Gong-Fu (Kung Fu) (功夫) cannot be achieved in a single day.
After a long period of continuous hard work, one will develop some Gong-Fu and the longer one endures this process, the more Gong-Fu one will acquire.
Just like a lump of iron ore smelted and hammered day after day, it is gradually transformed into pure steel.
Besides using a correct 'method' from a competent teacher
*The ONLY shortcut is to be consistent*
Abdominal Breathing (Taoist Longevity Breathing)
*The movement of the abdomen is active (yang) -
[Expanding as you breathe in, contracting as you breath out]
*The movement of rib cage is passive (yin)
[Expanding at the floating ribs sideways as you breathe in and contracting as you breathe out]
*In and out through the nose
*Slow, Fine, Even, and Soft
*Breathing in Calm (As if the air is pure white vapor)
*Breathing out Tension and Stress, Injury and dis-ease (As if the air is dark and thick)
Enjoy!
Song (Sung)
- often merely called 'relax' -
Relax (SONG) from the top of your head to your feet
*Align to relax
*Relax releases (lengthens and expands through release)
*Release expands (in all directions)
*Expanding connects the fascia from head to toes (internally and externally)
The most efficient way to develop Song (IMO) is with Standing Meditation practices and holding individual postures from forms.
Sifu Roy using 'Raise Hands and Step Up' posture to develop Song.
Raise Hands is one of Sifu's favorite Standing Meditation postures.
*Relax/Song is an often misunderstood concept because;
As one 'relaxes' the tendency is to collapse ones structure. This is incorrect!!
**Rather, as one releases the tension in the soft tissue (muscle, connective tissue) the bones (structure) should expand in ALL direction as the joints slightly release and expand. Stand Tall!
***It's imperative to keep ones head vertically aligned with a lightly lifting energy at the crown.
Stand Tall!
Aging is a humbling experience.....
There's always more!
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What should you pay attention to while practicing?
It's essential to calibrate your mind in order to access higher levels of skills and internal development.
CONSCIOUSLY PAY ATTENTION TO:
*Vertical Alignment of your bones,*
from the sole's of your feet to the top of your head.
The vertical alignment of you bones, is an essential focus while practicing T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Bagua Zhang.
This important principle is best practiced and refined during Standing Post (standing meditation) training.
I like to imagine three bowls of water that are filled right to the top of the bowl:
1st Bowl is in my pelvis and is even when the tailbone is released down
2nd Bowl is in my shoulders. Shoulders are thought of as a suspension bridge; Hanging with elbows heavy
3rd Bowl is on the top of my head
I line the Bowl's up vertically, without any incline so as not to spill any water. Best to start this visualization while standing still and then proceed to refine your movements by keeping the Bowls aligned and also keep them level, so as not to 'spill' any water.
More tips to come!
One of my favorite Standing Postures - Raise Hands or Play Guitar -
It's very common in martial arts to be told "We are doing this right, you are doing it wrong" or "We have the BEST method" etc. etc. In my 50 years of experience, I've noticed that if you talk to 100 people you'll get 100 different methods. All of them claim to have 'THE' best way.....Ego rules the land. Sad but true!
IMO, If a 1 year old is a bit wobbly on their legs, it's perfectly acceptable, because it's their level of development. Even the 'best' methods take time to mature and develop. Thinking that a method does not require commitment to regular practice is not having any understanding of the human condition.
Choose your path,
then follow it with heart.
Many students give up a practice method before it has produced the desired results. People often think that high level skill is due to natural talent and do not understand that the actual source of their high level skill is correct, regular practice.
Be wary of 'quick' methods.
IMO - It takes a minimum of 2 years of regular (daily) practice to even get your 'foot in the door'.
Eventually.....Practicing is simply for the sake of practicing.
Rather than this is right and this is wrong:
*Be very clear with yourself about what you are doing
Be specific!
**Do the best you can with what you know,
until you know better,
than do better!
***Perseverance is the main method,
no matter the endeavor!
**Empty yourself of any expectations!**
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****Practice early in the morning, ****
in a beautiful natural spot,
that is meaningful to you personally.
In Taiji practice it is vital to integrate the entire body. One problem is that any direct effort to integrate the entire body will almost always be via contraction, either gross or subtle and this is of course an error. The cause for correct integration of the body and jin lu through release is dependent on openness. This does not mean trying to have an open or big posture as that too will just be done via contraction. This opening must be trained directly. Opening is progressive from joints, to muscles to membranes to channels and so on. The result among other things is a profound level of integration via release.
