Awareness of Circularity

If you have heard Justin Stone speak about T’ai Chi Chih, or read his writings, you know that circularity is fundamental to how we move in TCC. Yet, have you really examined how circular your movements are? The next time you practice, I invite you to look in a mirror and see. If you are a teacher, watch for circularity in your students’ movements as well.

•In Around the Platter and its variation, is your platter truly circular? If you are going straight out from your shoulder, or coming straight back to your shoulder, your platter will be more “D” shaped than “O” shaped.

•In Bass Drum, is your drum truly round? Are your fingertips tracing around a circle, or are they dropping straight down and then circling up in a “D” shape?

•In Daughter on the Mountaintop, are your fingertips tracing around the outside of intersecting circles? In Daughter in the Valley, are you tracing around the circumference of a circle as your hands circle down, then coming up the center of the circle as the weight shifts forward?

•In Carry the Ball to the Side, is the ball you are carrying truly round, and are you carrying it around in a circle?

•In Pulling in the Energy, are you circling the hands as in Around the Platter, only with the palms facing upward?

•In Pulling Taffy, Variation #2, Wrist Circles and Bird Flaps its Wings, are you really circling your hands and fingers from the wrists, or are you circling from the elbows?

•In Working the Pulley, is the front hand circling from shoulder height down to waist height as the back hand is circling from waist height up to shoulder height?

•In Light at the Top of the Head/Light at the Temple, are your hands and wrists circling over the crown of the head and at the temples?

•In Passing Clouds, are you tracing circles in the air with your fingertips?

In all the movements and even at rest, is there a sense of circularity in the hands? Are they open and softly rounded, with fingers spread loosely apart? Are your elbows and knees softly bent and never locked? Do your movements feel circular?

Circularity enhances the flow of Chi, so it is well worth your while to be aware of it and integrate it more into your movements. Then let go and just flow.