correct structural alignment

[kung fu fighter]

Hi,

How does aligning the spine relate to sinking the shoulders to create peng energy

[cjurakpt]

Hi,

How does aligning the spine relate to sinking the shoulders to create peng energy

in general, a vertical spine allows unimpeded transference of ground reaction force; also, in regards to the shoulder girdle specifically, "sinking the shoulders" sets the scapulae on the thoracic cage such that it allows for activation of lower trapezius, which creates an elongation / decompacation of the thoracic spine;

as regards "peng", I think that it is the "expressed" aspect of the net effect of being rooted through the legs / pelvis (gan) and having lightness though the upper body (hing); I think that the non-expressed aspect, or the ground from which "peng" arises, is "sung", which I like to think of as "resiliency" (just my opinion, it may not jive with the classical cannon)

[Scott R. Brown]

in general, a vertical spine allows unimpeded transference of ground reaction force; also, in regards to the shoulder girdle specifically, "sinking the shoulders" sets the scapulae on the thoracic cage such that it allows for activation of lower trapezius, which creates an elongation / decompacation of the thoracic spine;

as regards "peng", I think that it is the "expressed" aspect of the net effect of being rooted through the legs / pelvis (gan) and having lightness though the upper body (hing); I think that the non-expressed aspect, or the ground from which "peng" arises, is "sung", which I like to think of as "resiliency" (just my opinion, it may not jive with the classical cannon)

Just where can I buy one of these classical cannons? do they use black powder? What weight ball do they use? :confused:

[cjurakpt]

Just where can I buy one of these classical cannons? do they use black powder? What weight ball do they use? :confused:

http://www.cannon-mania.com/ArsenalStore.htm

[chud]

Yes, I much prefer a cannon to a canon.

[kung fu fighter]

Just where can I buy one of these classical cannons? do they use black powder? What weight ball do they use? :confused:

Hey Scott!

Can we get your opinion on How does aligning the spine relate to sinking the shoulders to create peng energy

[Scott R. Brown]

Hey Scott!

Can we get your opinion on How does aligning the spine relate to sinking the shoulders to create peng energy

Hi kung fu fighter,

Well….I really hate to tear myself away from my search for a good classical cannon, but I think I can spare a few minutes.

I will try not to make this one of my lengthy dissertations, ;)

The short answer is,

You can't go wrong at any time (so far :D) with Chris’s analysis of body mechanics.

The long answer is,

Peng is essentially the harmonization of body mechanics and the physics of movement with the relaxation of the mind and body and directing of intention with the mind. One of the purposes of lowering the shoulders is to help the individual relax. When the shoulders are raised our body has a tendency to become tense and our energy/tension rises above our center (tan tien). This may be due to operant conditioning. When we become tense we tend to breathe high in the chest and our shoulders rise. Therefore, on a subconscious level our body associates raised shoulders with tension. If this is true, (it is one of my pet theories) then when our shoulders raise for any other reason our body will be inclined to become more tense through subconscious conditioning. When we focus on keeping our shoulders lower we will tend to be more relaxed. The more relaxed our body and mind are the more perceptive we will be to stimulus and the more quickly our body responds to the direction of our mind.

Another purpose of lowering the shoulders is to keep our center of gravity lower. The higher our center the more easily we may be toppled by an opponent. Lowering our shoulders physically lowers our center of gravity and assists us in abdominal breathing; this helps us to focus our physical center in our tan tien. (Maintaining a mental center is also a benefit.) The higher our center of gravity the less rooted we are and the easier it is to be up rooted, also the greater the tension in our upper body the more easily we may be up rooted.

Peng is generated by calming the mind and directing our mental intention and physical force in a manner that is in coordination with the biophysics of the body in relation to our opponent. I do not believe it is related to magical Chi, but the proper unification of body and mind with a knowledge and understanding of biomechanics/biophysics. This knowledge need not take the form of a mathematical/scientific understanding. The techniques work and work efficiently for the person who effectively senses/feels the principles of the biomechanics and biophysics of two bodies interacting. This is learned by just doing it over and over and over again. Eventually your body learns to sense the weakness in your opponent and learns to maintain your center. Just as your body learns to walk and not fall over and just as your fork finds your mouth and misses spearing your tongue and hitting your teeth, your body will learn to react spontaneously through constant practice.

