DESCRIPTION
Innovative Ways of Understanding Ancient Traditions: Ways of Distilling the
Essence of the Internal Martial Arts, Natural Healing Principles and Meditation

Zeigua Integral Arts

can be described as an introductory "chi [energy] arts software" with built-in expandability. It serves as a foundation builder towards being better able to learn more traditional or complex energy disciplines with less strain. Focus is placed on refining one’s intuition and dissolving negative emotional attachments and beliefs that can make one inflexible, by honoring timeless spiritual virtues such as patience, simplicity and whole body integration. The ultimate purpose of Zeigua Integral Arts is to find the inter-connecting threads all methods and styles share, and apply those distilled universal truths into simpler more sustainable practices and lifestyles.

 

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention" Irish Proverb

There will always be a great need to better communicate with modern-busy people the importance of slowing down and taking more personal responsibility for their wellbeing.  Practicing the time tested and effective methods of internal energy management, such as qigong, and becoming less reliant on external sources for health and happiness, can be an important first step. Zeigua Internal Arts grew out of this need, sincerely hoping to help individuals remember and value preventive medicine principles as a practical and viable response to today's health and spiritual crisis.

Today, more than ever before people lack common sense, reasonable expectations and balance. This may be the result of living an unnatural lifestyle within a hyper accelerated world that seems to grow more distant each day away the land. Where intuitive skills take a distance second place to things that can be more quantified, measured and rigidly viewed by an overly rational mind that’s never satisfied with any amount of evidence.  Or, people can seem to tilt towards the opposite extreme, being too emotional, impulsive, narrow-minded, reactionary, narcissistic and or self-indulgent. Regardless of which type of imbalance and individual may fall under, it’s very clear that imbalance of any kind is at the root of all disease, illness and misfortune.

New opportunities have come from the Internet boom, providing society with incredible blessings, especially for the common person. But this rapid increase in choices has also simultaneously led to more confusion and impatience. Intellectually, most people understand that good things take time to develop, but physiologically and emotionally there seems to be a major disconnect from truly accepting this reality.

 

Reasonable Expectations

Our modern culture encourages impulsiveness, impatience, over-spending and over-extending, and the belief that we can have everything now and at the same time, without any consequences. This is a most unfortunate fallacy, self-delusion and an unreasonable expectation. The human body cannot catch-up with the speed by which the mind can easily project ideas, thoughts and energies into space. A racing mind destroys the body.

Patience and high standards are some of the required ingredients to produce a great work of art, physical skill or intellectual achievement, which can then be universally appreciated, respected and acknowledged for being both useful and beautiful. This is at the heart and purpose of traditional apprenticeships and training in all the arts, to prepare individuals with the tools and skills necessary for success. However, striving for too high of a standard or not striving enough, once again leads to imbalance and unnecessary suffering.

Suffering is unavoidable, a natural part of life that should not be feared. Learning how to suffer well might seem like a strange idea at first, but in most mild cases it can make an individual stronger and help build one’s character. But, extreme forms of suffering and unhappiness can cause illness, disease and even death. In our modern age, we have lost the ability to recognize what’s a good pain and suffering from what’s truly excessive and damaging. However, the ancient Taoist pointed towards a simple remedy: daily disciplined regulation, balancing and purification of one’s thoughts, emotions and physical needs.

 

Purpose and Philosophy

Zeigua Internal Arts strives to serve as a bridge towards the simpler more time-tested values of the ancient Taoist, for creating true balance and harmony. By using certain practices, such as circle walking, one can effortlessly choose to move away from the harmful extremes of being either too impulsive or too rigid. One is encouraged to walk towards a way of life that embraces more natural movements, breathing and thinking. Metaphors and stories are and can be incredible tools for helping people adjust to ever changing circumstances, but without connecting those stories and metaphors to a related physical exercise, they remain only mental and emotional fantasies that can disperse one’s valuable life-energy.

Drawing greatly from the heart of Taoist principles and internal arts such as Qigong, Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, Yiquan, Baguazhang, Aikido, Yoga, Taoist Meditation and Living Foods, Zeigua Internal Arts aims towards finding the common ground all great internal self-development systems stand on. Differences between the various schools of thought in the internal and external training methods are recognized and respected. However, we emphasize dissolving any barriers that would further escalate separation between people and their beliefs, between individuals and they’re mind-heart-spirit-body connections from its integrated whole.

The energetic-physical backbone of Zeigua Internal Arts exercises and forms primarily come from the Taoist Internal Arts of Qigong, Baguazhang and Taoist Meditation, with additional strong support coming from traditional Taijiquan, Xingyiquan and Yiquan practices. The philosophical and spiritual components are deeply rooted in the ageless wisdom of the ancient Taoist Sages, whom advocated maintaining naturalness in all situations and attaining over-all balance in all aspects of one's life as the central goal. This approach to life is at the heart of all Zeigua Arts.