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The Keys to Practice

 

  • Relax the neck and suspend the head from the bai hui (crown point).

     

  • Focus the eyes and let them follow the direction the ch'i flows.

     

  • Relax the chest and back; keep the spine straight.

     

  • Keep the shoulders and elbows relaxed and dropped.

     

  • Keep the wrists aligned with the arms, and the hands and fingers relaxed so there is no blockage of ch'i flow.

     

  • Keep the entire body vertical and balanced.

     

  • Pull the cocyx forward and upward with the mind.

     

  • Relax the waist and the juncture of the thighs and pelvis.

     

  • Keep the knees between relaxed and not-relaxed.

     

  • Allow the soles of the feet to sink and attach comfortably to the ground.

     

  • Clearly separate the substantial and the unsubstantial.

     

  • Keep each part of the body connected to and coordinated with every other part.

     

  • Combine the internal and the external and keep the breathing natural.

     

  • Use the mind (li), not physical strength.

     

  • Feel the ch'i flow up the spinal column, throughout the entire body, and sinking into the tan t'ien.

     

  • Connect the mind and the internal power.

     

  • Make each form flow smoothly and connectedly without unevenness or interruption, keeping the entire body comfortable.

     

  • Make the forms neither too fast, nor too slow.

     

  • Keep your posture proportionate.

     

  • Keep the real application of the form hidden.

     

  • Find the calm within movement; the movement within the calm.

     

  • Make the body light, then it will become limber. When it is limber it will move freely and you will be able to adapt to change as the situation requires.

     


The Five Virtues
The Eight Truths

 

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