Barefoot Doctor's Xing Yi training - twelve animals forms

Improve your grace and agility, uplift your internal power (chi), intensify your intentionality (yi) & create an exponential increase of momentum (shi) with the Xing Yi 12 Animal Forms

The FIVE ELEMENT forms are the essential building blocks of the Xing Yi Chuan art, without which none of the other treasures are imbued with true foundation – once you’ve inculcated those into your neuro-circuitry, the next stage before being able to learn the long form, in which all the information of Xing Yi is carried, is learning the twelve animal forms.

Dragon, Tiger, Monkey, Horse, Rooster, Dove, Turtle, Swallow, Snake, Hawk, Bear, Eagle

Each of these contains a multitude of practical martial applications, and between them provide an effective way to exercise the body and increase psycho-physical power and develop and harness intention. But the deeper benefit still is acquiring the skill of embodying the nature or spirit of each of the twelve animals in a totemic sense, whether in an actual fight or engaged in the challenging throes of the day to day.

Learn to embody the twelve animals or even just one of them and you acquire a power in daily life that is too strong to underestimate

Matt Fury once won the annual Chinese inter-disciplinary contest against all odds (his opponent was far more skilled and able), in fact was the first non-Chinese to claim this award, on account of his ability to become a tiger. He didn’t just imagine he was a tiger, he spent a moment before the contest breathing in and out visualizing his breath as blinding white light, which eventually obliterated all sense of Matt Furyness, and once achieved managed to replace all Matt Furyness with tiger instead – in his own words, “I literally became a tiger”, and because tigers are fairly invincible, he won the fight straight out in seconds.

Imagine having that sort of power when say dealing with a negotiation or difficult discussion in which it’s imperative you prevail.

That’s what the twelve animal forms gives you.

The 12 Animals

Paradoxically, on the surface of things, for people as eminently pragmatic as the Taoists, the first animal in the sequence is a mythical one: the dragon. Now why would such pragmatic people have a bullshit animal as their primary form in the sequence?

The clue lies in the very great probability that the entire Taoist pantheon of knowledge has its roots in a civilization predating the last ice age by many millions of years. While this may seem and possibly is fantastical, it’s less so than the legend of them having received their knowledge from a visiting band of advanced-species aliens from somewhere in the Sirius star system. Because the dragon is actually none other than the prehistoric terrydactyl – imagine one of those f*ckers (as they were traditionally described in ancient China) landing on you out of the sky. Well that’s the power the dragon form lends you – the ability to land on your opponent from a great height.

Then comes the tiger, with its sudden claw swipe no one could withstand.

The monkey is tricky and unpredictable.

The horse’s hooves are impossible to stand up to when they kick out.

The rooster’s uppercut palm-strike would wake up the sleepiest of souls.

The wild sweep of the dove’s wings followed by a double claw strike would fell the hardiest opponent.

The unexpected sideswipe of the turtle’s little turtle feet could knock you right over at ten paces.

The elegant sweep of the swallow’s wingtips would slice your opponent in twain.

The insistent undulating strike of the snake would mangle the best fighter.

The elegant precision of the hawk’s wing striking would fell an opponent from on high.

The irresistible whack in the throat of the bear’s paw would finish an opponent off.

And the majestic swoop of the eagle’s stab would ensure no one ever started on you again.

I wax poetic and hyperbolic of course but merely to illustrate a point.

Learn to embody these twelve or even just one of the twelve animals and you acquire a power in daily life that is too strong to underestimate.

The levels of grace and agility afforded you by learning these forms is remarkable and the uplift of internal power (chi), combined with the intensification of intentionality (yi), causes an exponential increase of momentum (shi) in all your affairs, the benefits of which cannot be overstated, even though I have had a good go.

But there’s something extra which can’t be put in words, a synergy arising from practice that amounts to far more than the sum of the twelve animal forms themselves, which only practice can reveal.

