The Body Moves from the Center

The body moves from and around the vertical core or ‘ding’. The ‘ding’ is a vertical axis that hangs from bai hui, a point at the top of the head to the hui yin, a point at the base of the perineum. At the end of each form the body settles back into place with ding being upright and central. In the winding the full body is connected with the winding center that moves through the waist.

The left (or right) arm does not pass the left (or right) side, each arm does not pass the center line, the core, the center of the chest. Arms move because the center core, ‘ding’, moves in a winding manner. When the body turns the arms move, but not too far. The arms stay aligned with the center of the body in the front of the chest. Moving from left side to right occurs only because of waist turning.

When the body moves from the center the elbows are connected and move together, likewise hand with hand and hip with hip. When moving stay smooth. Each form is executed as one smooth move without stops and with an even flow with twisting and turning.

Throw Your Hard Strength Away

When starting the form the hands lift gently from the body as the body sinks down. The bottom sinks down and the arms stay loose and relaxed. Arms relax and start to move from the shoulder, only because the center is turning. All joints are loose. Keeping the joints open makes the body more flexible and not stuck. Energy passes through the shoulder to the elbow to the hand with the wrist leading with palm face down gentle, yet heavy as if it were in the water. The hand has a natural shape from loose fingers. The chest and back open slightly. Sit down as if on a chair. Relax and drop the hips. Hands and feet are in a straight line.

Throw the hard strength away. Soft, heavy, solid energy comes from looseness that builds internal energy. Put the mind into the body to feel each movement and the energy moving.

A person's kung fu (practice or work) is known by the outstretched, peng, comfortable form from the shoulder to the arm with dropped elbow, wrist and with hand movements like being in water. Tendon’s stretch with good practice. Stretching happens with looseness.

Don't Think...Feel

While practicing don't think about chi or of rolling the dantien. Feel the body and loosen the body.

Ding Xi: At End of Each Posture--Like Beer in a Glass in Ireland

At the end of each posture the body energy sinks. Check for 'ding xi' at the end of each posture with this sinking energy. Ding xi is fixed, stable standing as one stays upright yet not still. The chi settles in the body. The mind settles.  In 'ding xi' the organs stay in the right place. The body is upright and is not winding or pulling. Sink the energy to the dantian. Settle down like a glass of beer in Ireland.

Drop the hips, fold the kwa, sink the chi, hips stay level, feel the energy return to the dantian (March 2018)

Clear the Mind, Watch the Body

Let the thoughts disappear as the mind focuses on the form, on the body movements. Feel the softness, connections, grounded sinking. Feel the looseness in the joints, the breath flowing from ming men through the body returning to the dantian. Sense any stiffness, hardness, or tightness and let the body release these tensions. Keep bringing the mind back to the body in motion and the body in stillness.

Slide Step: The Edge of A Cliff

Notice steps in the form. Are they performed with smoothness, like water flowing? Or does the foot clunk down. Imagine that the foot is at the edge of a cliff. A smooth slide step out leading with the heel will let the body know what lies ahead, such as the edge of a cliff. A foot that opens out and steps down without the slide will lead the body off the cliff. The slide step leads with the edge of the heal and is actually a low kick. This same step could be completed with more space between the foot and the ground to become a kick leveled to an opponent.

Breathing, Chi, and Silk Reeling

Notice the stretching out of the joints as reeling silk is performed. A light stretch of all of the joints: the shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers allows chi to flow. Breathe through the ming men and out through the dantian. Slow even breath moving from the ming men through the body and returning to the dantien brings the chi to the dantian. Once chi fills the dantian the chi is available to circulate through the body.

The Elbows: Stretch to Feel Like a Brick

The elbows are not held too close to the body. They always create a circle with peng in the form, with push hands, with silk reeling, with standing post. Stretch out from the back to make the peng circle with the arms. Check for the elbows, do they need to drop, even slightly to become peng. An elbow that is even slightly lifted or turned outward too much is no longer peng and creates a vulnerability and a stiffness. If stiffness occurs in any of the joints then they are not open, are not peng and do not allow energy to flow through the body. When the elbow is stretched out and dropped the elbow will feel like a brick. An elbow that is dropped, correctly, will open the shoulder. The chi will move to the arms and to the hands which will become warm and/or prickly.

Stretch, open the joints. (March 2018)