The Photo:
Cold (50's) and windy (S S/W) again this morning. Sunrise was 7:33 and the tide was going out. The next low tide at 11:09 am. There was plenty of hard packed sand to practice on.
The Practice:
I realized (again) that I'm unconsciously monitoring a myriad of principles throughout my practice. All of the pieces have been polished individually then put back together as a whole.
This morning I focused on the transition between and the relationship between one move and the next and/or right to left side and/or posture to posture. Whatever! The idea is to focus on transitioning between one and the other smoothly.
I had a private lesson with Gary this morning and we explored this idea of smooth transitioning between 'all things'. We started with the first Staff Warm Up - The Propeller - paying attention to the smooth transition between the right and left hands; Keeping the propeller going at a consistent pace/tempo. Speed is NOT important. Smooth transition between right and left hand is the goal.
Slow and Smooth Transitions is the way to go.....Speed will natural evolve from slow and smooth practice. Fast doesn't feel fast it feels smooth! Trust!
We explored a smooth transition between double cane Redonda and double cane Abiniko. To those we added Single Sinawalli and Double Sinawalli. These are all individual drills that Gary knows but this morning we were exploring adding a smooth transition between all of them; Keep the 'propeller' at a consistent pace/tempo. It's the main point of double cane twirling - smooth transitions between everything:
- Don't Stop -
- Don't Hesitate -
FLOW
I also introduced Gary to basic empty stepping in T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
Focusing on keeping Zhong Ding (Balance) throughout the transition from right to left and visa versa.
The goal is; Maintaining a *Neutral Posture* at all times. Especially important is to maintain balance throughout transitions.
*(A Neutral Posture is not susceptible to a push or a pull, but is able to transform the push/pull energy by directing it into the ground without loosing balance).
Notes:
I had to come back to the house midway into Part III of my Round. I drank just a bit too much coffee and I needed the restroom! Not an emergency but still.....
I finished the Round in my backyard. After introducing the concept of 'smooth, stable transitions between postures', I used the last half of Part III to demonstrate the concept to Gary. Then we worked on basic T'ai Chi Stepping keeping balance and a neutral posture throughout the transitions.