The Three "R"s of Internal Practice (part 2)
26/10/2011 15:17
Regulating the Body
There is a philosophy in internal arts that states:
Shen is the spirit of the General
Mind is the General
Breath is the strategy
Qi is the soldier
The body is the battlefield
If the body is conceptualized as the battlefield then it is easy to relate the term “chaotic” to the body. In order for the General to be successful he must take command of everything that will have an influence in the battle. So the General must learn to regulate the body.
To regulate the body the first concept I teach is “relax”. That may sound simplistic but most of my students have come to the conclusion that the vast majority of us are wound pretty tight. There is not a class that goes by where I do not say “drop the shoulders.”
It’s a fact that we accumulate stress and store it within the body. When you look at it, it’s a pretty silly thing to do. Why hold on to that kind of energy? The answer is - lack of awareness. Most people lack even a rudimentary understanding of how energy gets trapped and stored within the body and worse they do not know how to get rid of it.
To relaxation we must discern stagnation or blockage of energy and then free it. The release of the energy allows the body to return to its natural state of balance.
The return to balance brings with it a feeling of peace and contentment. This is relaxation.
One of the best modalities to release energy and thus relax is to perform tai chi. This will only hold true for those who have reached a reasonable skill level where the forms can be performed while remaining in a state of mind conducive to relaxation, meaning – if you are a beginner and trying to mentally learn the forms then you will not gain much relaxation from your efforts. You will have to commit the time and energy into properly learning the forms and sequence in order to obtain the benefits.
Regulating the body also entails gaining a thorough understanding of physical balance, stability (root), flexibility limitations, and natural movement. Once working knowledge of these points becomes habitual within your forms then much less stress will be manufactured and thus available for accumulation and storage. You can’t store tension if it’s not manufactured.
Regulating the body will enhance the immune system, moderate blood pressure, increase circulation, detoxify the body and increase your energy and awareness.
Only after one has learned to relax can they move on to the concept of Song (pronounced - shoong). Song is a deep and absolutely fundamental concept to qigong and taiji practice but cannot be adequately addressed within this article. Suffice it to say that when song is achieved, the player has become successful in regulating the body.
Next time – Regulating the Mind
Peace
Rod
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