Questions on wuji posture for Taiji

[-_sometimes]

I'm following Damo Mitchell's taiji form, which for now is comprised of: raising the crown and sinking the Yao, knees unlocked and weight of the body split between the heel and balls of the feet. 

 

I was flat-footed for years, and tried to correct it through manual change of foot posture, but when standing still, I'm not sure what the right posture of my feet should be at all. Let my feet relax? My ankles collapse inwards and I return to being flat-footed. Do my best at holding some posture split between the ball of the foot and the heel? I have no idea what normal foot posture is, so it's guesswork and I spend a great deal of time just adjusting my feet, unsure. Please advise me on this 🙏

 

.. I have no idea what sinking or letting gravity do the work looks like. How exactly do you sink the Yao by letting gravity do the work? 

 

Finally, is it better to try making constant adjustments to find the 'right' spot, or instead to make one initial adjustment at the start of the session, and then refrain from making any movement for the rest of the session? I believe Damo mentioned that wuji in taiji should be empty, without movement, so I imagine the latter is best?

 

Thank you all!

[mcoolio]

I don't do Damo's stuff, but some general rules might apply.

 

About the foot position:

 

Feet not fully 'relaxed'.

Ankles dont collapse inward, so there should be a nice arch in the inside of the foot.

You can lightly grab the toes into the floor and lightly press knees outward. Both work together to give this arch.

Weight is equally front (ball and toes) and back (heels).

 

About the sinking and yao's:

 

Not sure what translation of yao is. But regarding the sinking. There is this idea in statics of both sinking and growing at the same time. In the beginning you can even slightly raise your structure on inhale and slightly lower your structure on exhale. And then can progress to make this raising and lowering as infinitely small as possible. As you approach non movement on outside can even feel how internal movement and sensations actually become stronger.

 

About corrections all time vs only at beginning:

 

Dont think there is right or wrong here. Can do some sessions where you keep scanning your structure and do corrections all the time and also do sessions where you refrain from making corrections (or rather just relax all about all the points but just stand and enjoy).

 

This idea of wuji being empty and without movement

 

Remember that in statics there is also this idea of pushing in all directions and this is what actually gives the immobility. So the idea of empty should not be misunderstood. You should be holding the structure and this is work. Plus the breathing will also produce some slight raising, growing and lowering sinking movement and to completely prevent/remove this I think would be wrong because you cut of the qi movement.

 

Off course different schools have different rules so if you do damo's stuff and if there are students of his here maybe they can chime in.

Edited August 14, 2022 by mcoolio

[-_sometimes]

10 hours ago, mcoolio said:

 

I think the method you are using or are familiar with is quite different to that used by Damo, so I'm hesitant to apply the suggestions you've given. Nonetheless thank you for the advice!

[mcoolio]

Sure, if you wanna follow damo's stuff, best ask someone from that school.

 

Interestingly, I don't see to many people here training his system ...

[cloud_hidden]

I’ll share how I stand, if it helps:

Firstly, I become aware of an elastic unity originating from my feet, through my legs, my hips, core, spine, and neck (the rest of the body as well)

While doing this, I shift my weight forward so I come up on the balls of my feet, i.e. the “bubbling springs” with toes splayed naturally (knees are bent slightly). 

Then, I sink everything—the so-called “Song” and being deeply aware of my weight and my center of gravity in this elastic shape, my heels touch the ground lightly. If I do this right, I can feel my feet almost magnetize to the floor while remaining relaxed, empty, and elastic. 

 

Shifting weight onto your bubbling springs helps develop that elastic feeling as your foot and leg must become elastic in order to support you. The trick is to carry that feeling into being “Song” and your heel touching the floor. 

 

I hope this thought process will help reveal the depth of standing technique and encourage an experimental approach to finding your center and frame/form wherein there is power and healing for you.

 

Blessings and luck,

Dan

 

[-_sometimes]

16 hours ago, cloud_hidden said:

I’ll share how I stand, if it helps:

Firstly, I become aware of an elastic unity originating from my feet, through my legs, my hips, core, spine, and neck (the rest of the body as well)

While doing this, I shift my weight forward so I come up on the balls of my feet, i.e. the “bubbling springs” with toes splayed naturally (knees are bent slightly). 

I've noticed that sort of elastic quality, only in my legs though, when I shift my weight forward more into the balls of the feet. But Damo mentions that the weight should be distributed evenly between the balls and heel of the feet. Are you saying that if done right, the weight on the heel does balance out with the balls of the feet?

 

I imagine there is a period of muscle building that must take place before sinking can happen? I can't hold the position still when I move towards the front of the feet, lots of shaking and inability to stay still.

 

Anyways thank you for your input, it was helpful!

 

On 13/08/2022 at 10:57 AM, mcoolio said:

 

Feet not fully 'relaxed'.

Ankles dont collapse inward, so there should be a nice arch in the inside of the foot.

You can lightly grab the toes into the floor and lightly press knees outward. Both work together to give this arch.

I've been doing this, and it feels more natural already, so thanks

[cloud_hidden]

Hi sometimes:

Yes, if done correctly the weight can be evenly balanced from front to back. In my form, we vary the weight position ever so slightly depending on “martial intent” or “nourishing life” but really even this is a matter of semantics—in my system we really only emphasize being totally natural, and upright (i.e. not leaning).

 

Strengthening the legs does help, especially since the energy passes through the bubbling springs up through the legs into the dantian. The vessels AND meridians must be opened using the modus operandi of your system. As they say, the leg vessels are vast reservoirs of qi and also of course being the primary marrow building bones like the femur…And its the connective tissue which needs to be built up, as well as the slow-twitch muscle fibers. My Sifu taught me “springy-legs” exercises which utilize being on the ball of the foot, with lots of training the connective tissue becomes stronger and fuels the elasticity and softness, making way for “song”.

 

Of course, this style of training might be a deviation from your system, at this point we are comparing rather than suggesting a specific course of training. 

 

The more strength I build up in my legs, the more I can relax and sink into the posture. I also enjoy holding the one-legged postures—such as the “ferocious tiger” in my system—its kind of like jam jong/zhan zhuang except with a multiplicity of shapes all based on the “one shape” of the system. Long story short, holding a one-legged posture for even 2-3 minutes per side is quite the ordeal! But imagine the strength being cultivated in your connective tissue in doing so! 

 

Cheers to good practice, inquiry, experimentation, and beyond!

Also, homage to our respective teachers for showing us the way..

 

Dan