LAO JIA YILUsome notes* taken from Chen Xin's Illustrated Explanations of Chen Family Taijiquan1 on first three figures by Dragi Bedina 1. PREPARATION Also called Wuji or Ultimate Nothingness. Chen Xin emphasizes to relax all extremities, especially arms and shoulders otherwise gestures will look angular and energy blocked: Hang shoulders loosely and drop the elbows, relax and lower the arms, turn both palms inward to face the thighs. These adjustments will prevent the shoulders and elbows becoming angular and blocked. It is happening a lot even in preparation stage. We are building up concentration and will power (or volition according to Chen Xin) which will accompany us through out the form: At this very moment, unification of volition and the concentration of spirit will occur if the starting position of the form is treated respectfully and carefully, whilst the dualistic principles of yin and yang, opening and closing, growth and decline, full and empty and so on are still beyond visual manifestation and thus cannot be defined or named. For the sake of clarity, we use the term Taiji to describe the initial or preparatory stage of the entire routine. Preparation is necessary to establish one's balance and bearing prior to movement. Though not visible to the eye, it is crucial. It is advised that before starting taiji we become thoughtless (Chen Xin is calling a student 'she'); thus we will be able to use our mind and body in optimal way – that is, we will be able to harmonize yin and yang completely: Before starting to practice the Taiji routine the student must first purify her heart and empty her mind of thought. As a result, she will possess a look of serenity, and her physical and mental conditions will be completely mobilized to launch the mechanisms of Taiji motion. The aim of the practitioner is to unite the two extremes into one in order to return to Wuji through practice and accomplishment of the Taiji routine. Sinking our hands and body will cause raising of qi up in our head while at the same time 'bad' or 'muddy' qi will descend down into the earth: * quotes are given in italics 1 Left hand is attributed to yang. yang is followed by yin. In this figure left is slightly ahead and right hand behind: The left hand is slightly ahead while the right hand is behind. BUDDHA'S WARRIOR ATTENDANT POUNDS WITH PESTLE (JIN-GANG DAO DUI) (pictures of Master Fu Nengbin)2 Figure is also known as 'Fist to Protect One's Center'. According to the mechanism of motion. right to yin. 2 .Going from Wuji to Taiji. movement will cause clear qi to ascend to heaven. 2. and 'muddy' or impure qi to fall to earth. so yang is inside while yin outside. the left hand is inside while the right hand is outside. The first figure depicts jin force flowing out. Authors' remark: See more for silk reeling in an article on Silk reeling.' and can be used to attract opponents to advance and hence fall into emptiness. inside of arm. When energy is reeling along the legs it passes through many very interesting acupoints which thus get stimulated. this form represents jin or intrinsic force flowing from the shoulders toward the fingertips. 2. With this figure he gives specifically instructions for reeling energy along the arms and legs: 1. * intrinsic force (spiraling force). acupoint HENG-GU†. The author advises to fill up hands and legs and the whole body with reeling energy by the method of silk reeling. Jing essence flowing in reverse direction from fingers to shoulder is known as 'jing essence getting in. the crotch should be rounded. Thus it flows in direct rotation (shun) from bone to skin. The arm's jin force emanates from the mind/heart and runs through the shoulders and elbows toward the fingers. this form represents jin force flowing from the fingers toward the armpits and shoulders.html 3 . starting from inside the forearm and threading jin force* along the upper and lower extremities. releasing jing essence outwards. 2. † Authors' remark: See more for all acupuncture points on: http://tcmdiscovery. the second figure depicts jin force coming in. posterior (external) side of arm. from shoulder to finger.The mechanism of qi is set to reel energy. don't narrow it too much with a high stance. 