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Doing or
allowing?
Tai chi is intended to remove the obstacles within your own
body that prevent you from moving in a supple, child-like way.
However, removing obstacles, inhibiting old habits and 'not-doing' is not
always sufficient.
Sometimes it is necessary to train new habits in order to replace or remove
old ones.
Not forcing
Most of the neigong should be 'allowing', not doing. For a beginner they are
often a 'doing' at first.
Consider the lower back:
The lower back needs to straighten in tai chi. Ideally, this should happen
as a consequence of letting-go.
But if your lumbar spine is very tense this may not happen and action
becomes necessary.
By consciously relaxing the rear leg, the lower back is permitted to relax.
Is this a doing or an allowing?
Dangers of doing
Doing can lead to exaggeration.
If you hug the scapula, the back will become accustomed to this position and
hugging is no longer required.
Should you continue to hug, the scapula will feel sore.
Many neigong cannot be 'done'. They only occur through the release of
tension. Use mind, not force.
Anatomy
Some knowledge of anatomy can be useful in tai chi.
The body needs to be used appropriately because mistakes can sometimes lead
to injury.
Many people call the abdomen the 'stomach'.
The abdomen contains the largest volume of water in the body and is the
location of the lower tan tien.
Another common error is pelvis and hip.
Moving the pelvis rather than the hip can lead to knee problems and fails to
massage the hip joint.
Both pelvis and hip need to be passive in tai chi. We move from the
centre and the hip follows.
Beyond posture
As a beginner it is easy to imagine that neigong
are simply postural details.
This is partially correct in some cases but does not extend to many of the
qualities.
Neigong is the how, the way of your tai chi.
The essence.
Once a neigong has been incorporated, it is part of you. Your body has
re-grown.
This fact tells you that it is far more than posture; the neigong is within
your every movement.
'Sung' means to relax,
to be soft.
The whole body has to give up its strength in order to relax.
(Cheng Man Ching)
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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