Taiji Quan, Qigong and other related spiritual, sacred moving cultivation have in the core of its essence—the profound deep awareness in motion.

What is Awareness in Motion?

To extend one's awareness from the core of our being to the vast peripheral of the universe. To be aware of the infinite subtle movements that constitute a single lifting of an arm.

There is a vast gulf of difference between a fully aware movement and a mundane day to day repetitive action of brushing our teeth. The mind in brushing our teeth does not feel the infinite minute way that the elbow flex and extend, or the lips curling back to expose the teeth. Most of us allow the apparent repetitiveness of brushing submerged into the nether world of unconscious habit. This is part of learning a complex skill such as driving, when every action from the shifting of the gear and the pressing of the clutch become one unified whole which a driver will take for granted. It is necessary to free up his other attentions to look ahead or talk to his cell phone.

Awareness in Motion is the dialectic opposite of such sublimation. Each time when practicing the Taiji or Qigong form, I constantly explore the infinite components of the movement structures—how the force of gravity helps the feet to stay in place or the breath integrated into expanding the arms in White Crane Spread its Wings. When I do practice in this Vipansanna—deep insightful mindfulness, the movements have a crystalline sharpness. But when I fall into the habit of mundane repetition, then the Taiji practices become mundane repetitive exercises and I experienced the movements as if moving through a thick fog. There is no clarity to the moves.

The Taiji masters had devised Pushing Hand and Free Steps Sparring as a way to keep the students' mind sharp and not fall into the habit of rhythm. As the immortal Bruce Lee once said, " never get suck into a predictable rhythmic pattern with the opponent. Or you would get knock down be your own predictableness"

In this context, the various weapons, sword, sabre, spear in Taiji form is ways to waken up the students to the fresh qualities of the movements. Having completed most of the weapon forms, a Taiji practitioner will come back to the simple Taiji form with a new level of awareness and depth of understanding. Then a simple Brush Knee pushing assumes a symphonic complexity of infinite sensations that travel from the heel to the fingertip. " initiated The Qi from the heel, direct it through the hip/waist, express it in the fingertips."—Taiji Quan Classic (1600 AD)

Too often Martial Artists brutalize and thicken their knife edge of their palm. acquiring this Iron Palm or Iron Shirt, they feel no pain under strong strikes. Oh, how they missed out on the delights of a single flicker of a butterfly lighted upon their shoulder. Iron feels no pain, nor will it ever feel joy or love.

For the Dantaoist, the Taoist Alchemist, the cultivation of infinite aliveness and vivid awareness in every moment is true immortal practices. otherwise, as one Chan Master had pointed out, " You are nothing more than a stealer of corpse, a dead man. Walking. What use is this lifeless immortal life devoid of spontaneity."

Your choice.
 
 
 
 

( Caution: The above statements are not meant as any form of medical advice. They merely serve as informative and educational purposes. If you have a medical problems please consult a qualified medical physician.)

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