Tai Chi "24 forms"

Introduction
Tai Tzi Tsuan (Tai Chi) is a higher level of Chi Gun, a moving meditation technique. It
may look easy, but there are many layers in it, and behind the outside simplicity you
will find the infinite inner complexity. That is why this style took over the world - it
offers you a lot, much more than one can possibly achieve in a lifetime.
Tai Tzi means "the great limit". Tsuan means "fist". The fist of the great limit. The
"limit" is a metaphor here, as many other things in Chinese philosophy, there is no limit,
but only our quest for it.
Here you will learn Tai Tzi Tsuan of the style Yan, called after the master Yan Lu Chan.
What you will get? The inner balance. It seems like a small thing, however it does
change people's life to the best. First of all, Tai Chi improves people's health, both
mental and physical (read the disclaimer, and contact your family doctor, if in doubts.
There are mental conditions for which Tai Chi is not recommended).
There is a saying, that the "thought is real", meaning that whatever you think can
become true. This is not quite right. The thought is real, if it is the ONLY thought, if we
focus on it, fully. Most people cannot do it, as there is always some "mental noise"
present in their heads. Chi Gun and Tai Chi can help you to "empty" your head. Then
you need to just tell yourself, what you need - and your body will respond.
Tai Chi helps us to gain control over our emotions. The "normal" person, when trapped
in the negative emotion - stays there. A Tai Chi (Chi Gun) person is always aware of
his / her state, and can change it, any moment. I don't think I have to tell about the
influence our negative emotions have on our health - it is well known.
Tai Chi is not only the self-healing and meditative technique, but also a martial art.
However, the first step is still to learn to control the energy flow in your body, the "chi".
Without "chi" it will be just the wrestling. You should not expect to learn to fight after
you learn the "24 forms", as it is not intended as a self-defense technique, however, it
will help you a lot, if you continue studying the "inner" styles of kung fu.

Fair warning
One disadvantage the book has, when you compare it to the live class is the fact, that in
the class the teacher can repeat the "rules" many times. Like "keep your back straight".
In the book I can only do it here and there, otherwise the book will be too long.
Nevertheless, there is a reason teachers repeat these rules, and the reason is - the
students, especially the beginners, break these rules EVERY time they can. This was
your fair warning. Learn the "rules", or find some other name for what you are doing, as
it is not going to be "Tai Chi".

Points

In the text, I am referring to some points located on the energy meridians. The list of
points can be found at the web site.

Sample
Dan Tjans
In Tai Chi, you will find references to 3 so called dan tjans: the lower dan tjan, the
middle dan tjan and the upper dan tjan.
The lower dan tjan is located 4 fingers (meaning - width of your fingers, not length)
below the belly button, more or less at the central plane of your body. On the surface,
below the belly button, it is represented by the point called tsi hai (the list of important
points can be found at the web site).
This dan tjan is the most important in Tai Chi and Chi Gun, most of our work has at
least something to do with "awakening" it and bringing energy into it.
The middle dan tjan is located at the middle line of the body, at the level of the heart.
The upper dan tjan is located between eyes and about 2 inches in.
In Chi Gun, we work a lot with middle and upper dan tjans, but here, in "Tai Chi 24
forms" we will only mention them for geometrical references, as "bring your hands up
at the level of your middle dan tjan".

Positions
Before we begin with 24 forms, we need to learn how to walk. This is very important,
and if you do it wrong, then your Tai Chi will be no more than aerobics, and a very slow
one, too. In this chapter we are going to learn Tai Chi stands, that appear as the final
positions between steps. In the next chapter we will take a look at the steps, and in the
"Rules and restrictions" chapter we will learn some more rules, that you should apply,
while doing Tai Chi.

"Working depth".
In Tai Chi, we can not walk on the straight legs. So we bend our knees. Tai Chi masters
(not all of them) can go down and walk with their thighs parallel to the ground, but it is
not a requirement. You need to go as deep as you can WHILE being comfortable.
After you have bent your knees to bring your center of gravity to the "comfortable"
depth, you are going to walk WITHOUT jumping up and down, your center of gravity
should (almost, there are few exceptions) always move parallel to the ground.
Your back should always (again almost always, there are exceptions) be straight, and
your coccyx should be turned forward (no exceptions here).

