Opening the Hard to Get to Places in the Upper Shoulder Girdle and Lower Part of the Neck
This simple adjustment before returning to the original post - Cheng Bao Zhuang - activates the hard to get to (and feel) areas of where the neck and throat connect to the shoulders (Scalenes and Sternocleidomastoid muscles) the shoulder tops and the uppermost parts of the shoulder girdle including the region surrounding Dazhui GV-14 in back and Tiantu CV-22 in front.
Many years ago I met the late Mr. Henry Look on Maui. Henry trained with Han Xing Yuen, a noted student of Wang Xiang Zhai. He was also the disciple of Guo Lien Ying, a Shaolin Master who also trained Zhan Zhuang with Wang Xiangzhai. (Guo was one the first people to introduce standing meditation to America in the 1960s.)
Anyway, after finding out I’d been training Zhan Zhuang, Henry decided to test my frame by giving me several sharp Fa Li/Fa Jin pushes to “see how well you bounce.” In other words how integrated and connected I was. Fortunately I was able to withstand his hits without my frame falling apart, so he agreed to teach me.
Throughout his visit Henry Look showed me a number ways to improve my training. But among them, one method stands out. And that was an adjustment of the arms in the ‘emperor’ of all Zhan Zhuang postures - Cheng Bao Zhuang. (Holding the Ball or Embracing the Tree posture) Whereas most teachers place their students in the standard position with the elbow tips out to the side, somewhat below the level of the shoulders and lower than the level of the wrists, Henry suggested a bit different approach.
Rather than the traditional way, he had me lower and adjust my elbow tips to 45 degree angles (in relation the ground.) The traditional angles generally range from just below 90 degrees (parallel to the ground) to around 60 or 70 degrees. The effect of this modification was remarkable. Immediately I felt a sinking of the muscles in my neck and throat, tops of shoulders, shoulder blades and chest, and the muscles of my upper arms. (Deltoids, Biceps, Triceps etc.) In short, my entire shoulder girdle seemed to relax and settle into place.
In his wisdom Henry realized through observation and the briefest of physical contact, that certain elements in my shoulder girdle were not fully open. And now many years later, I can say with confidence that his method really worked. The idea of placing the tips of the elbows at 45 degrees or even facing the ground (as in Wu style Tai Chi) is not new to standing meditation, in fact the Taoists have been using these and other postural variations for hundreds of years to great effect.
So what actually happens when we use the 45 degree elbow posture. To get a feel for yourself, try this. Place your arms in the standard Cheng Bao Zhuang. (Elbow tips facing away from the torso.) Now, slowly lower your elbow tips down to a 45 degree angle relative to the ground. Note: (For those who are extremely tight in the shoulder girdle region this angle can even be 30 to 35 degrees.)
As you lowered your elbows down to the 45 degree position you will have immediately noticed a genuine relaxation and a downward sinking of the muscles of the neck, shoulder girdle and upper arms. This feeling will then want to percolate down through the chest and back to the Dan Tien/Ming Men region and ideally, all the way down to the bottoms of the feet.
After enough sessions in the 45 degree posture, something wonderful inevitably happens. When enough of the shoulder girdle muscle structures loosen and stretch, the elbow tips begin, of themselves, to ‘float’ back up in the direction of the standard position. 50 degrees, 55, 60, 65 etc. This is simultaneously accompanied and indeed motivated by a greater sense of space and ease throughout the region. When the body has reached near its maximum stretch, the elbow tips will simply want to stop rising. There is one important difference about this type of opening when compared to just assuming the standard posture by rote. And that is, with the 45 degree method, the stretch has come from the spine and centerline of the chest, meaning all the deep muscles of the upper back, chest and shoulders have opened (at least to some extent) and are initiating the change. In my experience, what actually happens is that we have created a ‘sense of space’ throughout the region and the tissues seem to want to adjust accordingly.
