Vimana Vajra

On and off, from 2016 to 2019, I regularly (when I was in Idaho) practiced long hours of Bagua circle walking around a specific tree in Settler's Park, Meridian, Idaho. Here we are, four years later, and the circle I walked still shows up.  Looks like a crop circle... -Kevin Wikse

"Eight Attacks of the Bear" is an intermediate set of Vimana Varja Baguazhang, which develops full-body shocking and jarring effects through explosive short-power attacks, jamming, and sudden redirection of forces. Building off the unrelenting and primarily linear-based attacks of Lion's pure yang energy, the Eight Attacks of the Bear introduces attacks of heavy, sinking, and collapsing yin-style power paired with a yang mindset and attitude.  Bear expresses Gen, or the Mountain gua, of the I-Ching. The Eight Attacks of the Bear set teaches heavy-handed offense and defense methods. Bear seeks to concuss and rattle the attacker with careening shots from jagged upward and downward angles. Other tactics include jamming the opponent's attacks by aggressively occupying their space, projecting them backward with braced force as a bird crashes into a window, and a defense that redirects attacks but also sucks energy in, pulverizes it like a woodchipper.  The Eight At...

"Eight Attacks of the Lion" is a highly productive and result-producing beginner's set of Vimana Vajra Baguazhang, which amasses and hones an impressive arsenal of martial weapons while establishing a solid foundation for more advanced Baguazhang sets. Eight Attacks of the Lion is extremely "Yang" in nature, assuming the shape of the I-Ching's "Heaven" trigram or "Lion" mind and body.  Highly versatile and comprised of eight minimalist and spartan "turnarounds," Eight Attacks of the Lion can be applied to circle walking or performed as line drills. Each "turnaround" is direct and simplistic, focused nearly exclusively on attacking and offensive strategies common to the "Lion." Each attack is meant to be drilled and repeated ad nausea. The footwork of the lion is heavy and springy, with stabbing and sything actions for stepping.  The Eight Attack of the Lion Pounce/Leap Penetrating. Pounding. Cutting. Slicing...

The "Directed Energy" turn-around is the "Single Palm" change of my Vimana Vajra Baguazhang's "Eight Mothership" palms foundational set. Exceptionally "yang" in nature, meaning aggressive and straight to the point, the Directed Energy turn-around features a triple palm strike employing the same hand, utilizing the three shapes most responsible for all the death, damage, and destruction by palm strikes in human history. In addition to serving as a platform for launching the mind, body, and spirit into a weaponization process, Directed Energy turn-around teaches the practitioner how to direct their energy to a singular focus point, maintain it even while altering its trajectory, and toggle between right and left sides of the body. This training keeps the practitioner's mind and body active even when they appear static. The applications are great, and many not just for a martial artist but for anyone developing any practice where directing e...

Birthed from the Fire Gua or Trigram of the I-Ching, Rooster Shape Baguzhang is an animistic personification of fire. Explosive, quick, and always moving, the action of the Rooster is that of a flame's ability to leap to new and nearby sources of fuel. The Rooster hops and struts like the pops and snaps of a long string of firecrackers; each step and movement of the Rooster is sharp, fast, and powerful.  Fire Gua The Fire Gua or Trigram of the I-Ching is drawn as two unbroken yang lines, top and bottom, with a split ying line sandwiched between them, which denotes the idea that fire possesses qualities of circling and clinging, spiraling around and engulfing its fuel sources. Even while expanding outward, the fire's primary movement is upward (if only to generate power for the downward).  The Rooster is the same, utilizing rapid spiral stepping, launching kicks, knees, palm strikes, palm/backhand whips (mimicking a rooster's wings flapping), slicing elbows, and chopping str...

  Chan Pan Ling's Yang Energy Dragon Shape Baguazhang is an intermediate-level school of martial Baguazhang that emphasizes the explosive, consuming, and constantly-moving qualities of fire while developing to coiling, raising, and aggressive nature inherent within the Dragon Shape as expressed by the Thunder Gua or Trigram of the I-Ching.  Violent and abrupt, the Dragon of this Baguazhang set enjoys sudden force expressions while evading, deflecting, and redirecting. The Dragon is strong and spring-like, like a steel whip. The Yang energy is sharp, disruptive, and punishing.  Fire over Thunder In my teachings of Daoist metaphysics, this set constitutes Fire over Thunder in the I-Ching, or Hexagram #21. It denotes a sense of being wronged and seeking justice. The Hexagram (six lines, the top, bottom, and third down lines are unbroken yang lines) illustrates a structured environment with a free energy flow from bottom to top. However, there is a disruption in that flow. Th...

Cheng Yu Lung's Yin Energy Dragon Shape Baguazhang is an intermediate-level school of martial Baguazhang that emphasizes the dark, heavy, and sinking qualities of water while teaching a unique variant of the Dragon Shape as expressed through the Thunder Gua or Trigram. Rather than the explosive and athletic nature of the Dragon, who revels in open space, directing force upward, the dragon energy in this school of Baguazhang is that of a giant Sea Serpent.  No less violent or abrupt, but tending toward crushing and pulling downward. The Sea Serpent is thick and sinuous, rising up only to come crashing down. The Yin energy is not of the typical soft and yielding force but that of sinking, submerging, and purposely holding under.  Water over Thunder In my teachings of Daoist metaphysics, this set constitutes Water over Thunder in the I-Ching, or Hexagram #3. It denotes difficulties and even mortal danger. The Haxagram itself (six lines, the top a split yin line, and the second an...

  Every  long-term  practitioner of Baguazhang eventually developed their own signature Baguazhang routine. Vimana Vajra Baguazhang is absolutely and, without question, mine.  Vimana Vajra Baguazhang is the crown jewel of over thirty years of accumulated martial and esoteric knowledge, spit-polished with sweat and literal blood to a brilliant finish. After thousands of hours walking the circle and spiraling line drills, singular focus of just one expression of energy for hundreds of thousands of repetitions, and continuous refinement of both high-level qigong and internal alchemical practices, the school of Vimana Vajra Baguazhang was born as if hatched from a dragon's egg.  As a martial art, it is genuinely formidable and exceptionally competent for self-preservation. Its origins start with the Hop Sing Tong, who ran Hong Kong and Singapore streets in the early 1900s gang wars and came to run Sacramento and Los Angeles, passing on their specialized version of S...