Sinking to Move (2) – Connecting the Upper Body

James Drewe
May 19, 2015
3 min read

Updated: Feb 16

Sinking to Move (1) was about sinking the qi from the waist downwards. Sinking to Move (2) is about connecting the upper body to the lower body.

How NOT to sink a weight

If you sink only from the waist downwards, but leave the shoulders and torso tense, this is like throwing a stone into a pond with a balloon attached, and wondering why the stone doesn’t sink.

Two examples from the Yang 24-Step Form of using the limbs to help sinking

1) Play the Lute. When you move from the 3rd Brush Knee & Twist Step into Play the Lute, the left palm plays an important role in helping the qi to sink in the upper body. When the rear foot (the right foot) is about to come off the floor for the half-step forwards, push the heel of the left palm downwards (the left shoulder also relaxing and dropping). As the right toes start to lift from the floor, transfer the press in the left hand from the heel of the palm, via the metacarpophalangeal joints (the joints where the palm meets the fingers), to the tips of the fingers… in other words the fingers will end up pointing at the floor. There is a continuous sensation of pushing downwards, but with increasing softness as the energy reaches the tips of the fingers – as though the energy is dissipating. This connects the upper body to the lower.

2) Repulse Monkey.

At the moment of releasing the front foot from the floor (in order to step backwards), feel the elbow of the forward arm (which is rotating downwards) connect (metaphorically) to the opposite knee. This is a brief connection because, after that, the left elbow works with the left hip. So, for example, if you start from Play the Lute (Strum the Pippa), you open the arms to the right, and the left elbow will (again, metaphorically) connect to the the right knee as you lift your left foot from the floor in order to step backwards. If you do this, all of a sudden, your elbow start to work with the hips.

Using the upper body to create free movement

If you are attempting to sink the qi to create ‘free’ movement (i.e. movement that is unrestricted and uncompromised by other parts of the body), the upper body needs to join in with the sinking. The problems are almost always caused by the shoulders being ‘held up’. When this happens, the upper limbs can no longer function effectively. Once the shoulders have stopped ‘holding on,’ the qi is no longer held in the upper body when you need it to sink; the balloon bursts and the stone can drop to the bottom of the pond. Then the sense of cross-body connection can function (e.g.) from right elbow to left knee, or from right shoulder to left hip, etc.

James Drewe teaches Tai Chi and Qigong in both London and in Kent and online.

Details of weekly classes both live and online can be found on the website, and there are classes for 2-person Tai Chi on one Saturday a month.