Liu He Ba Fa 六合八法拳

(Six Harmonies Eight Methods)

Liuhebafa 六合八法 (six harmonies eight methods)
a.k.a. shuiquan 水拳 (Water Boxing)
a.k.a. Xinyi Liuhebafa 心意六合八法 (Heart intent / six harmonies Eight directions)
a.k.a. Lok Hup Pat Fat (lok hup)

Liuhebafa is an Internal Style attributed to Chen Bo 陳博 of Hua Shan during the Song Dynasty. Using power similar to Xingyiquan, stepping patterns of Baguazhang and neutralizing power like Taijiquan. Movements change from high to low and fast to slow resembling floating clouds and flowing water.

Here is a performance of Liuhebafa, performed by Liang Hao (Helen Liang).
She is the daughter of Grandmaster Shouyu Liang.

Helen used liuhebafa, qigong, prayer, meditation, TCM, and other methods to beat cancer (non-hogkins lymphoma) a decade ago.

Six Harmonies

The name, Six Harmonies and Eight Methods, refers to the guiding principles of the art.

Heart, Mind, and Shen

HEART
When talking of the six harmonies, heart is called Xin (心) and can refer to the emotional mind.

MIND
The mind that that the xin is harmonising with is the yi (意) and refers to "intent", "meaning", or "idea."

SHEN
The shen (神) is the spirit, and can refer to spirit, soul, mind or divine aspect. Shen can also refer to expression appearance, or manifestation.

the harmony of the body and heart,
the harmony of the heart and mind,
the harmony of the mind and qi,
the harmony of the qi and shen (spirit),
the harmony of the spirit and the movement,
the harmony of the movement and emptiness,

The fact that the interpretation of these six harmonies varies somewhat from school to school is not so much as a sign of disagreement, as it is a choice of semantics or emphasis.

"When I am teaching, I use the six harmonies to define the levels of progress experienced as one's personal skill in the art evolves.I present the first three harmonies as the cultivation of internal awareness, and the last three harmonies as the realisation of harmony with the Universe. In the context of combat, this means that one first understands the relationship between the body, the emotions, and thought. Then one studies the relationship between thought, motivation, manifestation, and non-attachment. Without this understanding, the fighter will be doomed to freezing up within the first few moments of a fight. For beginners, this failure will appear as a result of poorly executed technique, possible due to poor conditioning. To the more advanced student, it will seem to be the result of a momentary gap in awareness. Ultimately, the failure of mind and body in a conflict is the result of internal and external disharmony. To put it simply, first you must learn how to not fight yourself, then you must learn how not to fight everything else. After a while the six harmonies appear to the student as one thing." - Ian Sinclair

It is interesting to note that while several styles refer to six harmonies theory, the particular harmonies are different.
In xinyiquan, for instance, the six harmonies refer to the three internal harmonies and three external harmonies. The internal harmonies are: the heart and the mind (xin and yi), the mind and the energy (yi and qi), and the energy and the strength (qi and li). The external harmonies are: the hands with the feet, the elbows with the knees, and the shoulders with the hips.

Eight Methods

1. (氣) Qi - Circulate the qi (氣) to gather the spirit.
2. (骨) Bone - Condense the power in the bones.
3. (形) Shape - External shapes disguise the true meaning.
4. (隨) Follow - Avoid attachment to fixed techniques or strategies.
5. (提) Rise - Achieve an enlightened state of emptiness.
6. (還) Return - Continuity without interruption. (counter without pause)
7. (勒) Bridle - Control the disadvantage.
8. (伏) Conceal - Hide the advantage.

Forms

The two best known routines taught in Liuhebafa are:

Liuhebafaquan (六合八法拳) also known as Zhu Ji (築基) or "building the foundation"
and the
Sanpan Shiershi (三盤十二勢) "Three coils and twelve powers."

Liuhebafaquan is a sixty-six posture routine with more than five hundred martial techniques.
Sanpan Shiershi develops the reaction skills needed for combat including advancing and retreating, rising and lowering. etc.

In addition to these routines, there are several less common empty hand routines as well as weapon forms and internal power training exercises.

Liuhebafa is usually learned by those who have first achieved a level of expertise in taijiquan, xingyiquan and/or baguazhang. This is why it is not uncommon to see the flavours of these other styles in the liuhebafa routines. Some masters will perform liuhebafa with a very obvious taijiquan flavour, while the liuhebafa of other masters looks more like xingyiquan.