Hello, Saturday classmates,
As much as possible, I will post our Saturday tai chi class notes. I'm going to start with the most recent and work backwards up to a couple of months. They may not be 100% accurate, so I hope Sifu will correct what I have been able to decipher. If anyone has any questions about any particular parts of the form and you're able to describe the movement you're thinking about, Sifu said that he would attempt to respond from the road, if not in class. So, here were the gems from last Saturday:
Anybody can move. You have to move with coordinated motion. Coordinated motion requires control.
You need to have:
Straight posture (lower back strength)
Pelvis control
Deliberate step (no dropping into your step)
Breath control
Then be aware of the experience.
You need to carry adequate discipline so that you can see your shortcomings/weak or off spots.
Be aware of every microsecond. Is it right? Does it feel right?
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Try to keep the "palm leaf" hand (line between tip of index finger down to opposite lower corner of palm, then relax rest of hand around that line). Hands are predominantly this way throughout the form with a few exceptions (punches, gouges, single whip, etc.)
When transitioning from pushing toward the right, then trailing the hands 180 degrees into single whip, the left palm pushes outward somewhat--it's a neck dragging (?) move.
We were speaking of knee injuries. Knee injuries often start at the hips or feet. Women in high heels or people who wear thick soled boots often experience problems, too. They get no feedback from the ground.
I will also add pointers that were for particular students, but are areas that we can all benefit from in practice:
Focus
Breathing
Intention
See you next time,
Ros
3 comments:
Thanks. We hear so much of value that it's nice to review them through your notes.
Ros, thank you for taking the time to post these notes. These are more useful than you can imagine.
1. In regards to movement, anyone can flail about to make some sort of movement. The Greeks had a term, Kalos Sthenos (beautiful strength), from which our word "calisthenic" comes from. Healthy movement from a human body shouldn't be ugly. Rather, it should be smooth, powerful, and coordinated - regardless of the speed at which it's executed.
2. Control in Tai-Chi is manifested as
- postural control (spinal alignment & function)
- pelvic/hip control (hip alignment)
- pace control (speed)
- breath control
- and finally, mental/spiritual control.
3. Mental/Spiritual: Most people think of the mental & spiritual as being removed from daily life - something that you have to retreat into a quiet room for with your aromatic oils, your meditation CD, and your special Tibetan wool rug. Nothing could be further from "useful". The REAL meditation occurs in every microsecond of your life.
- Are you aware of what you are doing? how you're sitting? what you're saying? what you're conveying to others?
- Are you aware of what your body is really doing, or are you merely defending what your body THINKS it's doing?
4. Willow Leaf Palm is indeed universal throughout the Yang style large frame form. Any time you have an open hand, the open hand is held in the willow leaf structure with exceptions for the fingertip thrusting movements, such as gouge & the snake spits out tongue.
Sifu,
Thanks for elaborating and for the correct terminology.
More to post in the next few days. I'll try to pace myself so we're not overwhelmed.
Ros
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