I am going to repeat this one in "rules" chapter below, but nevertheless: the knee is
ALWAYS on top of the toes of the fully loaded foot (one that has 100 % weight on it).
Not to the side, and especially not inside.

Din boo
Pronounced "din boo", as in "book".
The 100 % of weight is on the back foot. In the "classical" din boo, the back foot should
be at 45 degrees to the direction your body faces. By the "body" we mean hips, as all
moves in Tai Chi are done "from hips", or (which is just another way of looking at it)
from the lower dan tjan.
The front foot should point the same way your hips are facing. This is one of the most
important rules (see "Rules and restrictions" chapter), when the foot is "empty" (no
weight on it), it is always pointing the same direction with the hips. You turn your hips,
the empty foot turns, in the same time.
The front foot touches the ground with the base of the toes only, the heel is up. If you
draw the line from the heel of the back foot to the base of the toes of the front foot, you
will find, that this line going the same way hips are facing.
The front foot can be away from the back foot, or it can be near the middle of the inner
edge of it - there are some fine distinctions and terminology to use, but for our purposes
it is the same din bu position.

Sui boo
In the previous position, the heel of the back foot and the base of the toes of the front
foot were on the same line.
In this position, the front foot is shifted outside a little bit. If you move your front foot
back in din bu position, it will meet the back foot, the middle of the outer edge of its
sole. If you move your front foot back in sui boo, the heel of the front foot will pass the
heel of the back foot, at a very close (perhaps, a 1 millimeter) distance.

Ma boo
A "sideways" position. Weight is equally distributed between both feet. As we cannot
say which foot is "empty", there is no restriction on the way your toes are pointing, it is
possible to turn them to the sides a little. However, if you can, keep your feet parallel.
You don't have to go down very deep, though, if you can, make it low, with your thighs
parallel to the floor. Most people cannot do it - if they do it right, and it is OK.
By "do it right" I mean: a) back is straight and coccyx turned forward. If you turn it
back, your low back will have the S-shape, and this is where your Tai Chi progress
stops. b) Knees on top of toes.

Gun boo

Pronounced "goon boo", as in "book".

The weight is 70 % on the front foot, 30 % on the back foot. The knee of the front foot
on top of the toes (it means - if you project it down, the projection will go there). The
back is straight, no bending. The hips are turned in the same direction the toes of the
front foot are. The back foot is almost parallel to the front foot (it is just a little bit
turned outside). If you draw two parallel lines on the floor, and project the center of
gravity on the floor, too, then it will be in the middle, between these lines, NOT closer
to the line, that was drawn through the front foot.

Steps
The main idea of Tai Chi is to follow the dao, where In turns into Yan, and Yan turns
into In. The leg, that has weight on it is tense, it is "Yan". The "empty" leg is "In". We
walk in such a way, that In and Yan are constantly changing places, allowing your legs
to do a lot of work, without getting tired.
So make sure, when you have the "empty" foot, that it is relaxed as much as possible.
Hands, on the other way, should always be relaxed.

Step forward
Bend your knees at the "working depth". Bring your hands a little bit to the side (about
the width of the shoulders), in front of you. The angle between your hands and the plane
where your back is should be 30 degrees. Palms down.
Hands should be "floating", as if they weight nothing, wrists should be straight. Elbows
(it is one of the "rules") should not be pointing to the sides, instead, they should hung
down, relaxed.

