Talking mainly to the junior members of the class, she emphasised the need to “stretch in full”.
The stages of learning Tai Ji are:
The Form (the mechanical part)
Getting the Form Flowing
Stretching in Full.
When stretching, usually on the outbreath, the arms should be relaxed. “Strength spreads to the fingertips” is an old saying with many interpretations, but note that the fingers are weaker if the arm is tense: the arm has to relax for the fingers to be strong. Also, practicing internal martial arts will build up the muscles of the legs much more than the muscles of the arms: when “stretching in full”, you should also sink down more and open your arch more.
Miss Li still tends to emphasise the teaching of the form and the correct movement of the muscles. Qi will circulate of its own accord and does not need to be forced. When you feel it circulating it will not be dramatic: not like a wind blowing round your body. It is more that you will be able to tell which areas are blocked and where the qi is not flowing. She commented in this connection that at the higher levels Tai Ji is a very beneficial form of exercise, but left that vague ... “as you will discover” ...
35 minutes is a good time to take for the long form; 40-45 minutes is very good for more advanced levels.
Tuesday, 27 February 2018
July 1986
Once again Miss Li mentioned the three main aspects of:
Heaven ... fresh air
Earth ... a flat floor
Human ... me!
People challenge her about things such as Qi Gong and meditation, and she usually says “Tai Ji is the whole package”. But in her tradition they do have supplementary exercises, though they talk of them as “breathing exercises” rather than Qi Gong, and “quiet sitting” rather than meditation.
She then introduced one simple way of quiet sitting:
Sit firmly on a chair, back erect and not supported.
Feet with the edges of the soles either together or crossed at the ankles, and a nice bow in the legs.
Hands clasped in front of the belly, with all ten finger tips tucked into the nest.
After a short while, you may begin to feel warmth in your hands: focus your attention on this feeling by saying 5 times “ I feel warm in my hands”, or just “warm”.
Swallow saliva twice (a good flow of saliva is a sign of good health).
Repeat focus on warm hands.
Start with 10 minutes a day and allow the time to grow naturally.
Practice daily for 3 months and you will begin to feel the benefit.
With good posture you may find the warm sensation spreads; and it will help you to relax your limbs and torso in Tai Ji practice.
Heaven ... fresh air
Earth ... a flat floor
Human ... me!
People challenge her about things such as Qi Gong and meditation, and she usually says “Tai Ji is the whole package”. But in her tradition they do have supplementary exercises, though they talk of them as “breathing exercises” rather than Qi Gong, and “quiet sitting” rather than meditation.
She then introduced one simple way of quiet sitting:
Sit firmly on a chair, back erect and not supported.
Feet with the edges of the soles either together or crossed at the ankles, and a nice bow in the legs.
Hands clasped in front of the belly, with all ten finger tips tucked into the nest.
After a short while, you may begin to feel warmth in your hands: focus your attention on this feeling by saying 5 times “ I feel warm in my hands”, or just “warm”.
Swallow saliva twice (a good flow of saliva is a sign of good health).
Repeat focus on warm hands.
Start with 10 minutes a day and allow the time to grow naturally.
Practice daily for 3 months and you will begin to feel the benefit.
With good posture you may find the warm sensation spreads; and it will help you to relax your limbs and torso in Tai Ji practice.
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