Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip #343
Destination
One of my students was having great difficulty with the idea of moving energy internally. She had thought she had to trace the exact line or path of energy from the floor to the Dan Tien, and from there to her palm, if that was where the energy was to exit. But did this energy go up the inside or outside of the leg? From the Dan Tien, did the energy go up the spine or the sides of the body? Inside or outside the arm?
She was very confused. I teach the concept of “energy follows the mind”and she was taking me literally. What I suggested to her made her life infinitely more simple, and her practice more enjoyable.
Basically all you have to do is place your mind where you want the energy to exit or accumulate. If you want to push with the right palm, focus on the right palm. That’s it. Very simple. If you want to do a right foot kick with sole, concentrate on the bottom of the right foot. The energy will be there.
That is not to say that meditative benefits will not accumulate from studying the body, meridians, theory, etc., but to gain mastery of internal energy movement, one has only to pay attention to the final destination.