Tai Chi Long Form - Step Back and Repulse Monkey

18 Oct 2024 Repulse Monkey, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right

  Drop your right hand down and move it backwards in a circle, while simultaneously slightly dropping your left hand and moving it in a small circle forward and up. Bend your right knee slightly as your hands drop, then straighten your right leg to give your hands the energy to move. As you step back with your left foot your right-hand chambers to your right ear. Set your left toes on the ground behind you and offline with your right heel. Establish a stable base between your right foot and the toes of your left. Bring your left hand down and back to your waist. Set your left heel onto the ground and shift backwards into a back stance as you thrust forward with your right palm. Your left hand moves to your tan tien, palm up, about one fists distance from your abdomen. This completes one (of five) motions. Repeat, alternating left and right.

From Boonchai

“The faster hand is yang. The eyes are on the yang hand. This is faster so this is yang. The eyes follow the main hand. Don’t just look forward. Eyes are the Shen. Do you know that word? Shen is your mind, your feeling, your spirit. Empty your mind but actually the mind is working. Its not sleeping. Mind is working. How can we lead the mind? We use the movements to lead the mind. They are using each other they are working together. When you are practicing your mind needs to move. It doesn’t sit. In tai chi we should empty the mind. We should not think about the next move. But when we are beginners, we should use the mind to think about the next move. Until your body learns the movements. Then from there on your mind can relax. Your mind is pulling the hands to move. Your mind is like Qi. Qi is to make us able to wake up and come here. If your qi is deficient, you are so tired and you want to sleep more. But if you have good qi at this time your body will wake up and you can come to work in the day. And then your qi will tell you that you are tire and that you need to go to sleep. That’s the mind, that’s the Shen.”