Tuesday Lunchtime Training

Having experienced the sinking and releasing process of the Open - Close exercise, we went through Loosening exercise, which is a training of the TaiJi principiles while transfering the weight, turning the hips with a definite adjusting of the central equilibrium. The sinking from the crown draws us into position, as we release through sinking to come back to square the relaxed force travels to the fingertips.

We then went through the second section of the 37 step form up to fist under the elbow - quite a chunk of learning, however a fair bit of it is movement that we understand already as it incorporates "Grasp the Sparrow's Tail", this time to the corner. There was some concern about the extent to which the hips square to the sidewall (West) in the transition to "Embrace Tiger" and an exploration of how the neutralising arm works in sync with the issuing arm, as we release from a 55-45 bow stance to a 70-30 posiion.

In Taoist Immortal Flaps Sleeves (or Faery Flaps it's Sleeves), we are given the opportunity, as we are in all transitions and positions in the form, to experience the sinking process, connecting through the body, letting go of unnecessary tension, drawing any force away from our centre and into the ground. At the end of his movement, we experience sinking and releasing through the front leg and in the transition to "Fist Under the Elbow" we get to experience the necessity of being 100% in the right foot in order to turn the hips effortlessly from one corner to the other, before releasing a jab to the corner as the left palm comes back through the kwa to join the left arm at the wrist.