Yin-Yang-Yoga

Author: chibotaichi

  • The Forms are a Vehicle

    In Tai Chi, as well as in Yoga, the outwardly-visible is never the whole story.

    The movements of Tai Chi forms are not routines to be learned for the sake of accomplishment and performance, but rather to train energetic and mechanical alignment and efficiency, as well as to cultivate a quiet mental focus or intention.

    The same underlying premises and directives exist in all Tai Chi postures and movements. What is to be done in one particular movement is also the imperative in all the others.

    To borrow the great Yogic maxim: Sub Ek. All One.

    The reason a skillful Tai Chi player appears calm and relaxed is because there is nothing exciting or compelling in their experience of executing the forms. The quiet moment before commencement is present throughout the entire sequence.

    An external-only approach to playing the Tai Chi sequences is like walking around a tranquil and still lake. The internal approach means to become the lake.

    Whether you count 8, 24, 48, 73, 97, or 108 forms in your Tai Chi sequence of choice is not relevant once we are practicing the internal aspects.

    There is only YinYang, the Tai Chi, and as we allow Yin and Yang to flow we hold to the Wu Chi in the center. We carry and become the stillness around which movement occurs. We become the lake, rather than merely walking around it.

  • Zhan Zhuang

    zhanzhuan

    This illustration shows the vertical nature of the body in Zhan Zhuang practice.

    Other variations of the posture will have more or less bend at the knees, but the overall alignment is the same.

    Without adding effort or tension to the body, the vertical alignment is created and maintained so that the posture becomes efficient and comfortable.

    -Comfortably-spaced feet (Parallel)

    -Knees bent and relaxed

    -Hips free, to allow articulation of the Pelvis

    -Tailbone tucked and/or aligned with the thighs (keep the Pelvis level)

    -Lower Belly relaxed and expanded (keep the Pelvis level)

    -Spine straight (NOT the natural curve of the Spine)

    -Shoulders neutral (allow the Arms to lower the Shoulders)

    -Chest relaxed (as if resting against the Spine)

    -Crown lifted, Chin released (lengthen and straighten the back of the neck)

    -Tongue-Tip toward the roof of the Mouth 

    -Eyes relaxed or closed

    Remember that the goal is to have Gravity be the source of the Standing. Allow the Body to be heavy down below and light up top.

    The TaiChi principle is YinYang. By going Down, we are able to be Up!

  • More Circle GIFs

    Hopefully this ludicrously-lame GIF makes more clear the action of the Arms in our TaiJi Circles…

    arm-paths

    The Arm action has been reduced to it’s most basic form:

    “In with the Elbow…Out with the Hand”

    The two components not as clearly articulated here are the “Turn the Waist”-phase of the Circles, as well as the “Recovery”-phase.

    This serves as a good reminder that once the arms have completed their task, they no longer need to DO anything (except for Listening or holding space, as the case may be), and the rest of the Body continues to direct and/or utilize the Energy.

  • 24 Forms at The Arb

    One of my favorite places is the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

    There are numerous gardens, as well as natural habitat to explore, among other sights.

    You can observe a number of quirks with this performance of the forms, most notably some variations with the footwork in the last few forms.

  • “Chathuranga,” Chips and Salsa…

    Chathuranga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Stick Pose?!)- a staple of American Yoga.

    In vinyasa classes all across the country, countless iterations of “high to low plank” are unfolding. In general, this is probably great news. However, there are surely some statistics to demonstrate at least some kind of measurable effect from all of these repetitions.

    According to the ____, and certainly by my accounts as well, all this “Chathuranga” business is causing some injuries among the growing number of Americans attending yoga classes. Repetitive movements and stress on troublesome joints seem to be the most common culprits cited by the ____ percent of people who report having been injured as a result of their yoga practice.

    While some people (high Pitta, anyone!?) truly thrive on the ecstatic and empowering action of holding (as well as flowing to, or through,) Chathuranga Dandasana, many Bodies simply don’t need that type of work. Indeed for those among the statistic, it has ultimately proven harmful.

