Maintaining "exactly" parallel feet

From a Workshop at Buffalo State College is a discussion of the rationale for maintaining "exactly" parallel feet. Also a picture of railroad tracks which are "exactly" 4',8.5" wide, so how far apart are the feet in Classical Tai Chi? The feet when parallel should be the length of one foot apart. So if you wear a size 8 shoe, or a 15 shoe the feet are exactly that length apart. Also, imagine a set of tracks that are exactly a size 8 or 15 wide and when parallel you could stand with left foot on one track and right foot on the other. If you began to turn either foot an inch you would start to fall off the track. Let me clarify that and say "rationale for maintaining exact... no, a better word is exactly parallel feet". I say "exactly" because the common thread is the emphasis on body mechanics and the concern about preserving and improving the health of the joints, such as those in the spine, hip, knee, and ankle. Parallel means side by side and having "exactly" the same distance continuously between them...no fudging and allowing either of the feet to even peek a little bit to the side.

Barbara and I visited with Sifu Jason Bulger who has been my student for the last 8 years. He is graduating top of his class at D'Youville College with a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy. Congratulations Jason! Here he is giving a presentation of his current research on May 2 along with 120 other presenters. His research is on "How Effective is Tai Chi in Reducing Hospital Readmission Rates for Heart Failure Patients. With patients, there is a positive impact on psychological, psychosocial and physiological needs. For Healthcare providers it is an immediate cost saving intervention.

 It is interesting what happens with the Heart when we talk about "internal motion", "internal discipline" and "internal energy" in Classical Tai Chi. In facilitating the compression of the abdominal cavity it massages the internal organs. In particular the abdomen is drawn upwards towards the chest cavity, this compresses the intestines, liver, pancreas, spleen, gall bladder, kidneys and above all the HEART.

The activity of internal movement from Classical Tai Chi creates what I believe is a veritable tidal flow of blood, qi, etc throughout the body. It would seem that along with this inreased blood flow the HEART does not have to work so hard don't you think?

 In addition to the "internal massage" of the heart enabling it to operate more efficiently, people doing internal discipline report feeling "warm". One can say internal heat also helps to activate heart muscle and in addition to the increased blood flow we mentioned improves the tonus of the heart muscle also making it more capable of doing work without undue strain