The traditional way of assuming a fully opened posture whether you’re ready for it or not, in other words mimicking the teacher, certainly has a proven track record. But a big part of that process is PAIN, sometimes severe and not for a day or two, but for months or even years. The reason for this is simple. Certain muscles within the body’s structure are much tighter than others, either through injury, overuse or not being used enough. The same is true with the amount of knee bend. Deep sitting, which is the usual method for martial arts training, may be fine when you’re younger or have no injuries. But for those who are middle age or older, or who have sustained lower-body injury, bending the knees too much can easily cause permanent damage.
Of course there are those who naturally have more of a ‘spartan’ temperament and will welcome maintaining the posture and fighting through the pain. The good news for them is that after much training, EVENTUALLY the pains will lessen and disappear. Don’t get me wrong, everyone who practices Zhan Zhuang will have to endure a certain amount of discomfort during their training, as the body tries to relax, release and open up. The difference is, by making some important minor adjustments, we are able to speed up the overall process while experiencing less pain and discomfort and quicker positive results. Try it and see for yourself.
Now let’s examine the fourth Core Skill - Twist and Release. Twist and release is essentially an acronym for Spiral energy. It has been said that without Spiral energy there is no real Tai Chi. So what is Spiral energy? To understand this we will first look at the spiral as a geometric shape, a shape composed of two of the most basic elemental forms - a straight line and a circle. We will consider the straight line as Yang, masculine, and the circle as Yin, feminine. The flowing combination of these two forms is not only nature’s preferred way of growth and movement, but also a perfect and continuous blend and exchange of Yin and Yang. That being said, it’s easy to see the importance of spiral movement and its expression throughout our Tai Chi form.
In terms of the most popular Tai Chi family styles, spiral energy has different degrees of outer visibility. The Chen family’s spiral energy or Chan Ssu Jin is the most visible or apparent, followed by the Yang family’s spiral energy which is generally much less visible and lastly we have the Wu family style (Northern Wu) whose spiral energy is almost entirely internal with little or no outer visibility. But make no mistake, a master of any of these styles will always move with a full compliment of Internal Spiral energy.
Spiral energy or Chan Ssu Jin has two forms which must be trained, the outer method which varies depending on style and the inner method, which is a Taoist Nei Gong process, common to all styles. In addition to the external and internal methods, Spiral energy also has two modes; Incoming (Nei Chan Ssu Jin) and Outgoing (Wei Chan Ssu Jin.) Physically, Incoming Spirals have a sense of compression (as in the third Core Skill - Compress-Expand) and Closing - as in the second Core Skill - Close-Open), whereas Outgoing spirals will naturally have a sense of Expanding and Opening.
In terms of self-defense, incoming Spiral energy can be used to absorb, divert and trap or stick an opponent’s attack, causing the person to jerk toward you and/or stick to you without having to actually seize their wrist or forearm. Outgoing Spirals on the other hand are used to deliver penetrating strikes. When an opponent is hit with a Spiral energy strike it is similar to being struck with a rapidly rotating drill bit. (Zuan Jin -Drilling Power) This can have the effect of making the opponent’s whole body wobble and or shake if the point of focus is more diffuse or generalized. However, if a Spiral blow is sharply focused at a Tieh Hsueh point, such as with a Penetration punch for example, the result can be devastating, causing a major disruption of Qi and blood to the brain or actual organ failure, depending upon the location.
