The Details:
It's 67 here at the house. The sunrise was at 6:42, high tide at 6:50. It was a pleasant temperature to practice in. I was dressed lightly with long sweat pants and a zippered light hoodie and baseball cap.
There wasn't much beach to practice on, but there was enough. I practiced in the soft packed sand. It's a bit mushy but not quite quick sand. It is uneven and makes the one legged postures a bit more challenging. I frankly don't notice it that much anymore and I seem to be able to get away with it without injuring my feet, ankles and knees. Yay!
There were a lot of tourists walking the beach, mostly barefoot. It would have been a little sketchy trying to walk any distance on the beach with shoes on with the tide so high.
I played a bit of push-hands (tag) with the Atlantic. Fun!
The Practice:
I started with a full round of The 10+ tuned in to extending my Yi (mind intent) all the way to the horizon and willing (allowing and encouraging) myself to vibrate at the same rate (frequency) as nature. I had a profound connection to nature and the people around me.
Next I did a Round tuned in to developing the principle of ground propagated energy being transmitted up and down an aligned, loose and supple body from toes to tips of fingers and a calm but focused mind harmonizing Jin, Qi and Shen.
Working Distance:
The working distance using just your arm is measured by how far back you pull your hand. If you are using ground propagated force and have trained you body to be loose enough to be conductive to Jin. One can use the body like a whip. Eventually, with little to no outward movement. This level takes time, effort and patience:
The energy originates in the hips and is,
Rooted in the feet,
Developed in the legs
Directed by the waist,
Formed in the fingers.
All act as one unit.
Use neutral postures!
Next I did a round of Anyo Apat and Wansu Kata tuned in to the quality of my postures and focus/snap in Wansu Kata.
Next I used my walking cane to to a round of Taiji Dao (broadsword) tuned in to the timing of my stance/strikes. I'm switching my mental focus to time the strikes with the landing of the front foot. I'm doing that with most of my postures across the systems. I am noticing that on some movements with two focuses for instance a block followed by a strike that I can use the timing of the front foot landing for the block and the rear heel landing for the strike. That seems to work for some movements. It's still a work in progress.
I finished with Healing Qigong before returning to the house.
I have a standing 8-9 video meeting with Jeff on Friday morning. He overslept this morning but did eventually make it. I was reluctant to text him. I knew he was catching up on some much deserved sleep.