Move your weight on the left foot. Do an "empty step" forward and a little bit to the
side with your right foot. The heel goes down first.
This is VERY important point, so let's talk about it in details. In Tai Chi 24 (see below,
in "rules"), only the empty foot can move (there are exceptions, every time it happens, I
will explicitly warn you). So before we do a step, we need to move all our weight to the
other foot. ALL of it.
This is not the way people walk on the street, they bring their foot in the air in front of
them, and then fall on it. In Tai Chi, it is called "double weight" and is strictly
prohibited. There is a martial explanation for it - when you are "falling", you are off
balance, and your opponent will use it to his advantage.
So, we need to bring our foot forward, and to put it on the ground BEFORE we begin
shifting the weight. Which means, that the length of our steps depends on how deep
down we brought our center of gravity, when we were choosing the "comfortable
depth". Of course, one can sit down, do a step, and then go up... In Tai Chi is called
"jumping up and down" and is illegal, too. From the martial arts perspective, when you
"jump up", your balance is compromised, when you "jump down", your ability to move
is limited.
As for the "energy" point of view, if your center of gravity jumps up and down, the In
does not turn into Yan, when you change legs, so your "dynamic meditation" is
compromised, too.
After you have brought an empty foot forward, move your weight on it. To do it, first
straighten your left knee, while bending the right knee. When you did it, bring your left
heel up, and only after that, lift your left foot.
Note, that as our empty foot should always point same way hips are facing, we can step
forward and to the side, but the toes should still point forward.
As before, we should avoid the double weight. It means, that we should transfer the
weight smoothly, and should NOT push with the back foot, to move few more inches
forward (if you have to push against the ground with your back foot, in order to lift it, it
means that your step was too wide).
Note, that you go forward with your lower dan tjan, keeping your back straight, and
your coccyx turned forward.
Finally, bring the left foot towards the right foot. From this position you can do another
empty step - with the left foot, so do not put it down.

Step back
This is the opposite to the step forward, except the foot goes back, not back and to the
side.
In traditional form hands are at 90 degrees, at the level of the shoulders, palms up.
Move your weight on the left foot. Keep the back straight.
Do an empty step back. When the foot touches the ground, the leg is almost straight.
"Almost" means, that the knee should still be slightly bent. However, if we put the foot
down on the base of the toes, heel up, then how are we going to move our weight back?
The knee is already straight, and we are not allowed to fall on the back foot...

To solve this problem, bend the ankle, so that the foot goes down with its sole (actually,
you should try to move it heel down, though of course, it is not possible).
Move your weight to the back foot. Do not bend, move back with your min man point.
Bring your front foot towards the back foot. To do it, first bring up the heel, then the
toes.

Step with turn

Let's say, you want to do a step East. Then the initial position will be facing North-East.
Bend your knees, bringing your center of gravity at the "comfortable depth".

Move your weight on the right foot.

Turn your hips (and of course, the left, "empty" foot will turn the same direction) 45
degrees to the left (East).
Do an empty step with your left foot. The direction of the step should be forward and
left, at 45 degrees to the direction of the step (we face East, we step South-East).
However, as we (our hips) are facing East, so does our left foot, so it steps a bit
sideways. The heel goes down, the sole is still up.
Move 70 % of your weight on the front (left) foot. When most of your weight is on the
front foot, the "foot faces the same way hips face" rule applies to the back (right) foot.
So we need to turn it, so it is pointing forward (or almost forward, as we still have some
weight on it). To turn the foot, move the heel outside, rotating the foot around the iun
tsuan point.
At the end, we are in the gun bu position.

To do the next step, we need to move our weight (100 % of it) back on the right foot,
and to turn hips 45 degrees left (South-East). The front (left) foot goes toes up (not
vertical, they just go up a little), and turns together with hips.
Keep in mind, that the rule "knee on top of the loaded foot" still applies.
Move your weight forward, on the front (left) foot, and bring the right foot into the din
boo position, so that it is near the middle of the inner edge of the left foot. You should
be facing South-East now.
You are in the initial position for the next step. To do it, turn right 45 degrees, do an
empty step and so on.

1. Initial form.
Facing North.
Initial position: heels together, toes together, knees straight, but not locked (just slightly
bent). Palms are turned towards the body, touching the sides of the thighs.
In this position, enter the "Chi Gun state", the state of a complete mental relaxation,
with no thoughts. Feel your body growing, and dissolving. Of course, at the beginning
you will just pretend to be relaxed, later this state will become natural for you.
"Pull" your body together again, moving your attention and your weight to your right
side, at the end, 100 percent of your weight should be on your right foot.
Step to the left with your left foot, but keep your weight on the right foot. As your right
knee remains straight, the only way to do it is by putting the left foot on its toes. First,
the thumb of the left foot touches the ground, then the second toe (pointing finger), the
third, and so on. In the same time, begin shifting your weight to the left.
After all toes are on the ground, keep moving your weight to the left, so that the outer
edge of the left foot gets in touch with the ground, first its front part, then the middle,
then the outer side of the heel.
At the end, your weight should be distributed equally between left and right feet.

