Jim R said: Pathological reasons aside I ask myself as a teacher why it is so hard for students to develop internal discipline? I have suspected for some time that people, in general, think of themselves as looking out from inside their heads and simply riding around inside their bodies. I think this is where the essence of Classical Tai Chi as "mindfulness meditation" comes to fruition. The head in this scenario reigns supreme but really is a purveyor of the illusion. . I'm not talking about eyesight per se here but the neuroscientist Sam Harris has pointed out research that shows people always think of objects as closer to their head than say their knees, back, etc.
In his book, Uncovering the Treasure, Master Stephen Hwa talks about the Mental state of a beginner and elucidates on how we think of the torso: "We think about the dexterity of hands or feet but think
of the torso as a dull part of the body, not knowing that the torso can be developed to have just as much
dexterity. As a result, almost everyone who starts on Classical Tai Chi is awkward in their torso. Precise
command and control of the neuromuscular system in the torso area are nonexistent.Yet, it is crucial in the development of Internal Discipline. During early Form training, students have to look intensely inward trying to establish communication with the torso, not just for command and control but also to develop sensitivity to the sensation of the body's feedback. Knowing the correct sensation of a movement is one of the best tools to achieve self-improvement."
1 comment:
Steve Marshall In martial arts and sports I think we always think about what our arms and legs are doing -for instance The importance of our arms and legs when we throw a baseball –
Because of this post, I will be more aware of what my torso and core are doing and how they are connected to my arms and legs when performing sports or walking
Thanks again for this post – I am truly trying to be aware that every movement is internal and connected to the abdomen and lower back
This begins with the opening move in tai chi of raising the arms
The last time I saw Master Hwa he guided me to use my stomach to raise my arms in the opening move
I believe every move right from the beginning must be practiced slowly and do not rush the learning process
Practice with an awareness that the core/abdomen/lower back must be connected to the arms and legs to be practicing internal tai chi
Thanks a ton for the inspiration
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