horse-stance training (马步 - mă bú)

meditate on your standing everyday.

align your spine from tailbone,
      to the lower back,
      to the back end of your lower sternum,
      to the start of the neck,
      into and up through the highest point of your skull.
feel your spine as string pulling up from the skull,
      down from the tailbone.
the hip pushes forward, the kua opens,
      connecting your upper body and waist to your legs.
don't strain on your knees; stand high enough that the energy
      passes down to your feet.
let your toes grip the floor like roots of a tree,
      keep your intention flowing into the ground via your feet.
breathe freely
relax your shoulders as the energy sinks from them,
      through your backbone,
      into your hip,
      through your knees,
      into your feet and the earth.
practise now for as long as you wish.
don't stay static, feel your qi, your yi, flow.
stay standing as long as your mind stays focused.
sway.
lift your body when your legs become tired,
      sit back into them when they've recovered.
keep your feet parallel, shoulder-width apart.
lift up your arms without raising your shoulders.
don't push out your elbows, let them sink down naturally.
open your hands, letting your palms face outward slightly,
      such that you may form a triangle with the thumb and index fingers,
      of both your hands.
feel the connection between your shoulders,
      to elbows, to wrists, to palms, to fingers.
feel the connection between your backbone,
      to shoulders, to elbows, to wrists, to palms,
      to fingers.
feel the connection between your lower back,
      to backbone, to shoulders, to elbows, to wrists,
      to palms, to fingers.
sink the connection further down,
      that hip, knees, ankles, feet, and toes,
      link all the way up through your waist,
      backbone, shoulders, elbows,
      wrists, palms, and fingers.
keep your chin in, and push your head back up.

stand for one breath now.
stand for two breaths later.
stand for three breaths tomorrow.
stand for n breaths forever.

No comments:

Post a Comment