This opening module lays the groundwork for the deepening of your Liu He Ba Fa journey by exploring the Taoist concept of Yin and Yang and how it applies to movement, energy, and balance.

Master Helen will introduce you to the fundamental stances and the way Liu He Ba Fa movements help regulate Qi flow through the body’s meridians, influencing physical health, balance, and energy circulation.

You’ll learn how blockages in these pathways can lead to stagnation, how movement keeps energy flowing smoothly, and how Liu He Ba Fa postures and transitions help open, stretch, and spiral through these channels to enhance circulation.

In this session, you’ll explore:

• Yin and Yang in movement — Yin as soft, yielding, inward energy (contraction, stillness, adaptability) and Yang as strong, expanding, outward energy (extension, structure, expression)
• How the Bow Stance, Horse Stance, Cross Resting Stance, Empty Stance, and Drop Stance create stability and grounding — and how these stances affect balance, root, and the way Qi flows through the body
• How Liu He Ba Fa integrates these stances and energies through fluid transitions, ensuring movements are never stiff or forced

Movements covered:

• Stop the Wagon to Ask for Directions — A moment of stillness before action, representing Yin yielding to Yang
• Rein the Horse at the Cliff — A redirection movement that teaches control over impulsive Yang energy
• Close the Door and Push the Moon — Soft yet firm, demonstrating how Yin energy can direct outward force effectively

Now that you’ve explored the foundation of Yin-Yang balance and Qi pathways, the focus shifts to Qi cultivation — how breath, intention, and movement come together to generate and refine energy.

Liu He Ba Fa teaches that Qi flows where the mind directs it, and breath controls its rhythm. This module introduces breathwork techniques and explores how to use intention (Yi) to guide Qi smoothly through the body.

You’ll also explore the Six Unities — how Ti (elevating, lifting) aligns with Xin (body and heart-mind) through breath and posture that calms the mind and makes movement more fluid…

… and how the principle of Qi in the Eight Principles helps circulate Qi smoothly, gather the spirit, and give movements a sense of meaning and connection.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How Qi is the internal energy that fuels movement and connects mind, body, and breath
• How Qi flows through breath, intention, and movement — and must be cultivated, not forced
• Why deep breathing sinks Qi to the Dantian, stabilizing movement
• Why breath should follow movement, ensuring effortless energy flow
• How the 6 Unities and 8 Principles calm the mind and instill movement with fluidity, spirit, and connection

Movements covered:

• Rein the Horse at the Precipice — Controlling movement with breath and intention
• Close the Door and Push the Moon — Expanding and contracting energy with fluid breath
• Part the Clouds to See the Sun — Opening the chest to enhance Qi circulation

Explore how Qi strengthens structure, creating stability, balance, and power without relying on muscular force.

Liu He Ba Fa teaches that strength comes from alignment, rootedness, and internal energy rather than external tension. In this module, you’ll refine how intention (Yi) directs Qi, and how Qi, when properly integrated, supports effortless movement and power.

You’ll also explore the Six Unities — how Xin (emotion) unites with Yi (heart-mind and logical mind) and initiates movement, while Yi directs and refines it, and how this balance ensures movements are both instinctive and precise.

The Eight Principles focus is Xing (shape) — form beyond appearance, and how through Liu He Ba Fa, you become the movement rather than just imitating shapes.

This week, you’ll:

• Explore Gu Jin (bone strength) — and how true strength comes from the bones, tendons, and alignment — not brute force
• Discover how sinking Qi into the Dantian creates stability and effortless power
• Understand the role of Yi (intention) in strength — how Yi provides clarity and control, ensuring Qi moves efficiently, and how movement is scattered without Yi
• Learn how power comes from posture, alignment, and intent — not excessive force
• Learn why movements must be both stable and adaptable, like bamboo — firm yet flexible

Movements covered:

• Pluck the Stars and Exchange the Dipper — Precision, balance, and upward expansion
• Wild Geese Flying in Formation — Expanding outward with controlled balance
• Lone Goose Leaves the Flock — Navigating solo energy with structure and flow

You’ll refine Sui (follow) — the principle of continuous, flowing movement — and explore how Liu He Ba Fa embodies the Taoist wisdom of water. Like water, your movements should be unbroken, adaptable, and powerful without rigidity.