By moving your weight from the thumb, by the circle to the heel, you are creating the
initial "spin", as all tai chi movements are based in the never-ending circles. This same
circular motion creates the initial spin in your lower dan tjan (feel it, or at least keep
your attention there).
Also notice, that the point in the middle of your foot (lao gun, see the list of points at the
web site) should not be pressed against the ground, it is very close, but if you take a
strip of paper, you should be able to push it under your foot, from inside. That means,
that the weight is more on the outer edge of the foot, then on the inner side.

After the weight is on both feet, we need to turn our palms so that they face backwards.
To do it, first, lift your baby finger from the surface of your thigh, as if it "knows" where
the palm will be, and is going there. Then lift the ring finger, and so on, every time
turning the palm, too. The last, thumb is turning.
Note, that all that was said at the web site about the way your palms should be in Chi
Gun, applies to Tai Chi as well. The fingers should be straight, forming a line (not an
arch) with the palm. There should be an arch between the thumb and the pointing finger
(not a sharp angle), and there should be an arch between the thumb and a baby finger
(which means the thumb should not be in the same plane where the palm is).

Imagine, that your hands are very (infinitely) long, that they go down in the ground.
Keep your attention at the points dzjan dzi at your shoulders, making sure the shoulders
are relaxed and down.
Bring your hands up-forward to the shoulder level, keeping the feeling that they are
very long. Then (do not think of long hands anymore) bend your hands slightly, and
allow your hands to go down, until the angle between them and your body is about 30
degrees. All this time your palms should be parallel to the ground.
While bringing hands down, bend your knees, so that you sit down to the "working"
depth (Chi Shi). The "working" depth is personal for everyone. Generally speaking, the
deeper you sit, the better, but most people cannot do that AND in the same time to
follow multiple rules and restrictions (that we are going to discuss). The way it is shown
at the picture is fine for an average Tai Chi student.
With your weight still on two feet, turn 45 degrees left, and move your hands a little bit
to the sides, as if you are expanding. This feeling of "pushing out" is called KHAI.
Move your weight to the right foot, in the same time bring your right hand up, and turn
your left palm up, as if you are holding the large ball. The right palm should be at the

level of your shoulder, and in terms of its horizontal position, somewhere at the level of
your right nipple. The left hand should be at the level of the belly button, almost under
the right palm.
Note, that the elbows are almost straight, this is a general rule in Tai Chi - hands should
be "long".
In the same time, bring your left foot to the middle of the right foot. The left foot should
touch the ground with the base of the toes (heel up), and (see the rules and restriction
chapter, "coordinations") it should point in the same direction your hips and face are
facing.
At this point your right foot, left foot, hips and face are facing the North-West.
At this point, the "separation of In and Yan" begins. From your perspective, it means
few more restrictions (see below the discussion about a double weight).

Rules and restrictions.

Keep your back straight.
Sometimes you will have to bend forward, either because you are not flexible enough,
or because the exercise requires so, but even then, do not move up your coccyx. Always
have it turned forward, just a little. As the other part of this restriction, the shoulders
should not go down. If you bend forward, do it with flat back, keeping your coccyx
forward (which means, your low back will be stretched).

The reason for this rule have a lot to do with the idea, that energy channels on your back
should be straight. Bringing your coccyx back will create an extra curve in your low
back, and the energy flow will stop (or will never start).

Relax your shoulders

Keep your shoulders relaxed and down. Always, except when explicitly told otherwise.
The attention should be always paid to the dzjan dzi points, they should not go up.
As was explained at the web site, the result of this rule is the "30 degrees" rule. Your
hands should not be in the same plane with your back. Instead, they should go only as
far as 30 degreed to this plane (except when explicitly told otherwise). If we bring our
hands in the same plane with our back (down, up, or to the sides, does not mater), our
shoulders automatically go up, which is wrong.

