Before one starts to train with taiji one must check the mind. Let the body relax into the ground. Let the mind relax and settle. Standing quietly feet slightly together the mind and the body relax, sink, and become quiet. The body becomes loose. The eyes become still as one gazes ahead looking into the distance. The mind focuses and calms. As the mind becomes calm the focus moves inside of the mind, and inside of the body and starts feeling the body's energy.

Peng, roundness, is present in the body. Looseness prevails. Chi can channel through this loose, rounded, relaxed body. One becomes more confident "like a hero". With this feeling the inside health becomes better.

When one is loose one becomes heavy. When a person is tight the person cannot get heavy and sill stay light.

When Chi Xi, the very beginning of the form, is correct the whole form will be completed better.

The balance found in Chi Xi makes one healthy. The mind and the breathing come together in calmness. Throw the stress out. Throw out the busy mind to become empty. Then the mind goes to the inside of the body and knows if the body is connected or not.

As one starts the form from standing the right foot sinks down with gravity into the ground even before the entire body sinks to the ground. There is a feeling of the right leg drilling into the ground. The left leg lifts as that leg is now completely empty. The left leg is brought up as if one were riding a bike.

The spine or tail-bone sinks and does not get stuck which allows the chi to sink down.

The head leads upward from the Bai Hui point that is located at the top of the head in alignment with the ears. When one looks down one looses balance. The body hangs like clothes draped from a hanger. Gently push the head up during the entire form, this will assist in attaining "ding".