This week, you’ll explore water as a Taoist metaphor for movement — how it can be soft and yielding, yet incredibly strong, and how it adjusts to obstacles without losing its nature, just as your movements should embody both Yin and Yang.

Master Helen will share how the stillness of deep water represents Shen (spirit) — a calm, clear mind guiding action.

Explore your movements when Qi unites with Shen (energy and spirit) — and how the concept of Sui creates a seamless, rhythmic practice.

In this session, you’ll:

• Learn how, just as water moves effortlessly, your transitions should be smooth, steady, and natural
• Explore how rigidity leads to struggle — and how true efficiency comes from adaptability
• Experience Qi uniting with Shen (energy and spirit) — how strong Shen elevates our movements, making them intentional and refined, and how scattered Shen creates weak and uncoordinated movements
• Learn how instead of resisting force, you can redirect and adapt — like water adjusting to its environment
• Explore why continuous movement conceals intent, making actions unpredictable — and how softness leads to control when we yield first, then strike at the right moment

Movements covered:

• The River Flows Unceasingly — Embodying continuous, uninterrupted movement
• Wild Horse Chasing the Wind — Combining speed and lightness with deep-rooted stability
• Taming the Tiger, Listening to the Wind — Teaching grounding while staying adaptable, like a river that can be calm or rushing

You’ll refine the principle of Ti (elevating, lifting) — learning how to create lightness in movement while staying grounded.

Master Helen will share why true elevation in Liu He Ba Fa comes from balance, not force.

This is also where Shen (spirit) unites with Dong (action), ensuring that movements are guided by refined awareness, not mechanical execution.

You’ll explore how to hold the head as if suspended through movements that are light and expansive, but never unstable — and experience how posture and alignment allow Qi to rise naturally, lifting without strain.

Master Helen will demonstrate how the Bai Hui point at the crown of the head acts as a guiding point for upward energy.

This week, you’ll:

• Learn why action should be guided by a calm, elevated Shen (spirit) — not forced or erratic, and how movements flow smoothly and efficiently when Shen is balanced
• Explore how uniting Shen with Dong refines coordination, ensuring that every action has intent and clarity
• Discover how true lightness comes from internal strength, not from collapsing structure
• Experience yourself as a tree with deep roots and high branches as you maintain stability while moving with agility
• Learn how in martial application, sudden shifts in height and weight distribution create unpredictability and control

Movements covered:

• Sound in the East, Strike in the West — A deceptive movement that teaches strategic misdirection and how Shen guides spontaneous action
• Azure Dragon Extends its Claws — Demonstrates extension and contraction, showing how Ti lifts energy while remaining centered
• Elixir Refining Nine Transformations — Represents inner refinement — how breath, intent, and movement create effortless flow

In Taoist philosophy, everything moves in cycles — day becomes night, the seasons shift, and water evaporates only to return as rain. Nothing is truly linear. True harmony comes from recognizing these cycles and moving with them rather than resisting.

In Liu He Ba Fa, the principle of Huan (return) teaches us that movements should not be fragmented or forced. Instead, they should rise and fall, expand and contract, flow outward and return inward, like waves rolling onto shore and retreating back into the ocean. This ability to flow with change rather than resist it is essential not only in martial arts but in life.

This week, you’ll experience how moving with cycles allows you to adapt and flow with more ease.

The Six Unities focus is Shen uniting with Dong (spirit and action) — how the spirit must be steady and aware, allowing movement to be instinctive and natural rather than forced or hesitant.

The Eight Principles focus is Huan (return), which teaches us to move through cycles with ease, creating an unbroken rhythm where one action leads seamlessly into another.

In this session, you’ll:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the natural rhythm of movement — expansion and contraction, advance and retreat, release and return
• Keep movements connected and fluid, ensuring each action seamlessly leads into the next
• Learn to change direction without stiffness, embracing adaptability and spontaneity
• Experience how Shen uniting with Dong (spirit and action) and the Eight Principles focus of Huan (return) instill a sense of flow and natural rhythm

Movements covered:

• Angry Horse Turns Its Head — A sharp redirection of energy, symbolizing adaptability and quick reaction
• Push the Boat With the Current — Yielding and flowing with external forces instead of resisting them
• Startled Horse Turns Its Head — A swift yet controlled movement, maintaining balance while reacting fluidly

In this module, you’ll explore the principle of emptiness (Kong) — not as nothingness, but as a state of effortlessness and adaptability.

