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.