Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Chinese believed that sickness and untimely deaths were caused by physical debilitation. These bodily ills could be alleviated, if not altogether prevented, by the regular practice of certain proper, curative exercises. These exercises were aimed toward the acquisition of a strong and supple body which, in turn, enabled the mind to think clearly and provided the soul with a strong abode. The prevention of illnesses hinged on the total development of the human being, and each person was treated as a complete and separate entity. The Chinese ideal was the sage, a venerable man of sound judgement, who possessed sound body, an active mind, and a tranquil spirit.
In the sixth century, the warrior priests of the Shaolin Monastery spread the Eighteen Lo-Han Postures, the legacy of Hua-T'o, throughout Asia. The Eighteen Postures quickly became famous as both a means of physical culture and an effective fighting art. This uniquely Oriental idea, promoted by the Shaolin priests, combined health benefits and self-defence applications within the same exercise. The Shaolin priests believed that the study of a fighting style eventually led to the elimination of aggressive tendencies within the individual. When confronted with danger, the properly trained martial artist would retreat whenever possible; fight when not allowed to retreat, maim before killing, and take a life only under the utmost duress.
The Eighteen Postures, founded on the teachings of Hua-T'o and the Shaolin priests, have become the basis of the entire Swanda System and have been passed on from generation to generation, guarded and preserved through the centuries. The Swanda System believes that the Eighteen Postures, by the very nature of their development, are preserved in their intent as Hua-T'o originally conceived.
The Animals and the Elements, which comprise the Eighteen Postures, are worked separately or together, depending on whether the student wishes to derive specific or overall benefits from that particular practice. When the motions of an Animal and its corresponding Element are properly united, a pure motion is derived. This pure, external motion, coupled with an internal understanding of that Animal and Element, is used as the central theme which each of the Swanda Forms then interprets and explores. This is the way the Animals walk through the Swanda System.
Those same Animals also live in the heart of every warrior, and the promising Swanda student shows great spiritual insight when he finally learns to recognise their presence and track their movements. All animals have distinctive, identifying characteristics, and at some time in his training, each student will begin to take on the attributes of one of the Nine Animals. One of the Nine Animals is destined to be his as he matures. During intensive training sessions, the established defence mechanisms fall to the realities of the moment. The necessity to ignore the presence of pain and continue the struggle strips away all cultural inhibitions and artificial pretensions. At this frozen instant, the heart pounding and the lungs aching, functioning on only the most basic levels, the essential animal nature of each individual is exposed for all to see. Whether the beast thus revealed is the Tiger, the crane or some other animal, the warrior must be able to release the internal animal whenever the situation demands. It is neither uplifting nor degrading to encourage this insight, but is instead totally necessary to the student's understanding of his own nature. In order to detect the Animal's footsteps, the Swanda student must learn to listen for them with the inner ear.
There are several points which must be made about the fundamental movements of the Eighteen Postures.
First, understand that there is no absolutely right or wrong way to perform each Animal or Element. By design, much room has been left for personal interpretation.
Second, understand also that there are better ways and worse ways to perform each Animal or Element, and it is imperative that the Eighteen Postures retain their effective, practical applications.
Third, it can be stated categorically and unequivocally that the Eighteen Postures must be learned under the proper guidance and personal tutelage of a qualified instructor. The Swanda System deals with the complexities of motion, and motion cannot be learned from a book, but must be experienced firsthand.
Finally, the Eighteen Postures reveal themselves slowly, through a lifetime of study. Although we may have worked them for decades, we remain students.