Enshrining The Graceful & Upright

Is there much to say about the Cosmic Consciousness Pose, the seemingly simple pose that ends each practice session? After all, you just stand on one foot and bend your elbows and raise your hands, right?

I never heard Justin speak very specifically about alignment and posture. Yet, every time I saw him do T’ai Chi Chih, whether in person, or in his DVD, or in his photo text, his posture and alignment were always impressive to behold. A tall and graceful man, Justin was always upright. Moreover, his effortless physical grace while doing TCC movements carried over to all of his movement. I’ve come to realize that whether walking, sitting or doing TCC, he naturally did all the things that give one an erect posture. His stomach was always pulled-in, his shoulders pulled back and yet soft, his chest lifted and open, his head aloft, chin lifted and ears over his shoulders.

A number of students come to TCC complaining of back pain. The first thing I look at is their posture. Whether hunching over a computer screen or steering wheel, or leaning into a walker, the activities of daily life can weigh you down. Through emphasizing graceful, upright posture during TCC practice, I hope to introduce body awareness that will carry over into all daily activities.

Cosmic Consciousness Pose enshrines the graceful, upright stance we assume throughout TCC practice. The focus of this concluding pose seems to be below and above: left knee bent to the left; right knee straight; left heel above right ankle; left ball of the foot solidly on the ground; elbows up to the level of soft, relaxed shoulders; hands in front of the face, right hand in front of left; softly-opened fingers in front of soft fingers; thumbs raised, eyes looking out through the thumbs in a soft, diffused gaze, taking in everything in front of you and attaching to nothing (no-thing).

The roots and the branches of the tree are important, yes, but the trunk of the tree, the tan t’ien, is the true focus here. Before even lifting the left heel and the hands and elbows, I encourage my students to turn their attention to the tan t’ien. While standing straight and tall and breathing deeply, I instruct them to engage the muscles around and behind the naval and to gently pull these muscles inward and upward, gently lifting from within. Once the “trunk of your tree” is lifted and strong, one can more easily stand on the right leg without tensing the knees and ankles and lift the hands without tensing the shoulders. Starting the pose this way gives a sense of length and strength, allowing us to experience the repose within this pose.

My teacher always advised that when doing Cosmic Consciousness Pose you should think of “absolutely nothing.” To that instruction I have added, “Allow your awareness to expand to everything.” Thinking and awareness are two different things and this understanding is one of the gifts of TCC.