Tai Chi Essentials: The Simplified 24 Form by Andrew Townsend

Author:Andrew Townsend [Townsend, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2015-09-13T16:00:00+00:00

The inward facing palm of the right hand should be horizontally aligned with the inside of the left

The inward facing palm of the right hand should be horizontally aligned with the inside of the left 4, which depicts this posture as seen from the front. Note also the space between the inside of each upper arm and the ribcage. The arms should feel as if they are suspended with only the imaginary fishing weights attached to the elbows keeping them from floating upward. The fingers of the two hands are extended with both palms facing inward.

Figure 15-1

Figure 15-2

Figure 15-3

Direction

Figure 15-4

The posture of Playing the Lute follows the sequence of Brush Knee Twist Step and continues to the east.

Breathing The three movements within the posture of Playing the Lute are executed with two exhalations and an inhalation. The action of stepping forward to extend the right hand is actually an extension of the final Brush Knee posture on the left side. The exhalation that accompanies that posture should be extended to include the stepping forward at the initiation of Playing the Lute. Stepping forward to extend the right hand continues energetically from the conclusion of the posture of Brush Knee Twist Step, Left.

As you finish the inhalation and the stepping forward with the right foot, you sit into the right leg in order to lift up the left foot and withdraw the right hand while simultaneously raising the left arm. These three actions are accompanied by an inhalation and constitute the gathering of energy required to complete the posture. The inhalation also expands the thoracic cavity somewhat and aids in the lifting of the left arm.

To complete the posture, you close the arms in slightly and lower the left heel until it lightly touches down. To assist in drawing in the arms, you exhale. The final exhalation adds to the sinking sensation as you settle down into the empty stance. When you complete the posture of Playing the Lute, the lower body should feel heavy and the upper body should feel light.

Chi Circulation As in all the postures, the chi and the breath work in harmony with each other. There are four chi flows to be concerned with when completing the posture of Playing the Lute. The two chi flows into the arms are directed upward, whereas the two chi flows into the legs are directed downward.

Regarding the arms, each of the two chi flows are directed into the palms of the hands. The two palms should feel warm and tingly. The lao gong energy gate in the right palm should be energetically aligned with the PC3 acupoint located on the inside of the left elbow. This acupoint is known as the “crooked marsh” point and is located on the pericardium meridian, which is associated with the heart.

The chi flow that is directed into the right leg should travel down the inside of the leg to arrive at the yong quan energy gate situated just behind the ball of the right foot.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.