In black belt class we've been working on some concepts that I've found really frustrating. First we started talking about whether we're pushing or pulling while we're slide stepping backwards. I find because I don't have full feeling in my feet, the push is necessary so I can keep heavy contact with the ground. If I don't have a heavy enough foot, it's really hard for me to stay rooted. I don't want to be lifting out of my centre all the time.
So after I asked how to move forward with this concept, Sifu Brinker broke down how to externalize the internal. So I can work on physically manifesting what I'm trying to achieve with my energy while I'm slide stepping. That whole break down really helped me visualize how to move forward with this concept.
On Saturday at Tai Chi class I had one of those "a ha" moments. I realized that when we're practicing Tai Chi, we are practicing externalizing the internal. We work a lot on moving from our waist, turning through each movement and executing from our centre. Our hands are always moving together in circular motions and our feet are always placed before shifting our weight. Now we've talked about how when we move to combat scenarios, this all changes. Our movements become much more linear, and more application focused. But we're trying to use our energy to internalize the circular movements so we can maximize our effectiveness. Combining flowing circular techniques internally, with smaller more linear external techniques.
This breakthrough has really helped me find some ways to work through some of my frustrations.
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