Tucking Under… Don’t FORCE it.

The mechanics. When you sit down on to a chair, you automatically, and without forcing it, do a pelvic tilt.  If you don’t, you run the slight risk of hurting your spine. The same thing should be true in tai chi and qigong when you move your weight from the front leg to the rear leg of a Bow stance; you need to do a pelvic tilt (see previous blog).

Forcing it. Without repeating the previous blog, I’ve noticed that quite a few people force the pelvis under

Stretching or releasing? If you force the pelvic tilt, you are deliberately trying to stretch the lower back muscles by contracting the abdominal muscles.  Forcing it means that the movement is coming from only one place, and the back isn’t joining in the game – or only slightly.  If you force the pelvis under, the neck doesn’t release, and the tension within the pelvis may even cause the chin to lift because the entire back, including the back of the neck, contracts. In fact, to go a stage further, when tucking the pelvis under, your neck should release at precisely the same moment.

Feeeeeel……

How does the front of the body behave? When you release the back, the muscles at the front feel as though they are being drawn upwards and inwards, rather than tensed.

CONTACT: http://www.taiji.co.uk http://www.qigonghealth.co.uk Email: taijiandqigong@gmail.com Phone: 07836-710281 or 020-8883 3308 _______________________________________________________________________________________________

#qigong #neck #pelvicrotation #jamesdrewe #taiji #pelvictilt #taijiquan #lumbar #pelvis #movement #posture #taichi #relaxation #chikung #vertebrae