In the previous article in this series, we examined the Eight Limbs of Yoga as outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , noting how modern practitioners of Yoga, Qigong, and Taijiquan often isolate posture and breath while neglecting the deeper architecture of authentic cultivation. We now begin a closer examination of each limb in succession. The first is Yama —a word commonly translated as restraint, control, or ethical discipline. If we are serious about internal developm

In recent years, Qigong and Taijiquan have steadily grown in popularity, finding their way into community centers, rehabilitation programs, and wellness spaces across the world. Yet among the internal cultivation arts, Yoga remains the most widely recognized and practiced in the West. While these systems arise from different cultures, they share a common alchemical perspective: each seeks to refine the human being from the outside inward, harmonizing body, breath, mind, and s

In this third article of our series on the Seven Hermetic Principles and their relationship to the alchemical path and the internal martial arts, we turn our attention to the second principle: the Principle of Correspondence . It is most famously summarized in the Hermetic axiom: “As above, so below; as within, so without.” This single line conveys one of the most profound truths of internal cultivation: reality is not fragmented into isolated layers. Instead, it is a continu

Introduction & Significance Chen Pan-ling (陳攀嶺, 1892–1967) stands as one of the most important yet often understated figures in the history of modern internal Chinese martial arts. Living at a time when traditional kung fu was being challenged by social upheaval, modernization, and the demands of a changing China, Chen played a critical role in preserving, clarifying, and systematizing the internal arts of Tai Chi (Taijiquan), Bagua (Baguazhang), and Xingyi (Xingyiquan). Rath