Tai Chi Long Form - White Stork Spreads Its Wings
18 Nov 2024 White Stork Spreads its Wings
We talked about how the previous move may have a “shoulder stroke” application as you transition to White Stork. Don’t emphasize it too much but know that it is there. Pick up your right foot slightly and put it down with the right toes facing to 10:30 as you move into a left foot forward cat stance. You are now facing 9:00. Your right hand moves up as if you were blocking a blow coming toward your head, your right palm faces forward and your right forearm has a slight angle to it, with your right elbow below the level of your right hand. Your left-hand sweeps down and to the left, ending one fists distance in front of your left hip flexor, palm down, fingers facing forward. Knees are slightly bent.
From Boonchai
“Tai chi can really relax you, it can treat your chronic diseases. Tai chi can really balance you. Practice at home. It will get harder and harder. So, practice well at home when I see that you are ready for a new move I will teach you.
When we are working you should empty the mind to do tai chi. Let the mind relax. Now you are learning so you should think about next move. At advanced practice you should empty the mind. You should have no idea that the hands are moving. The move itself from beginning to ending you don’t think at all. In tai chi practice there are three levels. The first level is to practice the structure to get the movements. Second level is for you to be empty. The third level is to use your mind to lead your movements. In the beginning I told you to raise arms, imagine that you have a string from the center of the hand to the center of the floor. Then we pull that string up very hard. That is the mind. You are not going to pull it up empty. But you don’t use the arm muscles, you use the mind. When you press, press like a cotton ball. That is the mind. That is when you go advanced. Your mind is working. People always in tai chi moving meditation; your mind is empty. Half of that is right. The middle level is that you should empty your mind. Should not think about the movements. The advanced level is that you should use your mind to lead the qi. When you feel like that, you are pulling something, even though you don’t use force you are not pulling your arms easily it’s because your mind is working. When you are driving you don’t think about how you hold the wheel. Its natural. You want to turn right you just turn the wheel to the right. That’s the mind. In tai chi when we practice at this level, we just practice the movements. Use your mind to lead the move. You need to look at your main hand. This is my main hand. And this is my yin hand. My mind is with my main hand. Don’t just look forward look at your yang hand. The yang hand is the hand that moves faster. Later when we finish the form you can slowly tell yourself to forget the moves. So both mind and movements are free you don’t need to think. You don’t need to prepare for the next movements. Then later step three level three is to use the mind to lead the qi. Practice for it, practice to get it, practice to forget it. Once I find your mistake I will correct it.”
