TCM life's Open Salon Blog

Wei Tuo Presenting the Pestle 3

Mon, 25 May 2009 21:05:21 -0400

Wei Tuo Presenting the Pestle 2

Sun, 24 May 2009 21:05:47 -0400

1. (Continue from the previous routine) Lift the elbows out from the body and hold the hands at shoulder level in front of the chest, with the fingers pointing to each other and the palms facing down [Figs. 13 and 13A] .

2. Stretch the arms out, with the palms facing down and the fingers pointing forward [Figs.14 and 14A] .

3. Move the arms to the right and left sides of upper body, respectively, keeping them level with the shoulders, with the palms down and the fingers pointing outward [Fig. 15] .

4. Put the fingers together. Bend the wrists to make the palms upright. Look straight ahead and down [Fig. 16]

Key points

Apply force at the base of the palms when pushing the palms to the right and left sides. Try to grasp the floor with the toes when bending the wrists and turning the palms upright. Breathe freely and calm the mind.

Common mistake

The arms are not lifted to a level position.

Corrections

Straighten the arms to a position level with the shoulders when they are lifted.

Functions and effects

By stretching the upper limbs and pushing the palms out, the channels of the limbs are dredged. This routine also helps to regulate the Qi or internal energy in the heart and lungs, and to improve the breathing and blood and Qi circulation.

This routine can help to enhance the muscles of the shoulders and arms, and improve the mobility of the shoulder joints.

Ancient mnemonic rhyme

Keep the arms wide apart when trying to grasp the floor with the toes. Keep your mind at ease and your thoughts calm while looking ahead but concentrating on the Qi within.

Wei Tuo Presenting the Pestle 1

Fri, 22 May 2009 21:05:32 -0400

Routine 1

1. Move the left foot half a step to the left, so that the feet are about shoulder-width apart. Bend the knees slightly to assume the starting position, with the arms hanging loosely [Fig. 10] .

2. Raise the arms to shoulder level, with the palms facing each other and the fingers pointing forward [Figs. 11 and llA] .

3 and 4. Bend the elbows to withdraw the arms, with the fingers angled at about 30 degrees upward. Hold the palms about 10 cm apart, with the lower ends of the palms located in front of the Danzhong point (at the middle point of an imaginary line linking the nipples). Keep the armpits open. Look straight ahead and down [Fig. 121 . Pause for a moment.

Key points

Relax the shoulders and keep the armpits open.

Put the palms close to each other in front of the chest, and pause to calm the mind.

Common mistakes

Shrugging the shoulders and lifting the elbows or relaxing the shoulders and lowering the elbows when bringing the palms close together in front of the chest.

Corrections

Relax, and adjust the movements. Keep the armpits open as if holding an egg in each one.

Functions and effects

"When you put your mind in place, the Qi (internal energy) comes back," goes an ancient Chinese saying. When closing the palms and regulate the breath to compose yourself, the mind can be kept at ease and the functions of energy circulation on both sides of the body can be coordinated.

This routine also helps to improve the nervous system, regulate the bodily fluids, improve the circulation of the blood, and reduce fatigue.

Ancient mnemonic rhyme

Straighten the body, and close palms in front of the chest. Slow your breathing and calm your mind till it is as clear as water. Stand upright in a salutation posture.

Hand and Foot Forms,The Exercises ILLustrated

Thu, 21 May 2009 21:05:18 -0400

Section 1 Hand and Foot Forms

Basic Hand Forms

Holding up
The thumb touches the root of the ring finger, and the other fingers are bent [Fig. 1] .

Lotus leaf palm
Completely straighten and spread the fingers [Fig. 2] .

Willow leaf palm
Straighten the fingers, and press them together [Fig. 3] .

Dragon’s paw
Straighten the fingers, and keep them apart, with the thumb, forefinger, ring finger and little finger appropriately withdrawn [Fig. 4] .

Tiger’s paw
Keep the fingers apart, with the thumb and forefinger fully apart and the first and second knuckles bent [Fig. 5] .

Basic Stances
Bow stance
Keep the legs one big step apart, with a suitable width. Bend the knee of the front leg, keeping it directly above the toes, which should be turned slightly inward. The rear leg should be straight, with the heel and ball of the foot on the floor, and the toes turned slightly inward [Fig. 6] .

T-stance
With the feet 10-20 cm apart, bend the knees to adopt a shallow squatting posture. Raise the heel of the front foot, keeping the toes touching the floor close to the middle of the rear foot, and stand firmly on the rear foot [Fig. 7]

Horse stance
With the feet two to three times their length apart, bend the knees to adopt a half-squatting position, with the thighs slightly raised [Fig. 8] .

