Our first posture in Tai Chi is the Commencement. We simply stand. We observe. We feel and experience. Our minds begin to empty slowly. This time is the preparation of our inner selves.
This time is not to be rushed. How long does it take? Whatever time we need. We wish to be healthy, fit, alert, alive and strong. As Westerners, we are in a hurry to DO something, to begin to move and get going. But the Commencement is so profound, so important, so fundamental to our health and well-being, we would do well to allow that healing to begin to occur.
Where are we? Rooted in the Earth, reaching for the Heavens.
We focus on several significant points on the body. We work from the ground up.
First, focus on the bottoms of the feet, just behind the ball -- our first connection, the Bubbling Well or the Yongquan point. Relaxing the toes and the bottoms of the feet, we allow the breath to travel up from Earth into our feet, focusing on the Bubbling Well. The feet, ankles and calves relax. We begin to feel the flow of energy up through our legs. We breathe.
Next, focus on the perineum, the bottom of the torso. In Chinese medicine, this is the Hui Yin point. In Yogic practice, this is the Mulha Bandha. The energy flows and the physical body relaxes. We release more thoughts, the noise of the mind. We continue with our preparation.
Each inhale brings healing, strength and awareness. Each exhale is a release of tension and fear. The breath guides us to ourselves. The breath and energy travel up the spine to feed and nourish the body.
Through the body, up to the Tan Tien, our core. Near the center of the body, the Tan Tien can be considered the place from which our energy radiates. It is pumped like a bellows, gently healing where our body needs it; awakening and generating power where our body needs it. All motion and every action originates in Tan Tien and moves to the limbs from there.
Continuing through the body, the breath guides the Chi to the heart center. In Yogic tradition, this is the Anahata Chakra. We allow the heart to open and release. We do not consider aggression or attack. From here, the Chi moves through the arms, down to the hands. In the center of the palm is the Lao Gong point, the pericardium meridian. The heart and hand are connected.
Through the torso from the heart, lungs and chest relax. The spine is soft but strong. Our joints have softened. Legs and arms are heavy and resting. Not sleeping, resting. With each breath, we are more alert and ready. Our bodies become spring-like and energy-rich.
The throat and face relax. The eyelids are soft. We are not gazing blankly off into the distance; we are not staring at the floor. We see everything with remarkable clarity. From the spine, up the back of the head, to the last point, the Yang point of the body. The Bai Hui point. This lies at the crown, not the top, of the head. Our connection to the universe and its eternal energy. We continue to breathe and feel the connection from Earth to Heaven.
As new students, we follow our teachers as they guide us through this practice. We want to MOVE. We want to play our form. Our impatience pushes us quickly through this time, but as we practice on our own, as our teachers observe us, we learn to slow ourselves down and gather what we need from and for our energy. Time passes and we discover that everything lies in these few minutes of silence, self-awareness, and Chi.
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