And these are just a few of the reasons I so strongly recommend this training to you.

But what exactly is Xing Yi Chuan?

Taoist internal martial arts lie at the heart of all Taoist practice – moving mediations to focus the mind within the body along optimal lines. Xing Yi (pronounced Shing Yee) – like Tai Chi & Pa Kua – is one of those internal martial arts.

Tai Chi teaches you how to roll this way or that, yielding to life’s pressure without being pressed upon

Pa Kua teaches you the power of circles and the ability to constantly get behind a situation hence always in command

Xing Yi teaches you to project your power towards your goal and bypass any obstacle as if passing right through it – like walking through walls.

Of the three Xing Yi is the most obviously martial in appearance and certainly the one that gives you martial prowess the fastest, which though you’d likely and hopefully never find yourself in a fight or self-defensive position, it imbues you with the rare self-confidence, crucial to living a fully successful life.

The real jewel of Xing Yi practice is the long form, comprising an energetically scintillating mix of animal forms and forms relating to the five elements. To learn it properly, begin by learning the five element forms, then the twelve animal forms, and once you know all those it’s relatively easy learning the long form.

The five elements form – five distinct fighting forms each relating to a different element – metal, water, wood, fire and earth – these are the five main martial arts moves required to stay safe in a fight and extrapolated into everyday life keep you covered from all sides.

The twelve animals form – helping you develop the fighting advantage of each animal and imbuing you with the spirit of the animal in a totemic way which is incredibly helpful when you need a bit of extra push in a situation. 

The Xing Yi long form – the real reason to learn the five element forms and the twelve animal forms – consists of a complex combination of the five elements and twelve animals and takes each far further in terms of expression and range of movement – it’s a super-graceful dance that feels like it’s occurring in a different dimension – and that’s because it is.  It’s the closest thing to flying I’ve ever found.

Benefits of Xing Yi 

The Taoists have a ‘formula’ for success in whatever you’re doing, sometimes known as ‘the five excellences’ – the basis for maintaining psychological and physical health, for eliciting the finest level of creative thinking and output, and for communicating your gifts to the world.

You learn a template for being fully centered in your body at all times, free of the usual mental noise associated with the story of being human, and enjoying proper perspective and sense of proportion at all times. You’re then able to take everything in your stride and enjoy the ride without stress.

Taoist martial arts form an intrinsic aspect of the overall five elements practice, not because Taoists are by nature particularly pugnacious – to the contrary, Taoism, of all systems, is the way of peaceful resolution.

But when seen metaphorically, by performing the solo ‘dance’ – the series of boxing moves melded into a form, developed in ancient times and passed down and practiced faithfully through the generations – you

transform your relationship with daily life from what might otherwise tend to be a fight, into a beautiful dance.

fend off all oncoming pressure with ease rather than expending energy.

transmute your own latent anger and aggression into pure chi.

Then there’s the physical benefit –

the muscles, bones and joints, circulation, organic function, nerves and brain, the skin, the sense organs, all of it gets a thorough strengthening and that makes you youthful, and from youthfulness comes the enjoyment that makes life beautiful.

What does the Xing Yi 12 Animals Form Training comprise?

The training is online via a series of short, easy to watch, fun to follow videos. You have lifetime access to the training and can download the videos to your device so you can learn anywhere you happen to be.

The Xing Yi 12 Animals Form won’t take you long to learn – but you do need to learn the 5 Elements Form first.

For each, you watch a short video explaining and demonstrating each of the forms. Watch one video a day – once you can make the movements without following the video, set aside approximately ten, maybe twenty minutes to practice and make it your own.

Practice is key, particularly if you’re intending to progress to the long form.

Improve your grace and agility, uplift your internal power (chi), intensify your intentionality (yi) & create an exponential increase of momentum (shi) with 

Barefoot Doctor’s Xing Yi Power & Intention Training 

Part 2 – The 12 Animals Form