The basic physical method of spiral energy is to combine the many rotational forces of the body into one coordinated flow. The spiral twist and release power of the legs, hips, torso and arms results in an exponentially greater force than could be generated by only using one part of the body. There are many fine examples of the physical aspects of Silk Reeling available online, but essentially it can be thought of as a Twisting, Spiral form of ‘Snaking.’ (Moving like a snake, discussed in the previous article on Expand and Compress.) Therefore, the incoming counterclockwise spirals of Nei Chan Ssu Jin begin at our extremities and progress through condensation into our low Dan Tien or Centerpoint. Conversely, the outgoing spirals of Wei Chan Ssu Jin proceed in a clockwise manner, expanding from our center out through our feet and hands. Below is a video link detailing the external aspect of spiral energy or Coiling Silk, presented by Master Chen Xiaowang who was born and raised in the Chen village. Although the quality of the video has something to be desired, the info presented is quite worth it. Besides showing a number of the Coiling Silk exercises, there is also a presentation of external Dan Tien rotation as well as the use of Zhan Zhuang to create the proper ‘atmosphere’ in the body for success. https://youtu.be/VS5farj8Q2E
Once we have mastered the external aspect of spiraling which, by it’s very nature produces rather visible movements, it’s time to tackle the Nei Gong aspect. The Taoist Nei Gong method produces an enormous amplification of the Spiral energy by generating a great many more spiral turnings in each segment of the body than are possible with the external method alone. Although this is a purely internal technique which eventually allows our spiraling to move at the speed of the mind and feeling-awareness, in order to learn it, we will first apply a physical exercise to help internalize the correct feeling.
The idea with this method is to very lightly trace a series of spirals from the fingers of one hand, moving steadily upwards to the elbow. These spirals, which will be traced using a counterclockwise direction, should go from the fingers to the back of the hand and palm, up to the wrist, forearm and finally the elbow. Once you have done this, probably several times, stop, close your eyes and then, using your mind and feeling-awareness, recreate the same sensations you felt while physically tracing. Here it is important to note that whereas the physical Silk Reeling procedure only allows for one spiral per segment or joint of the body, the internal method has no such limitation. This means you can trace and then later, internally generate several spirals from the fingertips to the palm, a few more across the back of the hand and palm to the wrist, once around the wrist itself. and then 5 to 7 spirals up the forearm ending with once around the elbow joint. Using multiple spirals for each segment will lay the groundwork for eventually amplifying your spiral power. Now, once you can internally trace and FEEL the multiple spirals (which should be done at a fairly slow speed at first) it then becomes possible to use the mind to speed up the rate. When we deliver a spiral strike to an opponent, the spirals will be internally generated at a phenomenal speed. Think of it as ‘Super-Speed.’
So to sum up, internally generated spiral power is based on two factors - the number of spirals per body segment, and the speed at which they rotate - either inward as with the exercise described above or outward using the reverse formula. Please be aware that the method I’ve detailed covers only one part of the body. Of course this must eventually be expanded to include both legs and arms as well as the torso. Once you are comfortable with the basic Nei Gong process that is, using the mind and feeling-awareness from the fingers to the elbow (or from the elbow to the fingertips for outgoing spirals) use this ability to go from the extremities back into the torso, finishing in the low Dan Tien for Nei Chan Ssu Jin. Then go from the Dan Tien, starting with Dan Tien rotation, back out through the torso to the feet and hands for Wei Chan Ssu Jin.
All this being said, truth be told, the details of the Nei Gong Spiral energy techniques really require one-on-one instruction from a competent teacher...
The third Core Skill - Expand and Compress means the ability to enlarge and shrink or condense one’s entire posture, including all the joints and cavities and most especially the spinal column. In order to perform this, we will have already had to ‘Hardwire’ the joints, cavities and spinal vertebra to the spherical expansion and compression of the low Dan Tien. In addition to all that, we will also include all the muscles of the body, stretching them outward from the low Dan Tien or Centerpoint - Expand, and then ‘stretching’ them inward, from the extremities into the low Dan Tien - Compress.
This inward and outward ‘stretching’ manifests in two forms, generally depending on the family style of Taiji we are practicing as well as the level of experience we have attained. At the beginning, this method will be fairly apparent as each posture will appear to slightly grow as we open and shrink as we close. But later the process becomes far more internal such that the postures don’t appear to have changed in size at all. But this is actually an illusion because the expansion and compression or condensation is still fully happening. Although very difficult to see, the results are easy for an opponent to feel during applications of the various types of Jing.
The third Core Skill - Expand and Compress has its root in the Taiji Classics. “When one part moves, all parts move...” and “If the Yi wants to move upward, it must simultaneously have intent downward.”
