Over the past month or so we have worked hard on understanding posture, opening joints (we focused on the shoulders) and developing spinal and core strength. Will all that focus on the mid and upper body, it was time to move back down to the foundation, Grounding Energy and Separation; creating emptiness in every movement. Needless to say, my legs are tired.
Qigong Training, Principal Focus...
Grounding energy and separation, can be approached from many different training perspectives, I wanted to work to better understand weight shifting. When to shift, how to shift and why to shift. As I have mentioned before, Qigong training is a fantastic way to practice your principal training therefore, I chose some Qigong exercises that I knew would challenge the student's understanding of grounding and separation on a physical, mental and spiritual level. (Insert evil laugh here) MUHUHAHAHAHA! We started out slowly by doing simple Qigong with a focus on breathing, good posture and three solid points balanced on the ground. Then we worked on "Holding the Ball" Qigong, moving from the Dan Tien while keeping our weight balanced, 50/50. Then, with the same exercise, We added a weight shift to the side we were turning into; then we added a push to the side with the top hand to further challenge good posture and concentration. I noticed that as the movements became more complicated, students were having more trouble keeping their feet firmly grounded and their postures would suffer as a result. There were several other Qigong exercises I introduced based on the students in a specific class but these were the primary ones for this principal focus.
Exploration and understanding of weight shifting...
I observed that many students, when weight shifting, would place their mental focus into the foot that was pushing off. For the ones that pushed hard enough, this left them feeling off balance and unstable in their movements. In order to effectively develop strength in Tai Chi, momentum must be eliminated from the movements. This means that every weight shift must become a conscious, focused, decision and NOT a simple result of gravity. There were several things suggested this week that addressed the elimination of momentum.
* Smaller Steps - This allows students to reduce the load-bearing element and it becomes easier to create emptiness on one side.
* Mental Focus - I asked them to visualize filling the "soon to be" weight bearing leg with water from the "soon to be" empty leg.
* Attention towards the strength - Effective Tai Chi weight shift requires a fair amount of strength. By drawing attention to what I call the "Column of Strength" you are "allowing" the other side to become empty, only noticing when it is fully so.
* Attention towards posture - All the strength in the world cannot save you from poor postural alignment. If your body is not in good posture, you cannot be well grounded for effective, stable weight shifting.
* The slower the better - Because good principal training can get very detailed, the slower you move, the more time you have to pay attention. Yes, I know it is harder that way so no emails please. ;-) Think of the difference between sitting near a flower bed and appreciating all the smells, colors, life and sounds of that lovely place versus blowing past it in a car...Which will provide you more understanding, peace and strength? NO! it is NOT the car!
12 Principals on the Playground...
I realized another thing this week. Many Tai Chi Students are focused on learning the movements of the form thinking that is the goal of Tai Chi training. 1) Learn the form; 2) Do Tai Chi form everyday; 3) Have it all; 4) GET IT, GOT IT, GOOD! 5) Move on. NOT QUITE speedy. Generally speaking, the 5 primary styles of Tai Chi and all Qigong training are based on the same 12 principals which address posture, alignment, focus, breath, balance and so on. These principals are based on Taoist philosophical influence (flowing with, not against nature) and work to create a harmony of Spirit, Body and Mind. Keeping this in mind, the principals BECOME the point of training. THEY are the universal truths that translate to ALL parts of our lives; physical, mental and spiritual. Tai Chi forms and Qigong exercises are simply "playgrounds" for training the principals. So next time you are frustrated at not getting a movement "just right" ask yourself; Where are the principals in this movement? Find the principals and find the true nature of your Tai Chi form.
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