GiCheon’s six basic postures help practitioners restore the physical integrity, the hexagonal structure, of the body, which deteriorates with age. By “hexagonal structure” we mean a symmetrical body in 3D (top, bottom, front, back, left, right & 45 degree angles from all the said sides). Think of our DNA and the integrity of the double helix spiral. If the integrity of that spiral is broken, our bodies begin to break down and age, or we submit to disease.
The six static postures allow us to build a hexagonal symmetry or equilibrium with our bodies which slows down the aging process. Perhaps human beings are the only animals on this planet who are physically capable of achieving a hexagonal symmetry (composed of a triangle, quadrangle and circle) concurrently in 3D with the six static postures. The six static postures are designed to express that symmetry with strength and stability.
In order to achieve this new structural integrity, we learn YeokGeun (Yeok: to change, Geun: muscle), or locking of the joints in the wrists, waist, knees, ankles, and more to release the flow of ki. YeokGeun is concerned with physiological (external) aspects as well as psychological, mental, transcendental, abdominal (internal) synchronized concentration on oneself.
YeokGeun allows GiCheon instructors to easily recognize various conditions of one’s body, mind, ki energy, internal force and the level of their orchestration.
Because postures are held for five minutes or more, YeokGeun warms the body (heat/fire) causing sweat (water) which also helps with the circulation of ki energy (wind/air) and detoxification of the organs. It also helps instructors detect blocked ki channels in students so they can open them and release the ki naturally.
Galileo described the universe this way: “This grand book is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometrical figures.” - Joseph Mazur "The Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space", Dutton (19 April 2007).
All human movements can be classified or connected to any one of the 6 basic GiCheon postures. These 6 postures include triangle, quadrangle, pentagon and hexagon in the body structure that other spiritual traditions around the world also attribute significance to these geometric patterns and relationships (think the pyramids of Egypt). In this way, GiCheon has attempted to make this connection so overtly.
GiCheon martial art emphasizes physical expression, strength and stability in 3-dimensional (X, Y, Z), rotational (A,B,C) and spiral directions. So the movements are always circular or spiral.