This brings us to the 6 directions of Stretching and Compressing. They are, emanating from our center, Vertical (up and down) Horizontal (to the front and to the back) and Lateral (to the left side and to the right side.) When we can Stretch and Compress from, and to our Centerpoint, working all six directions simultaneously, we are essentially creating the beginnings of a Spherical expansion and condensation. However, true Spherical Expanding and Condensing not only includes the 6 directions, but also an almost infinite number of other angles which go into the making of a Sphere.
In order for the novice to begin mastering this Core Skill, I advise using the technique known as ‘Snaking,’ that is, moving like a snake. This is where each of the segments of a snake’s body undulate, one after another in a linked, flowing sequence. This also means our whole body is acting in unison, either expanding or compressing. This is the first stage.
Let’s take the posture An or Push as our example. Compression: Start from the tips of the fingers and stretching inward, condense the fingers into the knuckles of each hand. Next condense the back of the hands and the palms into the wrists. This will create a ‘Tile’ hand or hollow palm. (Like a Chinese roof tile.) From there, condense the wrist and stretch the muscles of the forearm back into the elbow. Now condense the elbow joint while stretching the muscles of the upper arms back into the shoulders. Next, close and compress the shoulders inward toward the shoulder blades using the Teres muscles. Finally, stretch the shoulder blades and the Rhomboid muscles further inward until you feel them linking to the spine. Please note, while working from the shoulder into the spine also feel the muscles of the chest condense and stretch upward and inward to the breast bone centerline. This is the basic procedure for connecting the fingers and hands to the spine and centerline of the chest.
Expansion: First release the chest and upper back muscles downward, then relax them outward, stretching the Rhomboids to move the shoulder blades apart, then using the Teres muscles in back and the Pectoralis Minor muscles in front, open and expand the shoulder joints. Next, stretch and lengthen the upper arm muscles down to the elbow. Open the elbow joint and stretch and lengthen the forearm muscles down and out to the wrists. Lastly, open the wrist joints while stretching the muscles of the hand back out to the fingertips. This is the basic procedure for connecting the spine to the fingers.
Next perform the same procedure for the lower body, going from the toes and feet to the ankles, up through the knees, hips, Kua and low Dantien and then back out again to the feet. Once these two procedures (upper and lower body) are mastered separately, they must then be performed simultaneously, remembering to extend the upper body condensation down through the lumbar and Ming Men regions in back and the upper and lower abdomen in front. Although this will not be easy at first, it is certainly worth the effort, the results yielding more powerful Jing for martial arts and greatly enhanced circulation for better health. So to sum this up, eventually whole body condensation begins from the extremities (feet & hands, Baihui & Huiyin) and goes into the low Dan Tien, while whole body expansion goes from the Low Dan Tien out to the extremities.
Once we have mastered the Snaking or segmented way of compressing and expanding, its time for stage two, Now all the joints, cavities, sinews, muscles and bones compress and expand simultaneously, each to their unique proper proportion or frequency. When done correctly we will have embodied an important part of the Taiji Classics in our form. “When one part moves, all parts move...”
Later, when stage two is fully mastered, we can then move through our form using stage three. In stage three we create the actual state of Tai Ji within our body,’ that is, half the body is Yin - condensing, while the other half is Yang - expanding. Of course in our Taiji form the Yin and Yang parts of the body will be constantly exchanging as we move through all the postures and transitions. This is actually the modus operandi of Taiji fighting - where the Yin condensing half of the body intercepts and neutralizes the opponent’s attack while the Yang expanding half simultaneously issues Jing, striking the opponent’s vital points. Once again it is important to note that this idea of half Yin and half Yang is already embedded in each of the Taiji movements.
Let’s take ‘Brush Knee and Twist Step’ as our example. We’ll use the first Brush Knee in the form where the left leg is forward and the right palm strikes. Imagine that your opponent attacks with a right body shot or front kick. As the strike extends, our left hand/forearm intercepts and guides the strike or kick beyond our left side. This must also include the left side condensing from the hand and foot into the low Dantien which causes the opponent’s weapon to ‘stick’ to our hand or forearm. While all this is happening on the left side of the body, our right side simultaneously expands from the low Dan Tien out to the right foot and palm, striking the opponent’s left chest just to the outside of his left nipple. This is Tianchi point (P-1) a powerful Tieh Hsueh point which can disturb the Heart’s rhythm and may induce a ‘martial heart attack.’