You’ll explore how true mastery comes from learning to move without unnecessary tension, allowing motion to arise naturally — without force or resistance.

This idea connects deeply to Le (rein in) — the principle of holding back excess force, allowing power to be controlled rather than wasted. Through restraint and balance, movements become light yet grounded, fluid yet strong.

The Six Unities focus explores how action unites with emptiness — how movement should arise from a place of natural balance, not from forced effort. The Eight Principles focus is Le (rein in), or how holding back excess effort allows movement to be controlled and refined.

Ultimately, you’ll learn how to move with ease, releasing unnecessary force and allowing Qi to flow naturally. To achieve this, Master Helen will guide you on how to relax without collapsing, let the waist lead, maintain an elastic structure, use intention to guide your motion, and let breath drive your movement.

In this session, you’ll:

• Gain a deeper understanding how emptiness (Kong) allows movement to flow effortlessly
• Learn to rein in excess tension (Le) so power is controlled yet natural
• Refine movement by removing stiffness and cultivating lightness
• Train the body to stay elastic and responsive rather than rigid
• Be guided in movements that allow Qi to flow naturally as you release resistance and unnecessary force

Movements covered:

• Flower Drops From a Vase Onto an Ink-Stone — A delicate, effortless movement that teaches control through release, embodying emptiness
• High Mountain Flowing Water — Demonstrates the balance between stability (mountain) and flow (water), illustrating how movement remains continuous.
• Boy Presents a Book to the Master — A soft, offering movement that expresses giving without force, control without tension.

In this module, you’ll learn the Eighth Principle focus of Fu — the art of concealment, unpredictability, and hidden strength. In Liu He Ba Fa, true martial skill is not about openly displaying power but about hiding intent, disguising movement, and revealing force only when necessary.

Fu teaches us how to mask strength within relaxation, appearing soft while maintaining internal power. You’ll blend movement seamlessly, making transitions unpredictable and unreadable, while staying adaptable and responding without revealing strategy too soon.

This principle applies beyond martial arts. In life, sometimes the most effective action is not direct force, but subtle, well-timed movement — knowing when to act, when to hold back, and when to adapt.

In this session, you’ll:

• Explore Fu, the art of concealment, for subtle yet strong well-timed movement
• Experience how hidden techniques, deceptive transitions, and unexpected timing make movement unreadable
• Learn how Fu allows for effortless redirection, misleading opponents, and maintaining control over a situation without excessive force

Movements covered:

• Woodcutter Carries Firewood — A movement that appears simple yet conceals deep-rooted leg and core power, teaching how to hide strength within natural motion
• Swallow Pierces the Clouds — A swift, agile movement that embodies unpredictability, making one’s actions unreadable
• Swallow Skims the Water — A low, flowing movement that emphasizes disguise and softness, blending power within subtlety

At this stage in your Liu He Ba Fa journey, you have covered a significant portion of the form. The movements are becoming more complex, and it’s natural to feel like you may forget parts or struggle with transitions.

This module is about taking a step back — not introducing any new theories or principles, but instead focusing purely on movement.

You’ll review, refine, and reinforce what you have learned so far, ensuring smoother transitions and deepening your connection to the form.

In this session, you’ll:

• Strengthen previously learned movements, ensuring that transitions feel natural and continuous
• Receive tips for remembering sequences and making the form feel intuitive
• Expanding the form with 3 new movements while keeping it manageable and digestible

Movements covered:

• Heavenly Official Plucks the Stars — A light, expansive movement that teaches upward intention and energy extension
• Support the Sky and Cover the Earth — A movement integrating both rising and grounding forces for balance
• Casually Drop Into the Well — A yielding movement that teaches effortless redirection and soft control

Liu He Ba Fa is often said to incorporate qualities of Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Bagua, but it is not a fusion of these arts. Instead, it shares a common foundation in Taoist philosophy, Qi cultivation, and internal power with them.

Rather than viewing Liu He Ba Fa as borrowing from these styles, you’ll explore how they all arise from the same principles, expressed in different ways.