Knee above the foot

This rule applies when your weight is on the foot. The knee should be on top of your
foot, and not to the side (especially, not inside). Tai Chi is known for healing the knee
problems, but if you do not follow this rule, you may as well create ones.

Do not look down

There is nothing there to look at. Look forward, at the direction of the exercise.

Coordinations
1. Hip and foot.
Your "empty" foot (one that have no or almost no weight on it) should always point in
the same direction where hips face.
2. Elbow - knee.
The way we move our elbows is coordinated with our knees.
3. Palm and foot.
The palm and foot are moving in synch.
Coordinations will be explained in details when we describe corresponding exercises.

Empty foot moves

In some Chi Gun forms we do have situations, when you move the "loaded" foot, one
that has weight on it. In "24 forms" we do not have it, except for the first and the last
forms, that are "transitional" entry and exit forms. In all other forms, you need to move
the weight off the foot before you can move it.

There should be no "double weight"

A direct result of the previous rule. If we move the foot (which means it is not on the
ground at the moment) it should be empty. No double weight.

Keep the center of gravity steady

When walking, do not jump up and down.

Long hands, straight wrists

In Tai Chi you will find, that elbows are generally less bent, than you would expect, if
you had some prior martial arts experience. Thet is due to the fact, that the "energy" is
moving better through the (almost) straight hands.
Due to the same reason, you will almost newer bend the wrists, except for the very little
angles up or down, or sideways. However, when you push, your lao goon points go
forward, which is done by combining the angle at the elbow and wrist.

There are no stops

In some Tai Chi styles there are stops, but even there the chi keeps moving. In Tai Chi
24 Chen style there are no stops. The motions are smoothly flowing into each other.

Elbows down
Elbows should always be "hanging" down. From the martial point of view, the "elbow
to the side" is an invitation for an opponent to either kick you in the armpit, or to break
your shoulder.
From the "energy" point of view, the "elbow to the side" means, that your shoulders are
tense.

2. Part horse's mane.

From the martial point of view, this is a "splitting block", it "splits" the opponent's
attack ("le" in Chinese).
So far, we ended up facing North-West. Keeping your right foot where it was, with 100
% of the weight on it, turn your hips (and of course, your "empty" left foot turns on the
spot, as it is synchronized with your hips) West.
Step with your empty left foot forward and left, at 45 degrees to the direction of the
motion (which is West). Put is on the heel, toes up-forward.
Here we need to discuss an important implication of the rule "only empty foot can
move". If we walk with our knees straight, we will not be able to do a step and to keep

the foot empty in the same time! Most people most of the time are walking by raising
the foot and then by "falling" on it. It can not be done in Tai Chi, because we will get
the "double weight".
So we bend our knees, and keep our center of gravity at the same level, as we move.
First, we do an "empty step", keeping ALL our weight on the back (in this case - right)
foot. We need to end up with our feet at the width of our shoulders, and not on the
straight line, so we step forward and to the side (at 45 degrees).
Note, that before we stepped, we turned at the right foot. It is very important to realize,
that the right foot is now pointing North-West (as it didn't move), and our hips are
pointing West. It is not a violation, as the right foot is not "empty".
However, when we step forward and to the side with our left foot, we MUST keep it
pointing the same direction our hips point, which means, we step at 45 degrees forward
and to the left, BUT our foot is pointing West, and not South-West.
Simultaneously with this empty step, move your right wrist inside (to the left) down and
then outside, while your left wrist should move inside, up and outside. At the end, the
right wrist should be on top of the left wrist, almost touching it, the angle between
wrists is almost 90 degrees.
Note that the hands are "long" (do not bend elbows) during the entire form.
Move your weight t the left foot. When you do it, the left knee will bend, to end up on
top of the end of the left foot. Note: in some martial arts, like in Karate, the knee can not
go that far, but in Tai Chi the rules are a bit different.
In the same time, your hands should continue moving the same arches they was going,
so that the right hand ends up forward and down, slightly wider then the width of
shoulders, palm down, while the left hand ends up pointing forward and up, slightly
wider then the width of shoulders.
As you move your weight forward, your back (right) foot becomes "empty". Move the
heel outside, so that the foot spins counter clockwise around the iun tsuan point, until it
is almost parallel to the left foot (almost pointing west).