In the final segment we will examine the fourth Core Skill - Twist and Release, which combines all the previous skills plus the spiral or silk-reeling power so often seen in the Chen family style of Taijiquan.
Open and Close is one of the often misunderstood Core Skills. The idea of opening and closing the joints and cavities or Kai/He in Chinese, has to do with the ability to control changes in pressure. This changing of pressure is both a physical and energetic action.
Physically we learn to alter the pressure and eventually even the amount of Synovial fluid in the joints. Synovial fluid is what ‘pads’ the joints, giving them their springlike quality. It is important to note that Open and Close is often intimately linked with the third Core Skill - Expand and Compress or Condense, especially for the novice.
In terms of the Cavities - Abdominal, Solar plexus and Chest - physically, pressure regulation largely involves the third Core Skill - Expand & Compress. But energetically it’s a different story. Once one has control of the low Dan Tien, that is, the ability to expand and condense it, thus regulating the concurrent volume of Qi, then, using spherical breathing, one is able to inflate and condense the cavities energetically as well as physically.
The actual manifestation of Opening and Closing is rather small and often difficult to see - although the experienced practitioner can feel a clear pressure differentiation. In addition to the center of each joint, Close and Open utilizes the attachments of the related muscles, tendons and ligaments to condense the joint (Closing) and then expand it. (Opening) By attachments I mean the places where the Sinews join or attach to the various related bones.
To get a feel for this, try squeezing (tightening) all the muscles around your elbow. This of course is a gross over-simplification, but it will give you the general idea. To get this to work, you must also contract the upper forearm muscles toward the elbow while simultaneously doing the same with the lower part of the upper arm muscles. This will give a basic feel of closing the joint. In order to Open, simply reverse the procedure and stretch (lengthen and expand) the same muscles away from the joint. For other training methods and a more detailed explanation, check out the book Inside Zhan Zhuang, Pg. 278-283.
What happens with new learners is that at first they must use the bellies of the muscles in addition to the attachments. In a sense this is actually a combination of Close-Open and Compress-Expand. Although this is many times how these skills are used in application, for experienced hands, Closing and Opening by itself is mostly an internal process of changing Qi pressures. For this advanced method to work, the dedicated practitioner must have fully ‘Hardwired’ all the joints and cavities to the spherical expansion and condensation of the low Dan Tien.
In order to apply the second Core Skill to your Taiji movements, try this: choose the endpoint or finish of any posture. This will be your ‘Open’ position. Let’s take Double Hand Peng for example. Stand at the finish of the posture, then in order to ‘Close,’ while slowly exhaling, contract or condense each of the joints and cavities from the extremities into the low Dan Tien. This will cause the posture to very slightly ‘shrink,’ but with all the alignments still intact. From there, simply inhale from the low Dan Tien out to the extremities. This will cause the posture to ‘Open.’ This method is known as ‘Pulsing the Joints’ and is usually mastered by using many individual repetitions similar to a Qigong exercise. Of course you will need to train this with every posture as well as each transition. After enough experience one is able to Close and Open all the joints and cavities simultaneously, in concert with the condensation and expansion of the low Dan Tien. Also, it is important to remember that Open and Close as well as the other Core Skills, Expand and Compress and Twist and Release are actually already ‘embedded’ within each of the Taiji movements.
