Deep Currents Within the Ocean

The infinite movement of Xing Yi Chuan and the Internal Arts. 

In Xing Yi Chuan (as in Tai Chi), everything is in motion, the whole body is twisting and untwisting, contracting and expanding, gathering and releasing. Although the body may appear to be still, it is in fact in moving. Like a deep ocean, it can look calm on the surface, but its depths contain great currents of force. 

We ‘Raise the Tigers Head’ and sink the shoulders through the hips into the feet and the shoulders through the elbows into the hands. This connects us to the ground and engages the white tissue of the body. 

The Dan Tien sinks through the hips and is accompanied by the expansion of the Ming Meng (lumber region). This force hits the ground and rebounds back up through the skeleton and white tissue. ‘The muscles sink, and the bones rise’. This contributes to a continual sinking and raising force through the body and gives us ‘Six Directional Force’ and ‘Peng’. 

So now the body is relaxed, expansive and contractive, light and heavy, hard and soft. It has become a perfect echo of Yin Yang balance. One feeding, creating and supporting the other.  

From this moment, the body is ready. The Mind leads the Breath, the Breath leads the Body. The body in turn is lead from the center, this is known as the Dan Tien.  

In Xing Yi Chuan, the Dan Tien moves in a very specific way. It is like a ball that rotates forwards and backwards. When it rolls forward it creates Yang energy and sends power up the back and through the Yang areas of the body. When the center rolls backwards, it sends power up the front and through the Yin areas.  

An important thing is to make sure that we don’t just move the Dan Tien while it is suspended in the air. This will send spirals through the body but they will have not power, because there is no connection to the ground. We must do as discussed earlier. The Dan Tien must be connected to the ground connecting us to the earth and sending a ‘rebound’ force back up through the frame. There must be this up down, Yin Yang interaction with the ground at all times. Then, when we rotate the center, its force interacts with the ground and expresses through the whole body. Without our connection to the ground, it would be like someone very strong that try's to push an object while stood on thick ice. It doesn't matter how strong they are, if they keep slipping on the ice, then they have no power. If, on the other hand there is no ice. Then, they are able to connect to the ground with a strong root, and express force with reel power. Having a strong root is everything!  From here, we have the beginning of ‘Full Body Internal Power’.  

The mind all the while must be calm, in the center and throughout the body. We have not discussed the roll the breath here. That is for another day. At this moment it can be sufficient to keep the breathing relaxed and in the lower belly.  

Contact me if you have any questions.