Comments for Practice

      Here are a few comments to help your practice

Centerlines run the length, width and depth of each of our body segments, beginning and ending at our joints, we are as centerlines though which haven and earth may exchange their chi. We are born to benefit from this merging of heaven and earth as we are it's creation, and therefore our movement most be preceded by an awareness of it and adherence to it.

Centerlines connects us to our universe both internally and externally. There are two ends of our greater centerline, that of the crown otherwise called "one-hundred points meeting" is positioned atop of our head and under our cowlick . "One-hundred points meeting" is your centerline to haven, while the perineum is your centerline to earth. The chi and or the kundalini will inter and or exits through this and all centerlines, like a wind tunnel or like a water-holes seeking the openings though it may flow.

When practicing tai chi chaun and throughout your day maintain your practice of centerline while in thought and deed. The most important thing is to keep your body plume with eyes towards the horizon while simultaneously aware three dimensionally. Each of the three dimensions has two bellows, the bellows replicate up/down, forward/backward, left/right. Don't lean in any way lest you collapse; lest you be toppled; lest you be thrown; lest you be double locked. You don't have to be in a low stance, but you must be perfectly level and trued. Any and every two points must align with respect to centerline extending downward towards the planets core.

Next stabilization will surface after centerline has been closely and continuously observed over time, then comes foot placement. Your foot placement has to be accurate, mistakes may even number in the thousands, but, you must pursue those mistakes until you have at the most five of them and then and only then seek a new listen. It's the mistakes in the begin that a methodical and daily practice can heal. That is the process that brings you to your sifu's attention, he or she must see you frequently stay the course. Note to the wise student, only by "eating bitter" therefore training diligently can one hasten the sweet so make haste slowly. When your foot placement is accurate your foundation will be right, just as when erecting a pyramid, if the bottom is off by the slightest margin the whole structure becomes more and more out of alignment and unleveled as you continue build.

The attention, (yi) is now able to flow toward the hands, arms, feet and legs. The arms must be open so the chi can travel through to the hands. If the arms are opened too much or extended too much you are double locked and the chi is blocked. The legs must be open so the chi can travel through to the feet. If the feet are opened too much or extended too much you are double locked and the chi is blocked.

Once the arms are opened properly, the knees must also be opened. Having achieved the proper position for your feet, legs, hands and arms, now work for "YING". All "YING" should be expressed by your hands The movements of the hands express the culmination (coming together) or result of the energy and postures that have moved the body.

Having "YING" ensures that you chi will be better and also in your hands for your design. 'YING" cannot and does not use strength. Once you use strength for any move your chi will not go there, brute force can not change direction and nor can it turn. Not even a river flow is without curve towards its destination take your time to the sea. When your movements are slow and loose chi will go there and Your natural chi will come out.

There are times when you will use strength, but there is a different way to use it. This will be spoken about at a future time. Recall that a lever and fulcrum can lift enormous weight differentials.

In addition to the above principles, when practicing, move as slowly as you can and look for the calmness inside, have your practice be slow, slow slow, soft, soft, soft... Only when it is soft can you be comfortable and relaxed. When you start to relax then you can look for "SINKNESS". Sinkness allows us to touch surfaces in a manner that need not even be noticed, as a spy might go unnoticed. A drop of rain before a flood, a breeze before a hurricane.

"SINKNESS" comes through structure. Hold your postures on every move just stay there, get comfortable, relax and look for sinkness. Every move has to "JOIN" all centerlines together in order to sink, This-goes back to the principle "SINKNESS comes through structure." An example is how each stone in an arch pushes off the stone below it and supports the stone above it. So to should your bones be at their joints. In closing go back to the beginning and remember to keep your body straight.