1.com/2007/8-20/2007820164453. drawing a circle upward until it stops in front of left hand. the heart qi commences its flow from the left hand and follows the left foot's half step forward.com/2007/8-20/200782014479. clear qi from the upper part returns to the DAN-TIAN. even a tiny crack the width of a silk thread will suffice. The size of this opening is not to be taken literally. eventually merging directly with the ground. In the preceding lines we can see how important is to have wide open stance (horse stance). ♦ TONG-GU and DA-ZHONG on the outside of foot. This is how the name of the posture was derived. knees and thighs toward the crotch. ♦ YIN-BAI on the big toe. without it. When clear qi goes up the restless heart qi does not allow muddy qi to descend to the feet as a natural result of the stable stance. Both hands clamp down together firmly into a cup to protect the heart area. If opened with conscious effort. maintaining connections between the full and empty. ♦ LI-DUI on the third toe.Jin force of both legs emanates from the toes to coil upwards along the ankles. DA-DUN and LI-DUI on the toes. Author's remark: approximately 1 meter Author's remark: Laogong is very interesting acupoint which is also used for treating manic depression and epilepsy. also known as acupoint HUI-YIN. Then the right hand leads the right foot. Upon reaching the heel of the foot. seven acupoints on the foot are involved in the posture's performance: ♦ BAI-HUI located at the top of the head. that is.html) † * 4 . this allows so called clear qi first to go up and then to sink into dan-tian (or tantjen) which is again a prerequisite for the whole body to be sunk as it explains further: Once the heart qi flows down. ♦ DA-DUN on the second toe. jin force gradually enters the TONG-GU and DA-ZHONG acupoints located on the outside of the foot. In addition to BAI-HUI. Eventually. Once the crotch is opened and empty. When we press with right fist into the left hand "we stimulate acupuncture point Laogong†". that is. ♦ ZHI-YIN on the little toe. Taking a step up. following the criteria of the true body position. The right hand and right foot is associated with emptiness and the left hand and left foot to fullness. These conditions have to be maintained throughout the Taiji routine from beginning to the end. the supporting left leg props up the whole body so that acupoint BAI-HUI can guide clear qi upwards and muddy qi downwards. then passes through acupoints YIN-BAI. the central part of the body. it is located between the 2nd and 3rd metacarpal bones and in the part touching the tip of the middle finger when a fist is made (source: http://tcmdiscovery. The crotch area is at the root of both thighs and must be opened. ♦ QIAO-YIN on the fourth toe. Slightly bend the knees to open the crotch area for jin force to pass through. even a width of 3 cfci* would not be sufficient to open the crotch. the qi of the whole body sinks downward. He says that hands play such roles in almost every figure. He says that usually we have to stick with our eyes to the leading hand. that charge our postures with an abundance of qi. puts his right arm into the right sleeve of the robe. All three characters depict a man who. Hence the stronger the qi flow. while holding one fold of his robe in his left hand. thus allowing old yang to give birth to young yin in turn. makes both the yin and yang qi run without interruption. it is released through opening into the succeeding posture. Once the posture overflows with qi. yang/yin etc. do not let your eyes wander or look at any other part of the body. yin and yang. the eyes follow the right hand forward until it comes to a rest. the Host. the firmer it becomes. Therefore focus your attention on the posture by looking at your leading right hand. Then concentrate your attention on the middle fingertip of right hand. Look directly ahead and also at the tip of the middle finger. the flow of qi still continues so that it flows onto the succeeding postures. This gives us an idea why it has to be smooth and bent and full of new energy. So. the whole point is to gather a lot of qi or jin force. That is why the leading hand is a little in front and the following behind. specially at the conclusion of the figure. Here Chen Xin writes about the importance of our eyes in the postures. opening/closing. When the right hand comes to a rest. In Lan Za Ji figure qi is mainly collected through very slow movement of the right hand: 5 . Throughout the form there is this interchanging of leading/following. Zha can be interpreted as putting one's hand into something'. Continuous interaction of heaven and earth. it is as though a host would invite a guest inside or to follow him/her as a guest. while the left hand plays the role of Guest. LAZILY TYING THE COAT (LAN ZA YI) (pictures of Master Fu Nengbin)2 The current posture is called Lan Zha Yi where Lan means 'holding something in one's hand'. When the right hand moves. Each figure uses different ways of collecting it but all are based on the same principles of spiraling energy. which plays a role of a host. It is said that right hand at the conclusion of the posture resembles a newborn moon. In the following few quotes we shall see how qi is being collected to get an idea how many factors take part in this process. and Yi is a robe or cloth.3. The posture must be reflected in your heart and externally expressed in your eyes. This