All techniques in MaGui Bagua should 'feel like you are circle-walking'. The training of the circle-walking enables you to do the techniques with whole body power. Otherwise, why would we spend so much time walking in circles? If you have an error in technique, you will find that this error occurs in your circle-walking, and that it will self-correct once you have fixed your circle-walking. There are eight postures used in the circle-walk, but most training is done in the bear posture.
Circle-walking is a designed so that at no point in the process do you lose whole body power, thus, you build whole body power when you circle-walk. There is no relaxation phase, the legs are always heavy and the body connected. The arms are light and relaxed (though power must go through to the hands). The goal is to connect all the tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue from the bottom of the feet through the body to to where they connect to the skull.
The feet are placed at two foot widths apart for a stable support. Thus the stance is always a mabu feeling.
The feet lift flat and land flat. Do not let the rear heel come up even a little.
The step is as far as you can reach without a glide step (about one foot length). This is a small step, but do not hold back, step as far forward as you can with the buttocks rolled under and the body keeping its power. Fully extend the reaching leg.
Grab the ground with the whole foot, ankle, and lower leg. The entire lower leg is fixed to the ground.
Put power to the weak part of the nape of the neck, where the spine meets the head. Fill up the two depressions on either side of the neck, just under the skull. Turn the head to naturally tuck the jaw towards the shoulder.
There are many traditional catchwords to help you find the right way to circle-walk.
Trample the head and tail of the snake: The feet grab the ground with whole body power. Grip with both feet equally. Shift forward only so far as to have to grip the ground with the feet to be able to move forward.
Kick the doorstop: Extend the knee and the ankle fully as if kicking through a Chinese doorstop. Do not kick into the front of the knee, but reach through the middle of the whole leg.
Settle the qi to the dantian: Keep the buttocks well tucked in and keep the chest settled down.
Have a turtle back: The upper back is stretched wide.
Toad walk stepping: the lifted foot moves very, very slowly like a toad. Toads walk with their body very close to the ground, lifting their feet carefully. The body moves forward steadily, no jerking, no rise or fall.
Roll a hemp rope: Push the lifted foot down as it moves through the air, as if making a rope out of hemp (or playdough). This keeps the lifted foot connected to the whole body.