Tuesday 26 January 2016

Rock the Cinnabar


內有丹田,氣之歸宿*
Inside are the Cinnabar Fields, the place vapours return to

勁從足下起,還得丹田足
The strength raises from the feet on the prerequisite the cinnabar field is sufficient enough

掌心力從足心印
The force from the centre of the palms comes from the mark in the centre of the feet




Working on one's vitality flow, as it was explained in the two previous posts, was one of the objectives in the old practices. To do so, apart from mobilising one's organs, one could work on, or enhance, certain parts of the body having an impact on such flow. Of the numerous parts, the most famous are the cinnabar fields, 丹田.

Friday 15 January 2016

Vitality and Strength


眼無神, 拳無魂
Eyes with no expression, boxing without spirit

氣發若風行, 氣納吞百川*
Vapours are emitted like the wind, vapours receive, swallowing a hundred rivers

夫內勁寓於無形之中,接於有形之表,而難以言傳**
The inside strength is in the incorporeal, connecting with a corporeal expression, thus very hard to convey in words




Chinese arts differentiate strength from just body force. In Chinese, force is 力, which originally was a representation of human tendons or connective tissues***, "筋也。象人筋之形". Strength is 勁, the "underground river", 巠, of force, 力.

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Vitality and Force

全神貫注
To concentrate one's attention on

神清氣爽
A clear mind in a calm state

聚精會神
To concentrate one's attention on

心馳神往
One thoughts fly to (a place or a person)




Similarly as to the difference between fascias elasticity and muscle contraction, it may be interesting to try to first determine what belongs more to vitality. Of course, since vitality is mainly invisible, contrary to muscle mass, the noticeable differences lie more in effects than on visible or touchable things on one's body.

Monday 4 January 2016

The Cross and the Six Directions


沉肩墜肘,含胸拔背
Sink the shoulders and drop the elbows; contain the chest and pull up the back

鬆腰坐胯,開襠膝撐
Relax the waist and sit the hips; open the crotch and have the knee brace




Once the evolutive principles behind the figure of the bow are understood, one has to expand the connectivity of the fascias by connecting different lines together, and their elasticity by going beyond lines into surfaces and volumes.