means that even when the power producing movements come to a stop with the hand. the five fingers make a gesture of strength to conclude the final movement of the posture. which are the true receptacles of the spirit. the place where the two lines of intrinsic jin force connect and cease their separate flows to return to the waist as the waists intrinsic force.com/2007/816/200781615595. then outward again. the latter being above the knee toward the crotch. passing through acupoints† ZUSAN-LI and XUE-HAI. then elbow. the energy comes from the mind/heart. starting from the big toe and spiraling on the external side of the ankle into the shank. The main channes for flowing of this qi are acupuncture meridians ren-mai in front and du-mai along the back spine.html * 6 . this ultimately leads to the connection of the upper and lower body. the slower the better. which travels up and down the spine without any deviations sideways. This pathway allows Zhong-qi to flow between muscles and spaces toward the twenty-first vertebra. Thus we collect additional force which impregnates all fingers. This is the main thoroughfare of qi flow through the whole body. then shoulder. In the following quote Chen Xin nicely explains how upper and lower body gets connected through anti-clockwise* rotation of the right arm which we do very slowly and with full attention. the elbow with the shoulder. Thus it is generally used for attracting the opponent. The jin force of the back left leg spirals up in the same manner to reach acupoint HUI-YIN. pinky finger is leading and movement first starts in the shoulder. without any deviation sideways. then elbow then hand – the same is the flow of jing and it is used more for attacking. Here we can say that middle position denotes middle finger of the right hand with our focus on it. But then. Regular or clock-wise rotation is the opposite. in order to collect jin force. With all accumulated qi or force this is still not the end. the other fingers will also be filled with jin force originating from the bottom of the mind/heart. The process of accumulation of jin force from legs thus begins and stimulating many very powerful acupuncture points on its way: Since this reverse rotation connects the hand with the forearm. This position prepares for the proper flow of Zhong-qi along the main pathway. the shoulder with the knee and the knee with the foot. that is. which runs from BAI-HUI at the top of the head down through the twenty vertebrae. otherwise it will lead to an unstable stance. Hui-YIN is the midpoint between the genitals and anus. Once jin force takes the midway position. this qi is the ultimate essence one can achieve and benefit with. This is why you should not place the right hand too high nor too low. This keeps the whole body's spirit firmly upright. as Chen Xin said earlier "all five fingers make a gesture of strength". in fact. then flows inside the ulna [elbow bone] before emerging out onto the skin. The jin force of the front leg ascends. Straight.The movement should be very slow. So we have to achieve really smooth flow through these two channels in order to enhance this really refined type of qi. the origin of both thighs. our fingers straighten back slightly. Energy is also flowing in this direction – from hand to shoulder. relaxed and correct posture enables this: In other words. then flows through right shoulder and elbow into fingers: This second jin force flows from the nipple and runs up through the armpit to the shoulder. where thumb is leading and movement first starts with hand. the forearm with the elbow. which is the point of Author's remark: also called irregular rotation. † Author's remark: more on acupoints at: http://tcmdiscovery. Chen Xin is further mentioning Golden Mean which can be described as a true state or a path along which flows really refined qi or Zhong-qi. the whole point is to reach the state of the Golden Mean through stimulating jing essence rising from the depths of the heart in the center of the chest to acupoint BAI-HUI at the top of the head. shapeless and soundless as it is. Used literature and sources: Chen Xin (1849-1929): Illustrated Explanations of Chen Family Taijiquan (Beijing: Guanghua Publishing Ltd.. you will grasp the complex meaning of qi allocated to Zhong-qi. We have seen how many things effect each other and how interconnected they are. This knowledge cannot be attained without long and intensive cultivation of gong-fu.intersection between the two main channels. REN-MAI in the front and DU-MAI at the back. 2008) 2 Fu Nengbin: The First of Chen –style "Laojia" Taijiquan 1 7 . However the author knows it is almost impossible to understand this without long and hard practice: Understanding this is difficult because the flow of Zhong-qi is difficult to discern. Once you understanding this.