Move your weight back to the right foot, in the same time turning hips (and the empty
left foot) 45 degrees left. In the same time, turn your left palm, so that it faces right, and
right palm, so that it faces left. Note, that due to palm-foot coordination (see "rules"
chapter), the palm and foot turn simultaneously.
Move your weight to the left foot, first by straightening the right knee, then by lifting
the right heel, and only then - by lifting the foot. It is very important (in order to avoid
the "double weight") to NOT push with the back foot. That means, you need to
coordinate width of your steps with the depth of your "comfortable walking position". If
you make a step, that is too wide, then in order to make the next step you need either to
push with the back foot (wrong), or to have a double weight, or to deepen your position
(but you are not supposed to jump). Therefore, the length of your step is exactly the
distance where you can put the heel on an empty foot.

Move your back (right) foot forward, to the middle of your left foot (inside). This is not
a final position, as you are going to move the foot forward - right without putting any
weight on it.
Move your right hand, according to the palm-foot coordination, so that at the end, when
your right foot is near the left foot (sole sliding slightly above the floor), the hands are
"holding a ball", exactly as we did before, except this time the left hand is on top.

We have completed the first "part horse's mane" form, and ended up in the initial
position for the second one. To do the second one, turn your hips (and the right foot) to
the right, and follow the instructions above, this time to the right.
Then do the third "part horse's mane" form. All this time you are moving West.
Important note. The steps, as well as all moves in Tai Chi, are only external
manifestation of the internal motion, that takes place in the lower Dan Tjan. Keep your
attention there, and make sure, it is always moving.
When we turn at the beginning, the turn changes into the step, and while shifting
weight, we begin to turn, preparing the next step. So it is not like step-turn-step. Keep in
mind, that Tai Chi is based on the In-Yan symbol, where the In changes into Yan and
vice versa, AND the beginning of one of them appears at the maximum of the other
(otherwise, we would violate the "no stops" rule).
From the martial perspective, step forward is an attack at the opponent's shin. That
means we cannot have our knee "straight and locked", otherwise a counterstrike will
break it.
Also, moving weight from the back foot to the front foot is an attack, too. The
opponent's leg, if it is at the way, should be pushed away with your dzu san li point (the
outer side of your shin). For this reason (and because of the "knee above foot" rule)
keep your knee above the foot and not turned inside.

