I-Chuan Standing Meditation For The Masses



Interview Conducted By Dave Cater

Feel refreshed, energized and refocused in as little as ten minutes a day with this revolutionary Chinese standing meditation exercise.

(Editor’s Note: Henry Look, a fifth-generation master of Guang Ping Yang tai chi, recently visited the daughter and senior students of sifu Wang Hsiang Zhai in Beijing, China. He has been encouraged to form an International I-Chuan Association. There are only four surviving students of the I-chuan founder. For more information, contact sifu Look at hmlook@cwnet.com or write TIMA, 2825 Zinfandel Dr., Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.)





INSIDE KUNG-FU: What is I-chuan?

HENRY LOOK: In I-chuan ( yi-chuan, yiquan) "I" means idea or mind. "Chuan" means fist. Action is directed with the mind, which focuses and guides the energy with intention.

IKF: Can you provide a history of I-chuan?

HL: I-chuan is an offshoot of hsing-yi chuan, which was founded by General Yeh Fe during the Sung dynasty. According to legend, Kuo Yun Shen, a sixth-generation master and the best hsing-yi fighter of his time, killed another martial artist in combat. He was sentenced to three years in jail. While incarcerated, he discovered the essence of I-chuan. One of Kuo's top students, Wang Hsiang Zhai (probably the most famous I-chuan master in history), was a seventh-generation master who changed the name to hsing-yi chuan (intention or idea from the heart). He later experimented with the movements and exchanged martial arts skills with other masters while traveling extensively throughout China.

After all his detailed studies, he refined I-chuan and called it "da cheng chuan", or "the great achievement fist". Wang passed his art to Han, who was my teacher. Kuo Yun Shen had another student, Wang Gin Yin, hsing-yi teacher of Kuo Lien Ying, who also was my teacher.

IKF: Can you name I-chuan’s great masters?

HL: The great masters of I-chuan include all the students of Wang Hsiang Zhai; professor Yu Pung Shi (my teacher); Jiao Tao Hsin; Yao Zong Xun; Han Xing-Quao (Uncle Han); and Han Hsing-Yuen (my teacher).

IKF: What are the basics of I-chuan?

HL: The basics for I-chuan is the standing meditation for the highest potential in developing internal energy. It is a method most beneficial for the practice of eternal health as well as martial art effectiveness. This is truly the essence of effortless internal power development. Practicing standing meditation will help in developing our body structure to a complete balance with the universe in stillness. Then we can say, "No movement is real movement."

IKF: Is it difficult to learn I-chuan?

HL: Learning the basics of I-chuan are simple. But like most skills, it is difficult to master. It requires time and patience without anxiety. "Soong" or relaxing without tension is the key.

IKF: Do you have to be in martial arts shape to learn I-chuan?

HL: Anyone of any age or physical make-up can learn I-chuan. There are no restrictions.

IKF: Can I-chuan help your martial arts training?

HL: I-chuan can complement any style, whether your chosen discipline is Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Filipino.

IKF: Can I-chuan benefit other aspects of your life?

HL: I-chuan can help all aspects of life because it promotes and develops physical health and emotional well-being.

IKF: How do you find a qualified teacher and what qualities do you look for in an instructor?

HL: The best way to find a good teacher is through the recommendations from other martial arts instructors. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to students and instructors. According to an old Chinese saying, "He who speaks does not know. He who knows does not speak."

IKF: Why are we only now discovering I-chuan?

HL: I-chuan has been taught in China for many years. My teacher, master Han Hsing Yuen, taught in Hong Kong for many years. Sam Tam (a senior student of eagle claw grandmaster Lau Fat Mang) studied I-chuan with Han in Hong Kong. Sam Tam, along with Ha Fong, sponsored Han to the U.S. and Canada in 1976-77. I-chuan began to spread throughout the U.S. through Ha’s students. Also, professor Yu and his wife, madame Min-Ou Yang taught many students in San Francisco, Calif., and helped spread the art in the U.S. An interesting note: Kuo Lien Ying's "universal post standing" is also a form of I-chuan.

IKF: Please describe a typical I-chuan training session?

HL: Students generally train anywhere from ten minutes to one hour. Exercises include standing and moving meditation. Special attention should be paid to the feet, knees, body, eyes, hands, groin, breathing and mind. The feet should be a shoulder-width apart, parallel to each other and flat on the ground. The knees are flexed and bent slightly toward the toes. The head should be reaching toward the sky with the chin slightly tucked in. There should be a total spine connection from the head to the toe. The back is straight and the hips behind. The eyes should appear relaxed and focused straight ahead at a point in the distance without hard glaring. Relax the fingers and spread them apart as though embracing an imaginary ball. The groin area should also be relaxed to open the channel and allow chi flow throughout the body. Breathing should be slow and deep while the mind should direct all action and reaction.

IKF: How should you feel after an I-chuan workout?

HL: After practice, you should feel energized, vigorous, and refreshed in mind and body.

IKF: What role do the different parts of the body play in I-chuan practice?

HL: It is important to find a good teacher who understands body alignment to reap the benefits of I-chuan training for health and martial art success. There should be action and reaction from the elbow joints to the fingertips and with other parts of the body. The knees and feet are anchored and rooted to the earth. The entire action and reaction sequence should be in balance without swaying forward or backward or side to side. The center is stable and the mind is focused.


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