BA GUA ZHANG (Tai Chi 4) – Pakua Palm Form of the Eight Forces
Martial Artist: Andrew Jan
Ba Gua Zhang (Pakua Palm) is a classical Chinese internal martial art whose circular stepping and palm changes reflect ancient cosmological models of change, direction, and transformation. Early ritual movement practices were later refined by Taoist practitioners into a highly sophisticated martial and contemplative form emphasizing coordination, perception, and embodied awareness rather than force.
Within Ba Gua Zhang practice, attention is trained inwardly to observe habitual patterns of movement, emotion, and reaction. Through disciplined walking, turning, and palm changes, practitioners explore how intention, structure, and attention arise from the body’s centre and express themselves through action. The Eight Palms of Ba Gua symbolically represent different directional forces and strategic qualities that can be directly experienced through movement and form work.
Ba Gua and Vitality
Ba Gua Zhang movements emphasize coordinated use of joints, tendons, and whole-body connection rather than isolated muscular effort. Practice is carried out through circular walking and changes across the eight cardinal directions, encouraging spatial awareness and balance in relation to both ground and orientation.
Over time, practitioners refine posture, stepping, and alignment, cultivating greater ease of movement, responsiveness, and continuity. The form trains sensitivity to direction, timing, and transition, supporting a sense of steadiness and clarity during motion and stillness alike.
Ba Gua as Contemplative Practice
In traditional Taoist understanding, internal martial arts serve as moving contemplative disciplines. Ba Gua Zhang provides a framework for observing thought, emotion, and intention as they arise through movement. Rather than suppressing experience, the practice invites practitioners to recognize patterns with clarity and allow more skillful responses to emerge.
As a dynamic form, Ba Gua Zhang expresses principles that parallel classical Taoist models such as change, balance, and the interaction of elemental qualities. From the eight forces to the five elements, to yin and Yang and then the ultimate reality of the Nothingness. Its meditative dimension lies not in stillness alone, but in the integration of attention, movement, and awareness within changing conditions.
Ba Gua – The Aim of Practice
Ba Gua Zhang emphasizes the integration of heart-mind (xin) and bodily action. Through coordinated stepping, turning, and palm techniques, practitioners learn to move with clarity in all directions while maintaining internal coherence.
The aim of practice is not performance or external display, but refined perception, centered movement, and the capacity to respond fluidly within complexity. In this way, Ba Gua Zhang offers a path of disciplined martial study combined with philosophical reflection expressed through form.
Important education notice – through Andrew Jan Taoist Teachings Pty Ltd.
These teachings are offered for educational and spiritual instruction and are not medical advice, diagnosis, or therapy. Traditional Taoist terms such as “healing,” “elixir,” “medicine,” or “pill” are used metaphorically and refer to inner cultivation rather than medical treatment. Descriptions of posture, breath, energy, or sensation reflect contemplative and cultural traditions, not health claims. These Taoist contemplative and breath-based practices may at times evoke emotional or psychological responses and are not suitable during pregnancy or during periods of significant emotional or psychological vulnerability. Participants with physical, medical, or psychological conditions, including significant trauma history or substance use, that may be affected by these practices, or those who feel unsure about their suitability, are recommended to seek appropriate professional guidance before participating. Teaching sessions may be recorded for educational purposes; no identifiable close-ups are intended, though voice or silhouette may appear incidentally. Content, livestreams, and recordings are not available to residents of the USA or Canada due to insurance restrictions. Participation is voluntary, and participants are responsible for their own wellbeing during and after the teachings and are encouraged to respect their limits and stop when needed.