Section 2 The Exercises ILLustrated
Ready Position
Stand with the feet together and the arms hanging loosely. Pull in the chin slightly, pushing up the head without using force. Close the lips and the teeth. The tongue should touch the upper palate. Look straight ahead [Fig. 9] .

Key points
Keep the whole body upright and relaxed. Breathe freely. Look straight ahead without fixing on a specific object. Keep the mind calm.

Common mistakes
Wrongly positioned hands or feet. Mind in turmoil.

Corrections
Adjust the breathing several times to get the body and mind ready for the practice.

Functions and effects
It calms the mind, adjusts the breathing, puts the internal organs at ease and straightens the body.

Practice Tips of Yi Jin Jing

Wed, 20 May 2009 21:05:46 -0400

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Practice Tips Integration of Mind and Body with a Relaxed Spirit

Yi Jin Jing should be practiced with a relaxed spirit and a peaceful mind. Practitioners do not have to particularly initiate movements by the mind or focus on the intended parts of the body. Rather, the mind follows the movements, and should be coordinated with the circulation of Qi with the body's movements.

Meanwhile, however, concentration is required to accompany individual movements. For example, the mind should concentrate on the palms during the Wei Tuo [Wei Tuo, or Skanda, the temple guardian in Buddhism] Presenting the Pestle 3 routine, and the mind should be focused on the Mingmen point at the back of the waist while fixing the eyes on the upper palm during the routine 4 of Plucking a Star and Exchanging a Star Cluster. The mind should be focused on the palms during the Black Dragon Displaying Its Claws routine. Other movements require imagination, not consciousness, to accompany them. Among them are the Three Plates Falling on the Floor, Displaying Paw-Style Palms like a White Crane Spreading Its Wings, Pulling Nine Cows by Their Tails and Bowing Down in Salutation. These movements should be followed by a relaxed mind, and not hard concentration.

Natural Breathing

Gentle and easy breathing without any gasping or obstruction is required to relax the spirit and body, make the mind peaceful and coordinate the body's motions. Noisy breathing, gasping and distorted nostrils tend to upset the mind, disturb the balance and make the movements uncoordinated.

Free and unrestrained inhalation is particularly required when lifting the hands during the Wei Tuo Presenting the Pestle 3 routine, when expanding the arms and chest during the Pulling Nine Cows by Their Tails routine, and when expanding the arms and chest and relaxing the shoulders during the Nine Ghosts Drawing Swords routine. The reason is that the chest cavity expands and contracts during these movements, and should be allowed to do so freely and to the full.

Free and unrestrained inhalation is particularly required when lifting the hands during the Wei Tuo Presenting the Pestle 3 routine, and when expanding the arms and chest during the Nine Ghosts Drawing Swords routine, while natural exhalation is required when relaxing the shoulders in this routine, when withdrawing the arms in Pulling Nine Cows by Their Tails routine, and when pushing out the palms in Displaying Paw-style Palms like a White Crane Spreading Its Wings routine. The reason is that the chest cavity expands and contracts during these movements, and should be allowed to do so freely and to the full.

Softness in Toughness with the Interplay of the Substantial and Insubstantial

The softness and toughness of the exercise movements interchange throughout the practice. When stretched or relaxed, they display a dialectical relationship of a unity of opposites, in the same way as the reactions of Yin and Yang, the two opposing and interactive aspects of the body according to traditional Chinese medicine. Various movements in the exercise require the practitioners to relax for a while after strength is applied, and suitable force is required after softness or relaxation. In this way, the movements will not be stiff and restrained or slack and fatigued.

While making a distinction between softness and toughness, the exercise aims to achieve a good combination of firmness with gentleness. The movements should be appropriately firm and gentle instead of going to extremes. Otherwise, excessive force could lead to stiff and restrained movements, thus affecting breathing and the mind. On the other hand, excessive softness or relaxation tends to cause slackness, also weakening the intended effect.

Flexibility in Performance and Articulation of "HAl"

The range of movements and extension of postures in Yi Jin Jing are adaptable to people of different ages and physical conditions. For example, practitioners can choose the range of squatting during the Three Plates Falling on the Floor routine. And the exercises should be done step by step from the easier to the more difficult movements.

When squatting and pressing the hands down during the Three Plates Falling on the Floor routine, the sound "HAI" is articulated. This is to assist the passage of the breath and vital energy down to the Dantian point, which is some two inches below the navel. It also has the advantage of avoiding restraint of the lower limbs caused by the squatting motion and upward flow of air back to the head. It also helps to strengthen Dantian and the kidneys. The sound should be produced from the throat,and concentrated at the Yinjiao point on the upper gum (not at the Chengjiang point on the lower gum).