Instrucciones avanzadas para la forma del Tai-Chi

"Al empezar el aprendizaje del tai-chi chan, primero se practica la forma. Por
estudio de la forma se entiende la cuidadosa memorizacin e imitacin de las
diversas posturas bajo la gua de un maestro. Los estudiantes deben concentrarse
en aquietar su chi y en memorizar, analizar e imitar con calma las posturas. A esto
se llama practicar la forma. En esta etapa los estudiantes deben prestar especial
atencin en distinguir entre lo interno y lo externo, entre subir y bajar. Lo que
pertenece a lo externo es "la ligereza y la sensibilidad de todo el cuerpo", "La
conexin abierta de todas las articulaciones", "desde los pies a las piernas y a la
cintura", "hundir los hombros y doblar los codos" y as sucesivamente. Al principio
del aprendizaje estas enseanzas deben ser practicadas maana y tarde y
comprendidas plenamente. cada postura y movimiento deben ser cuidadosamente
analizados. Al practicar, hay que concentrarse en conseguir movimientos correctos.
Cuando se domina una postura se pasa a la siguiente. De esta manera, se adquiere
gradualmente la forma completa. Si se hacen las correcciones paso a paso, no se
modificarn los principios bsicos aunque transcurra mucho tiempo.
Cuando se practiquen los movimientos, todas las articulaciones del cuerpo deben
estar relajadas y naturales y se deben respetar estos dos principios. Primero, no se
debe contener la respiracin. Segundo, los brazos, la cadera y las piernas se deben
mover sin ninguna fuerza. Estos dos principios son recitados por todos los que
practican los sistemas internos de artes marciales. No obstante, tan pronto como
comienzan a moverse, girando el cuerpo, proyectando los pies, o girando la cadera,
se quedan sin aliento y sus cuerpos tiemblan. la causa de este fenmeno es
siempre retener la respiracin y usar la fuerza. 1. Durante la prctica la cabeza no
debe inclinarse a los lados ni hacia arriba o hacia abajo. Esto es lo que significa
sostener la cabeza como si se suspendiera desde arriba, o imaginar que se
mantiene un objeto en equilibrio en lo alto de la cabeza. A fin de evitar una postura
vertical rgida, se acenta el concepto de suspensin desde arriba. Aunque la visin
est dirigida hacia adelante, a veces sigue los movimientos del cuerpo. Aunque la
vista no se enfoca hacia un punto, este movimiento es importante, sin embargo,
dentro del esquema de cambios, ya que suple deficiencias en las tcnicas del
cuerpo y de las manos. la boca parece abierta pero no est abierta; parece cerrada
pero no est cerrada. Inhalar por la nariz y exhalar por la boca de forma natural. Si
la saliva fluye bajo la lengua, debe tragarse de vez en cuando y no expulsarla. 2 El
cuerpo debe mantener una postura erguida sin inclinarse hacia adelante o atrs; la
columna vertebral y el coxis deben alinearse verticalmente sin inclinarse a un lado o
a otro. Los principiantes deben poner especial atencin en esto, mientras realizan
movimientos activos, abriendo y cerrando, relajando el pecho y elevando la
espalda, hundiendo los hombros y girando la cintura. De otro modo, pasado un
tiempo, estos defectos sern difciles de corregir y producirn rigidez. Entonces,
aunque se haya practicado mucho tiempo, se obtendrn pocos beneficios o ventajas
prcticas. 3. Todas las articulaciones de los brazos deben estar completamente
relajadas, con los hombros hundidos y los codos doblados hacia abajo. Las palmas
deben estar ligeramente extendidas y las puntas de los dedos un poco dobladas.
Usar la mente para mover los brazos y permitir que el chi llegue hasta los dedos.
Despus de muchos das y meses la energa interna puede volverse
extremadamente sensible y se producirn resultados asombrosos de forma natural.
4. Uno debe distinguir el lleno y el vaco en las dos piernas. Al subir y bajar uno
debe moverse como un gato. Cuando el peso del cuerpo se cambia a la pierna
izquierda, la pierna izquierda est llena y la pierna derecha est vaca. Cuando el
peso se cambia a la pierna derecha, la pierna derecha est llena y la pierna
izquierda est vaca. Lo que llamamos "vaco" no es un vaco fsico, ya que no
desaparece la potencia, y se mantiene la idea de extensin y contraccin. lo que

queremos decir por "lleno" es simplemente algo substancial y que no se use

excesiva fuerza, pues esto se considerara fuerza bruta. por lo tanto, al doblar las
piernas, no se debe inclinar la delantera ms all de la vertical. rebasar este lmite
se considera un exceso de energa. Si cuando empujamos hacia adelante perdemos
nuestra postura vertical, nuestro oponente se aprovechar de esto para atacarnos.
5. En cuanto a los pies, se debe distinguir entre dar una patada con la parte
delantera de los pies (como en las figuras de la forma "Separar el pie izquierdo y
derecho" o "Extender el pie izquierdo y derecho") y dar una patada con el taln.
Cuando damos una patada con la punta del pie, debemos poner atencin en los
dedos; cuando damos una patada con el taln ponemos atencin en la planta del
pie. Dondequiera que vaya la mente el chi le sigue y dondequiera que el chi llegue
puede naturalmente haber energa. No obstante, las articulaciones de las piernas
deben estar completamente relajadas y la patada debe producirse con uniformidad
y estabilidad. En ese momento es muy fcil caer en el error de usar la fuerza con
rigidez; entonces el cuerpo oscilar y carecer de estabilidad, y la patada no tendr
potencia."