    Sometimes we allow the will of the Sangha to string us along. There are certainly instances when it helps to utilize that group energy to inspire and motivate our practice, but it’s useful to remember that Practice is about opportunity rather than obligation.

    The “Chathuranga” flow in vinyasa class reminds me of the bottomless baskets of chips and salsa you sometimes get at a Mexican restaurant. You can eat to your Heart’s content, yet still more and more will keep coming. If you have a delicious entree in the kitchen though, you might not want to fill up on just chips and salsa.

    I often find that during power-flow classes, even something basic such as a Corepower C1 class, I will politely decline some of the early refill offers on my chip-basket.

    As I’m eating the main course, however, I will delightedly dip several chips at once and savor the crunch and the spice (if the salsa is sufficiently bold, that is!).

    The unlimited-chips offer isn’t going to be rescinded if we don’t eat enough chips.

    It isn’t a limited-time offer.

    Chathuranga Dandasana isn’t going to vanish from Reality just because we decide to not play it on a loop.

    Even if we’ve been modifying to the most gentle variation we can find, it’s fine to let a “Chathuranga” pass by; it might even feel sublime and divine.

    If only once-in-a-while, enjoy the act of not-pushing, of not-racing.

    When you partake of the Chathuranga Dandasana, be fully present and committed to it. If we’re careless with alignment and technique, it’s just as well to lay off.

    Chathuranga on purpose, with Intention.

    Or skip it, with that same purpose and Intention.

    It comes back to the familiar refrain we’ve all heard, and many of us have said- “listen to your Body.”

    When the Body is not craving chips, don’t eat chips. If the crunch of those tasty triangles is calling, then eat ’em all up!

  • The Path of The Circles

    Here we can see, side by side, the path of the two circles.

    On the left, the Negative Circle is drawing in from the top and contacting the Center above the “Horizon”, as shown with the red dot.

    On the right, the Positive Circle is drawing in from the bottom and contacting the Center below the “Horizon”, as shown with the blue dot.

    Also, we can see an exaggerated expression of the forearm which remains level with, or parallel to, the “Horizon”, as shown with the green line.

    the-circles-1

    Though we sometimes engage with these paths as independent, it is worth remembering that the Energy which ultimately propels them works on a vertical axis. Yin-Energy rises up from the Earth, while Yang-Energy descends from the Sky.

    It may be fair to assert that the Positive Circle is generated with Yin-Energy (thus the blue dot is raising the green line), but reconciles in Yang-Energy (thus the blue dot later exerts downward on the green line).

    Conversely, the Negative Circle is generated with Yang-Energy (thus the red dot presses the green line down), but reconciles in Yin-Energy (thus the red dot eventually lifts the green line upward).

  • Using Rotation to generate Motion and Power

    It might be represented in this manner…

    1) On the left- Rotation alternated in both directions

    2 and 3) On the right- Rotations repeated on the same side in one direction

    The black circle represents our Spine. It rotates, but it does not move (as emphasized by the violet dot- our true “Center”). The Red/Blue dots give us an orientation from which to observe Rotation.

    The Green/Yellow lines, representing the Arms, demonstrate drawing the Elbow in and extending outward through the Hand.

  • Same-Cycle Circles, and The Common Ground of Yoga and Tai Chi

  • Walking to Wuji

    The “Tai Chi Walking” exercise is well-known and widely-practiced.

    A walking meditation…

    It’s worth remembering that

    what we’re really practicing

    is a single Step.

    Many times.

    Returning

    to the steadfast

    wuji.

  • Yang Style Footwork Map

    gbtfeet

    The image above shows the foot positions for the right side of the Yang Style short form after the commencement, through the Grasp Bird’s Tail Sequence.

    We can see clearly that the footwork is generally quite simple, and only involves four unique positions. Also, we can see the consistent presence of a “channel” between the feet, ensuring that the feet do not become tangled.