Ramona:
Center line on the body is the important focus. The board on your left has a dashed center line drawn on it. This line is ‘fake’. If you set the board on upright on a table and attempt to rotate it, the board has no central axis so it just wobbles around. Notice that the board on the right with a solid line drawn on it has small dowels on the top and bottom of the line. This board’s dowels act as a central axis that it can rotate on freely when set on a table.
This exemplifies the axis that runs thorugh the body from the central crown of the head to the bottom of the tailbone. This line in the body is physically real, not imaginary. It is the line that should be the focus of rotation. It is a main principle of ‘Don’t Move.’ When you understand this principle and can hold it throughout Yilu, every outside part of the body follows and stays in correct placement. To recognize this line in your body takes lots of practice. It is easy to forget about and fall back to the old habit of ‘tossing.’
Adarsh:
First, before I get into the meat of lesson, a reminder for me: need to keep my eyes open at all times. Gotten into the habit of closing eyes because it helps me focus, but will stop now.
The main topic today was the establishment of the true center line in the body. It is the next step after understanding about the board with the line and dowels on the ends (see previous notes). It is real; not imaginary and is the crux of the whole practice. This line is the point for all rotations and, once established, keeps you from wobbling or tossing when you rotate and proceed through the forms.
The line runs from the top of the head (crown) to the tailbone. It takes quite a bit of practice to establish this line and keep it throughout the entire Yilu.
For me, when working on this line, need to keep chin tucked in. Also, when practicing, not to “get stuck” on it, just keep moving.
Another example of a “center” line is between tip of middle finger and elbow.
