“Chen Zhonghua Online Lesson 20201019” Online Video Purchase

Zoom class review 20201019
– foundations focus and corrections for participants
– GM repeatedly mentions that moving is not stretching
– we all need to figure out how to perform (1) one PM movement correctly, then use that template to improve our overall practice abilities
– we all need to think of practice improvement as if they were a set of stairs to climb, first we all have to find the location of the set of stairs, then we must figure out the methods used in PM, then we have to try to use those methods to begin to learn how to climb the first stair, we have to apply the method(s) repeatedly until we are able to climb that first stair in the set correctly, only once we have mastered taking the first step correctly (always defined by teacher feedback) can we try the second step, each step up the stairs will call for unlearning, relearning, new learning and the possibility of coincidental improvement in stair-stepping, the biggest step is the first as it creates the template to use in conquering each of the subsequent stair steps, so learn and apply and rinse-repeat, etc., etc…
-we must learn how to exhaust the learning method, to use it to exhaustion, to fully and completely apply it in our pursuit of PM skill improvement so that we live and breathe the method
– learn to ‘just follow the teacher’, develop your ability to leave your ‘self’ out of the learning process, just follow the teacher’s lead
– learn about the ‘Bar’ and the ‘Rod’; Bar is horizontal, Rod is vertical,
– these are two imaginary or intentional mental pictures you should develop in how you think about and move your body, think of a T junction with the Bar at the top, able to move up and down the vertical Rod (not sure of this idea, it may be that the T structure moves as a whole unit integrally rather than the Bar sliding up and down the Rod, will have to ask GM about this again and again until I exhaust the method)
– one of the properties of the Bar is that its curvature sets the rotation of the Rod by creating a circular contour (still not completely clear about this part of PM theory, will have to watch and listen longer and better)
– there was a discussion by GM about how in Taoist numerology everything comes to 15 (will need to hear this again to begin to understand it)
– there was work done on ‘6 sealing, 4 closing’: beginner level we keep the two hands on one line of movement, as a drill to improve beginner skills (first step) use a fixed rod of wood as a training aid, move the hands along the horizontally fixed rod proportionately, 50-50 power/energy going into each hand moving away from the other along the rod, do this with a fixed posture, work on accomplishing the two hands on the same line and the exact matched proportional movement as the first step in improving this foundation skill
– all the following comments relate to ‘6 sealing, 4 closing’ skill improvements:
1. learn how rotation is always an adjustment to the necessity of creating and staying on the same line of movement
2. do not allow your rear shoulder to go beyond parallel with the torso’s horizontal plane
3. try to keep front hand locked, then can adjust rear elbow by opening up the rear shoulder
4. as a ‘last little nudge’, learn to open shoulder, make an art of sinking, use small movements,
micro-adjustments rather than making big whole body up and down movement
– on positive circle exercise must always ‘go over’, this is the first step in positive circle skill development, learn to be able to create ‘going over’ at will
– learn how to ‘go over’ without too much or too little, must be a precise and replicable skill, become like a machine, an automaton, repeating the exact same physical move without any variation time and time again

…learning to live, a breath at a time…

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