This is a subtle
aspect of walking Tai Chi style.
The limbs rotate
around their central axis one way and then the other.
The arms swing
freely from the shoulder joints.
When the right arm
swings forward, the left leg swings forward.
Both rotate outwards -- only slightly. In other words, the thumb rotates
up and slightly away from the body, while the little finger turns inward slightly.
The big toes rotates up and away from the body, and the little toe turns
downward slightly, toward the floor. These are only slight rotations!
Take a few steps,
noticing your shoulders. When you step forward with the left leg, the right shoulder moves forward. The right
shoulder then moves backward as you step forward with the right leg. If you
drew a line between both shoulders and both hips, those lines would twist in
opposite directions with each step.
A static exercise
might help. Imagine the line between your shoulder joints as the top of a
capital T. Rotate the long arm of the T,
and let your shoulders swing back and forth. Your shoulders remain parallel to
the floor and move as if there were a rod connecting them. The distance your
shoulders move should match the distance they do when you walk -- not a large
distance. Allow your shoulder joint to be loose and let the arm swing freely
from that joint. As the arm swings forward, the arm rotates outward, thumb
moving up and out while the little finger turns in toward the body. The
rotation of the arm is slight but natural.
The legs are move
difficult to isolate since swinging one leg requires balancing on the other.
Consider the following: when a leg comes off the ground, allow it to swing
freely from the hip joint. Allow the leg
to relax. In this way, you have yin and yang: one tense, one relaxed; one full,
one empty; one heavy, one light.
You might try
balancing on one leg or holding onto a chair. See if you can notice the
rotation of the leg as you swing it forward and backward. Make the swings
gentle; that way it is easier to notice what happens in the leg.
Now walk naturally
and slowly, noticing the limbs. Be sure to open up the shoulders and hip joint
so the limbs swing freely. Can you sense
their rotation? Once you notice the rotation during walking, loosening the other
joints (elbow and wrist, knee and ankle) and allow the rotation to include
those joints.
Most of the
movements in Tai Chi involve the rotation of the limbs and the body. Most
movements go in arcs or circles, and could be described as floating along as if
on a current.
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