In the next installment we will examine the third Core Skill - Expand and Compress which, along with Open and Close will provide a concrete method of expressing powerful Jing as well as generating a vastly increased degree of circulation which tremendously benefits one’s health.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
More About the Eight Core Skills
Part 1 - Soften & Connect
The 8 Core Skills basically consist of sets of opposite actions - Open/Close, Stretch/Compress, Twist/Release. The one exception is the first skill - ‘Soften & Connect’ in which the two actions function more like fusion rather than fission. These skills are actually part of the Nei Gung system found in genuine Taijiquan (as well as the other Internal Martial arts like Bagua, Liu He Ba Fa and Xing Yi.) Once mastered, these skills become the physical motivation/delivery system for the transmission of the various compound bio-electromagnetic energies, in other words, the different types or forms of Qi.
Of all the 4 sets of skills, the first one, Soften & Connect is by far the most important and here’s why. Without the ability to connect and unify the entire body as if it were one big piece, whole body movement movement simply isn’t possible. Also, and perhaps even more importantly, hidden within the first Core Skill is the royal highway which eventually leads to SUNG or SONG.
Once a relative degree of Sung is achieved, then and only then does it become possible to competently execute the other Core Skills. This achievement (the acquisition of Sung) is the first threshold or gate through which each practitioner must pass in order to be able to apply the over 40 types of Jing available in Taijiquan applications.
So what is Soften & Connect really? Well, for one thing it is the primary modus operandi (method of operation) of Zhan Zhuang, Standing Meditation. Soften & Connect or more accurately RELAX, Soften & Connect is what begins to happen during a Zhan Zhuang session if we go about training correctly. In order to do this we start with the most exterior parts of the body and then gradually progress inward until we include the deepest structural muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones, We are especially interested in making contact with the sinews having to do with the spine and each of the spinal vertebra. These tissues hold the spine erect as well as allow it to extend and compress as well as to twist and fold.
Let’s take the upper back as an example. Please note that this procedure is actually rather complicated when viewed mentally. But if we hold to our center as is recommended during Zhan Zhuang meditation, the body itself will help facilitate many of these connections and unifications.
So we start with the most superficial muscles of the upper back. These will include the Trapezius, Infraspinatus, Teres Major and Minor and the Deltoid. After relaxing these muscles in order to ‘soften’ them, we then must proceed to the next deeper level. These muscles include the Levator Scapulae and the Rhomboids, Major and Minor. For a still deeper level we must finally add the Intercostal muscles. (The muscles connecting the ribs to each other and in part to the spinal vertebra.
Realistically, this procedure must then be applied throughout the entire body, from head to toe. And this is just the muscles. From there we must become acquainted and work with all the tendons and ligaments. Deeper still we encounter the bones themselves as well as the bone marrow housed in the center of each. At the same time we become aware of the bone marrow deep within the bones, we may also become aware of our Zhang Fu or the Internal Organs. This will also include the brain and the glands. Of course this accomplishment generally takes many years of dedicated and correct practice.
The idea of the ‘connect’ part of Relax, Soften & Connect is a little more difficult to explain. Of course physically the muscles do not actually alter their shape or anything, other than what happens when the muscles naturally relax their tension and ‘soften,’ but energetically something very different happens. We literally begin to feel that more and more of our muscles and muscle groups are somehow joined or fused to one another such that when we breath or move, all our muscles function simultaneously, in unison as though they are one complete unit - like a single-celled biologic or in Taiji like a big round ball moving. And of course this... is Sung!
In the next installment we’ll examine the other 3 pairs that make up the remainder of the 8 Core Skills and how they work and also how to train them both for inclusion in a Taiji form as well as for martial application.
The photo is an example of Ying Zhuang - Eagle Stance
Below is a link to a new translation of Mr. Wang Xiang Zhai’s classic work, “The Correct Path of Yiquan” (1929) by Mr. Paul Brennan. Although there have been other translations, most about 15 or so years old, IMHO Mr. Brennan’s is by far the most in depth and dare I say, accurate.
I’ve compared the earlier versions with Brennan’s translation word for word, and it turns out the early versions use a fair amount of word and phrase substitution in order to “make more sense” in english.
While these changes do convey important parts of the intended meaning, the precision of Brennan’s work has provided me new and deeper insights into both Zhan Zhuang and the Internal Martial Arts.
