The Vital Force Archive

Eighteen years of The Vital Force (2007-2025), the journal of the T’ai Chi Chih community. Search for a word, a teacher, a movement or a place, or browse by category and topic.

Vital Force Categories

Conference Presentations & Reflections (244) Featured Article (867) Justin Stone: In His Words (146) Justin Stone Memorial Issue (2012) (24) Knowledge & Wisdom from the TCC Guide (92) Pyramid Poetry (40) Remembering Justin (43) Senior Teachers Speak (18) Student Experiences & Reflections (161) Teacher Accreditation & Training (90) Teacher Experiences & Reflections (215) Teacher Trainer Tips (157) The Lighter Side (36) Where in the World (178)

Vital Force Topics

20th Century Psalms (21) Adapting the Practice (139) Aging (80) Alaska (6) Anxiety (50) Arizona (34) Around the Platter (39) Arthritis (24) Balance and Fall Prevention (91) Bass Drum (18) Belize (3) Bird Flaps Its Wings (19) Blood Pressure (21) Books and Media (128) Building a Class (133) California (363) Canada (29) Cancer (45) Caregiving (28) Carry the Ball to the Side (33) Chi and Intrinsic Energy (640) Chinese Roots (42) Chronic Pain (51) Churches and Spiritual Centers (36) Climb the Joyous Mountain (28) Colleges and Universities (48) Colorado (106) Conferences and Retreats (511) Connecticut (3) Continuing Education (91) Cosmic Consciousness Pose (25) Costa Rica (4) Cyprus (1) Daily Practice (310) Daughter in the Valley (23) Daughter on the Mountaintop (18) Deepening Practice (421) Delaware (14) Depression (22) Diabetes (4) Florida (38) France (1) Fundraising and Scholarships (45) Georgia (53) Gratitude (378) Grief and Loss (68) Group Practice (381) Hawaii (37) Heightened Awareness (302) Hospice (8) Hospitals and Clinics (49) Humor (84) Idaho (6) Illinois (57) Indiana (20) Injury and Recovery (76) Iowa (4) Israel (2) Italy (2) Joyous Breath (15) Justin Stone's Teachings (626) Kansas (16) Kentucky (1) Letting Go (427) Libraries and Community Centers (19) Light at the Top of the Head (16) Louisiana (25) Maine (1) Maryland (29) Massachusetts (7) Meditation (191) Memory Care (21) Mexico (137) Michigan (3) Milestones and Anniversaries (48) Minnesota (144) Mississippi (20) Missouri (16) Montana (8) Music and Practice (41) Nebraska (4) Nei Kung (19) Netherlands (4) New Hampshire (1) New Jersey (162) New Mexico (214) New York (37) North Carolina (10) North Dakota (1) Ohio (24) Oklahoma (9) Oregon (39) Other Disciplines (81) Parkinson's Disease (9) Passing Clouds (18) Pennsylvania (98) Personal Stories (1151) Poetry (286) Practicing Outdoors (158) Present Moment (313) Prisons (36) Pulling in the Energy (31) Pulling Taffy (65) Push Pull (26) Recovery Programs (20) Research and Studies (48) Resting Position (54) Rocking Motion (74) Running a Class (197) Schools and Children (24) Seated T'ai Chi Chih (91) Seijaku (151) Senior Communities (72) Six Healing Sounds (36) Sleep (36) Softness and Continuity (348) South Africa (1) South Carolina (17) South Dakota (9) Spiritual Odyssey (67) Starting Out (160) Stress Relief (148) T'an T'ien (203) Teacher Accreditation (262) Teacher Trainers (81) Teacher Training (147) Teaching Beginners (165) Teaching Online (104) Texas (27) Tributes and Remembrances (79) United Kingdom (20) Utah (4) Vermont (2) Veterans (32) Videos and DVDs (83) Virginia (5) Vital Force Journal (60) Volunteering and Service (70) Washington (18) Weight Shift (254) Wisconsin (5) Working the Pulley (27) Workplaces (8) Yin and Yang (120) Zen and Buddhism (149)

Carry the Ball to the Side

Carry the Ball to the Side is one of the T’ai Chi Chih movements, and the writing here attends closely to its mechanics and its feeling. Articles include teaching notes on preparing the lower body, the turning waist and swiveling hips, the yinning and yanning, and common corrections.