How Slow Can You Go?
Have you ever seen a sloth move? It’s really quite beautiful to watch. When I was still pretty new to tai chi I took a vacation in Costa Rica where I saw a sloth for the first time. It’s an image that will stay with me forever; one that provides a good model for advanced tai chi practice.
As a student progresses in tai chi they learn to move more and more slowly without stopping or pausing. This type of movement is one of the ways your body learns to relax while holding the structure of each posture. When a student holds tension while moving very slowly, the tension shows up as pain and fatigue in those areas.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a student who was thrilled with the prospect of taking a full minute to do one form, yet it can be an addictive type of practice. When I started really slowing down my forms I think I groaned pretty loud the first time I was told, “You’re moving too fast.” The feedback this exercise now allows me to get from my body and the way I feel as the energy in my body is allowed to move better, make me want to do it more.
Moving very slowly also develops muscle strength and memory in a way nothing else can. This practice also develops more speed for martial application. The best reason I can come up with for this phenomenon is that as the body learns to remain loose the muscles move more freely and therefore more quickly when moving at high speed. So if you haven’t started practicing forms at extremely slow speed, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get to it!
Your thoughts?
John
P.S. I found this image here: http://www.pantherkut.com/2008/02/27/ugliest-baby-animals/
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Aug 31, 2009 - 02:08:20Great, great idea…thoughts like this only come from inside. Thank you for looking there.
Slow is certainly a good descriptive word for how my forms should be accomplished. However, I am now thinking that slow would be the the culmination of another practice, which is “mindfulness” or just “purpose”.
If I am being Mindful and my purpose is the enhance all that is within me through the movements of the form, the slow becomes the by product. If I just simply slow my moves down and not have a reason for it, it becomes “a process and a result”.
Thought put into action is what I think I should be doing. Therefore, I try to think (thought leads chi?) where, when and why is my chi moving during a move. That seems to fill the mindfulness purpose requirement.
Slow is good. Why I am slow may be just a tad bit better, for me.
We need more “thought provokers” out there. Thank you and Nie Ho!!!
Love and Light,
richard
Ni hao Richard,
Xie xie ni for bringing this to my attention. Sometimes I focus so much on one subject, or aspect of a subject, that I forget to mention the other aspects. You’re absolutely right that mindfulness and focus needs to be there too.
I do also think that the mindfulness needs to be there even when we are moving more quickly. When I speed up a form so it more closely resembles Kungfu I find my focus needs to change significantly so that I continue to do the forms correctly.
You’re also right on that thought leads chi. I prefer to focus on the martial applications to guide my focus and my chi. Your comments are always welcome and the compliments are greatly appreciated.
John
Finally! Someone has given me permission to be slothful!
No . . . wait! I just re-read the post, and I think you meant something else . . .
It’s very common for me to notice that during tai chi practice my center of gravity has risen up to my head, and that I’m “going through the motions” while chattering to myself. Bad, bad Monkey! And often my mind is very speedy, and I find myself hurrying toward something I have planned for later.
If I can drop my center of gravity down to my belly, or waist, everything slows down dramatically: my body, my “thinking,” and my tai chi. In that slower, more sloth-like pace, I can (at least hope to) re-member my body, and my intentions — you know: the art part of tai chi.
I’ve never seen a sloth in real life, but it’s a great image, and one that will help as we practice!
Walt,
I’m generally feeling pretty well grounded and I’m having a difficult time remembering the last time I allowed my center of gravity rise to my head. This tells me that I must not be paying as much attention to my center of gravity as I think I am. I’ll work on that.
Thanks for the insight,
John
Oh k, I just want to say that I have not handled a sloth, but I would totally expect that it’s muscles would be soft and plyable, and it’s hanging strength and climbing endurance would stem from its frame and structure… I would love to know if this is fact or fiction though.
I once heard that the late Ving Tsun master, Yip Man would take half an hour or more to do the Sui Lum Tao form once, and it’s a very short form compared to even the Taiji 32 form. I tried to do the Sui Lum Tao form really slow in the past and as slow as I managed to do it was 10mins… How close to Tai Chi was Yip Man? I haven’t seen any wing chun student as soft as Yip Man appeared to be.
Thoughts?
Sheld,
Interesting, I haven’t actually handled a sloth either. I imagine you’re right about their muscles and body structures though. I’ve done our 8 form set, Bashi, in about 9-10 minutues without pausing. It sounds as if Master Ving Tsun was probably quite a bit slower, and I’m sure had better structure than what I do at this point, considering I’m nowhere near mastery after only 8 years.
John