One of the first things a student explores is the importance of the body’s central channel. A relaxed, upright and neutral posture is the outward sign of an unbroken channel of qi, from the head to the foot, through the dan tien which circulates and delivers energy. There are many useful metaphors for connecting the thought and the movement to this central channel. One is the plumb line, which confers the sense of everything being relaxed and suspended from above, while still maintaining vertical integrity. Another visual technique is to imagine a string connecting the head to the ceiling; not too tight, but creating a light and nimble connection to what’s above. This helps to suggest some lengthening, along with space between all of the joints.
To add nuance to this, think of not just a plain string, but a string of pearls. Then, throughout the steps and rotations of the body, those pearls rotate, just as if you were holding both ends of a necklace and gently turning them in opposite directions. Not too much spiraling, just the awareness of the spine itself and its relationship to the whole body being vertical and supple.
Humans normally have 33 vertebrae, arrayed thus from top to bottom: seven cervical vertebrae, twelve thoracic vertebrae, five lumbar vertebrae, five in the sacrum (fused in adults) and four in the coccyx (fused in adults). Think of each one moving in its turn. For example, in the first sequence, Grasping Bird’s Tail, we shift the weight to the right foot, then the left heel lifts and pivots out to the diagonal. As we re-settle the left foot to be totally on the floor, we initiate the spiraling movement – heel, knee, hip, shoulder, head. In that journey, from toe to heel, the entire body follows a gentle spiral, all the way up to the topmost cervical vertebra.
The spine plays an integral role in shifting weight and changing direction, slowly and intentionally. Another way to practice and build awareness of the spiraling spine is to simply step out forward and to the diagonal. Pick up the foot, set the heel down. Not a big step, just a natural walking motion with the leg and knee relaxed. With each step, notice and follow the diagonal line out to the side: heel-ball-toe. With the initial heel set-down, the whole body rotation begins. See if you can time the final placement of the toes in the outward diagonal, just an eighth of a turn, with the completion of the entire body’s spiral out to the diagonal. Head, shoulders, hips, knees and feet are all facing the same way.
This whole-body progression is extremely beneficial to cultivate. It enhances balance, stability and groundedness. Everything spirals around that strong, substantial, flexible spine.
Many t’ai chi sequence names refer to nature and animals. Snake Creeps Down to the Bottom of the Sea and Waving Arms Like Clouds both evoke the idea of flexible, supple movements. The origins of t’ai chi supposedly grew from a monk’s dream of a snake fighting with a crane: long necks, curved beaks, spiraling snake bodies moving in a circle.
Something as everyday as watching a cat’s movements can bring us closer to the world of nature with our t’ai chi. In the video below, my cat Silver demonstrates the journey of the spiraling spine, rolling her head, then her middle, then her legs and feet, relaxed and luxurious in true cat fashion. What if my spine had that much flexibility? Reality tells me otherwise, but my imagination nurtures the image and maybe even accentuates the movement of a sequence like Waving Arms Like Clouds. Gentle spirals, to and fro, with a smooth and supple stem-like quality.
