Fellow practitioners,
The BRTCCSocieties first public demonstration in 22 years went well. In fact the entire Whittier evening went well. Much excellence in all the presentations. I'd like to extend a thank-you to Jeanniene, Jerry, Beth, Doug, Mark, Paula, Rudy and all those whose efforts helped make this event a success.
"Sinking the ch'i to the tan t'ien is the cornerstone of ch'i cultivation. The requisite principle of sinking the ch'i is that the breathing be fine, long, quiet, and slow. Gradually inhale into the tan tien. The ch'i stays with the mind and day after day, month after month it accumulates. This must happen naturally and not be forced. In the beginning it is not easy to lower the ch'i. You must sink the shoulders and elbows slightly thus drawing the ch'i into the stomach. Relax the chest downward and slightly raise the back; then you can lead the ch'i to the tan tien. This is the first step of the Earth level of practice*. If you don't practice in this manner you will inhale to quickly and the ch'i will go up. This will cause the shoulders to shrug and the chest to expand and will soon lead to problems."
CMC 13 Treatises; # 11
The BRTCCSocieties first public demonstration in 22 years went well. In fact the entire Whittier evening went well. Much excellence in all the presentations. I'd like to extend a thank-you to Jeanniene, Jerry, Beth, Doug, Mark, Paula, Rudy and all those whose efforts helped make this event a success.
"Sinking the ch'i to the tan t'ien is the cornerstone of ch'i cultivation. The requisite principle of sinking the ch'i is that the breathing be fine, long, quiet, and slow. Gradually inhale into the tan tien. The ch'i stays with the mind and day after day, month after month it accumulates. This must happen naturally and not be forced. In the beginning it is not easy to lower the ch'i. You must sink the shoulders and elbows slightly thus drawing the ch'i into the stomach. Relax the chest downward and slightly raise the back; then you can lead the ch'i to the tan tien. This is the first step of the Earth level of practice*. If you don't practice in this manner you will inhale to quickly and the ch'i will go up. This will cause the shoulders to shrug and the chest to expand and will soon lead to problems."
CMC 13 Treatises; # 11
* CMC writes that there are three levels of Taiji development; human,
earth, and heaven. Each have three steps of attainment. Human level
deals with connecting the body as one unit, alignment, through
relaxation of sinews, ligaments and fascia. Earth level deals with
cultivating the ch'i. Heaven level deals with internal strength and
spirit.
yours,
kayo
From Paula:
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll jump into the BRTCCS discussion of the classics. I read through Yang Cheng-fu'sTen Important Points tonight and found a question I had penciled in a couple of years ago about this statement from #8: "That which is called open means not only the hands and feet are open, but the mind is also open. That which is called closed means not only the hands and feet are closed but the mind is also closed." I wrote notes from Kayo's teaching: "Closed means gathered, still; a full pitcher. Open is to discharge, to move." I'm trying to figure out an open mind and a closed mind: Does closed also mean "potential"? Does open also mean "to actuate"?
yes. gather and release.
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