Master Helen will share how internal power is expressed differently in Tai Chi, which emphasizes yielding, balance, and circular movement; Xingyi, which focuses on direct, committed actions with explosive power; Bagua, which trains constant change, evasiveness, and spiral energy, and Liu He Ba Fa, which naturally integrates elements of fluid adaptability, resonating with all three arts while remaining unique.

Different movements naturally express these qualities, giving you a deeper understanding of internal martial arts as a whole.

This week, you’ll:

• Explore the connection between internal martial arts — how internal martial arts cultivate Qi and internal power (Nei Jin)
• Recognize the distinct energies of Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Bagua within Liu He Ba Fa
• Learn to identify and embody different movement qualities without rigid labels
• How Liu He Ba Fa embodies Tai Chi-like movements — smooth, circular, and balanced transitions; Xingyi-like movements — direct, committed actions with strong intent; and Bagua-like movements — agile, evasive, and continuously flowing footwork

Movements covered:

• 2 Phoenixes Facing the Sun — This movement resembles the Tai Chi technique Two Winds Pierce the Ears, where both arms move in circular motions before striking with the fists. It demonstrates fluidity, circular power, and Yin-Yang balance, which are hallmarks of Tai Chi
• Intercepting Hands, Double Push — A movement that shifts between Bow Stance and Half Horse Stance, integrating stability, redirection, and adaptable hand techniques. Unlike Xingyi’s straightforward explosiveness, this movement emphasizes controlled structure and smooth transitions, a unique Liu He Ba Fa approach to martial application

Shen (spirit) is one of the most profound aspects of Liu He Ba Fa.

Throughout this course, you have explored key principles, Taoist philosophy, martial applications, and internal energy cultivation. Shen is what unites all of these elements, transforming movement from mechanical form into a living expression of intent, energy, and awareness.

In internal martial arts, Shen is the animating force that breathes life into every movement. It naturally emerges when Qi flows smoothly, transitions are fluid, and principles are deeply understood. Without Shen, movements feel empty; with Shen, they become powerful, expressive, and intentional.

Master Helen will share the role of Yan Shen (Spirit in the Eyes) — a defining characteristic of mastery — and how the eyes lead intention (Yi), Yi leads Qi, and Qi leads movement. Training the eyes to be expressive sharpens focus and deepens connection to the form.

In this session, you’ll:

• Explore Shen and how it appears in movement, arising naturally when movement, breath, and intent harmonize
• Learn how Shen is expressed through fluidity, presence, focus — and movements that feel alive, connected, and purposeful
• Refine the Full Part One Sequence, ensuring that movements are clear and confident with a focus on smooth transitions, deepened structure, and refining flow
• Experience how when the mind is calm, Qi flows smoothly and Shen manifests naturally
• Be guided in a practical movement practice to observe where your gaze is directed — are you truly present in each movement?

Movements covered:

• Warm Breeze Sweeps the Leaves — A light, flowing movement that teaches how to release tension and let Qi move naturally through the body, much like wind sweeping leaves effortlessly
• Double Pouncing Palms to the Face — A dynamic movement requiring strength, fluidity, and balance, transitioning through Bow Stance, Drop Stance, Standing on One Leg, and back to Bow Stance, demonstrating control in rising and sinking movements

This final session will provide an opportunity to revisit and polish key areas, ensuring that the form feels natural and intuitive in terms of movement, energy, and intent.

The concept of emptiness (Kong) will guide your practice — not as a lack of substance, but as a state of refined awareness where movement becomes natural and unforced.

You’ll be given a grand review of this Full Sequence, ensuring that every movement flows effortlessly, transitions are smooth, and Shen (spirit) is fully expressed.

Rather than focusing on isolated techniques, you’ll approach the form as a unified whole, where each action leads naturally into the next.

This week, you’ll:

• Be guided by Master Helen through the entire form from beginning to end, refining continuity and flow, precision and awareness, and expression of Shen (spirit) as you move beyond mechanics to embody true presence and intent
• Receive encouragement and go deeper into how Liu He Ba Fa is a lifelong practice — a journey rather than a destination
• Explore how mastery comes from repetition and continuous refinement rather than remembering everything perfectly
• Create space for new insights to emerge, allowing the form to deepen over time
• Stay patient and enjoy the process — the more you engage with the art, the more it will reveal itself to you