is very helpful. I am revisting the basics and I agree with your statement about this practice. I really didn't like it when I first started but, after a long time, I find it much more tolerable and even pleasing now. Thing is because I was busy powering through it then (to get to the "good stuff") I barely paid it any mind and know my current form is lacking but have no local access to anyone who knows the structure.

 

I could just keep going and let the form teach me via energetics but that also has the potential to compound errors by making the habits which then need further correction. So I made this thread. The most amazing thing in comparing then to now is the level of sensitivity and awareness. Truly man is sleepwalking until he becomes aware enough to realize this.

 

IMO santishi is the good stuff though it took a long time to understand that for me. The forms and weapons and 2 man sets are sexy and exciting but I think my deepest lessons and development came simply through standing. I suspect this experience motivated the founder of Yiquan:

 

“In silence there must be movement, and in motion, there must be silence.
A small movement is better than a big,
no movement is better than a small,
silence is all the movement's mother.
In Movement you should be like a dragon or a tiger.
In non Movement you should be like a Buddha.
--Wang Xiangzhai

 

PS - I suggest your review the 3 harmonies, inner and outer, and really express them in your practice

[Gerard]

Pretty much Steve. This is what my teacher taught me. Good XGQ practice comes purely from STS, the root foundation of the art.

 

He himself put a lot of effort into it and practising every day for years in front of the ocean certainly payed off.

 

When I see him walking the circle I can detect the subtle and powerful influence of Xingyi in his form. 
 

I think his Xingyi is a lot better than his Ba Gua. He is a Water Ox so it makes sense as Ox is a very slow animal and STS training favours his personality a lot more than an active animal like a Dog, Horse or Tiger. 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Gerard

[Sahaja]

Static postures are good for building qi and strengthening the lines in the body which transmit the energy in the moving form.  While building qi is extremely important, it’s also important to balance it periodically with some movement to avoid stagnation of the qi.

[Gerard]

Indeed, you have to move but without the essential nei gong skill Xingyi becomes just a form; a "tiger without its bones" as the old XGQ masters said. 

One of the keys to the practice of the art is to be found in its name: Body (xing) & Mind (yi) as one; integration of form (xing) and intent (yi) as a whole inseparable entity since Body emanates from the Mind.

 

In line with Buddhist thought!

 

 

 

[Summer]

Edited January 28 by Summer

[Gerard]

Relax as much as you possibly can. I'm no Xingyi practitioner but my teacher is (Xingyi and Ba Gua). I learnt the latter from him. 
 

When I asked him about how he trained Santi Shi he said:

 

I had to ride my bike for 90 min to get to the park facing the ocean in Perth, Australia to learn Xingyi with my uncle; I was tired and tense but the practice helped me relaxed a lot. At one point I was able to stand and have no feeling of the body at all, that's how much relaxation and practice facing the ocean helped me to progress.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 26 by Gerard