Spinal alignment allows for proper body mechanics which enhances balance and force generation. A non-aligned spine is out of balance and therefore more easily toppled or controlled. Our purpose is to create a circumstance where either we are able to create a non-aligned spine in our opponent or to create a circumstance that allows him to create it for us while maintaining our own physical and emotional center. Push Hands is one method we may use to learn these physical principles. But it still has its limitations because it is a contrived method generally using specific rules. That is not a bad thing, we must have rules in order to learn safely, but it is important to understand that good push hands does not necessarily make one a good fighter. It means someone who is good at push hands has a reasonably good understanding of biomechanics and how to manipulate the intentions and force of an opponent under specific circumstances. It becomes our responsibility to learn to transfer that ability to the real world of self defense.

I hope this helps.

Now, back to my cannon search! :)

[kung fu fighter]

Hey scott!

Do you agree with Chris’s analysis regarding sinking the shoulder mechanics.


"sinking the shoulders" sets the scapulae on the thoracic cage such that it allows for activation of lower trapezius, which creates an elongation / decompacation of the thoracic spine;"

Does anyone on here utilize different mechanics in regards to sinking the shoulders than the above?

[Scott R. Brown]

Hi kung fu fighter,

Chris has a good understanding of the structural mechanics of the human body so I defer to his expertise on these matters.

This position is similar to proper ballet body mechanics and it serves the same purpose of elongation of the spine.

[Scott R. Brown]

Hi Navin,

Sinking the chest and breathing lowers the center of gravity which increases stability. Also a withdrawn or sunken chest is able to expand which creates power. You must contract before you can expand, right?

Lowering the elbows increases stability by bringing your horizontal instability closer to the body. If you can control your opponent's elbows you can more easily control their center. One of the easiest ways to uproot someone is too suppress one of their elbows while elevating the other. Do this in practice and turn the opponent towards the lowered elbow while continuing to suppress the elbow and they will go down more easily.

Think "RAISE", "LOWER" and "TURN".

Raise one elbow, lower the other elbow and turn towards the lower elbow. To learn this principle have your partner raise their arms perpendicular to their torso out to their sides then perform the technique. Raising the arms outward exaggerates the leverage and helps you to more clearly recognize how the principle is applied.

[imperialtaichi]

Ah, don't forget when you do a proper Peng, the downward component confuses the opponent's muscular/motor response into thinking "hey, I seem to be gaining... but where am I going?" hence destabilizing his structure and making your work easier. This is also one reason why we have to do it with "just the right amount".

Cheers,
John

[kung fu fighter]

Thanks guys!

Can anyone tell me What body mechanics are involved in sinking the elbows, chest and breath?

Thanks
Navin

[cjurakpt]

You can't go wrong at any time (so far :D) with Chris’s analysis of body mechanics.
mwuhahaaa - you've all fallen for my clever trap - prepare to be assimilated...

One of the purposes of lowering the shoulders is to help the individual relax. When the shoulders are raised our body has a tendency to become tense and our energy/tension rises above our center (tan tien). This may be due to operant conditioning. When we become tense we tend to breathe high in the chest and our shoulders rise. Therefore, on a subconscious level our body associates raised shoulders with tension. If this is true, (it is one of my pet theories) then when our shoulders raise for any other reason our body will be inclined to become more tense through subconscious conditioning. When we focus on keeping our shoulders lower we will tend to be more relaxed. The more relaxed our body and mind are the more perceptive we will be to stimulus and the more quickly our body responds to the direction of our mind.
in general, I agree; taking it a step further in one direction, I think that raising the shoulders is a very primal, instinctual response to a perceived threat (and goes hand-in-hand with jaw clenching); my belief is that when we were furry little mammals crawling around on the floor of the forrest-primeval, we developed this as a way to deter / deal with aggressors: if you are facing me on all-fours and I raise (or in that case translate anteriorly) my shoulder / clench my teeth, it makes me look bigger and nastier and ready to pounce (I also think it primes the neuromusculoskeletal system for some sort of forward or even lateral movement, again if you are on all fours);
so, we have, I believe, retained this "reflexive" activity - the problem is, because we don't walk on all fours anymore, after the threat is over, we don't have the chance to "walk it off", and so retain the echos of the pattern; also, we tend to live in a relatively "free-floating-stress" type of environment, and so are constantly "on"; physiologically, this postural response tends to activate the sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight, adrenaline, immune response), specifically, the sympathetic chain that runs along each side of the thoracic spine is "squeezed", which basically stimulates the heck out of it; if you have this going all the time, you can imagine what it does to the system...
so sinking the shoulders is a way of turning this response off; actually, in the "10 Tai Chi Principles" in the system I study, it's the third thing you do: the first is to "empty the collar / suspend the top", meaning to elongate the upper cervical spine / occipital region; the next is to "swallow the chest / pluck up the back", which is really the principle involving the lower traps / elongation of thoracics; the third is "shed the shoulders / sink the elbows" - this relates more to keeping the arms in a position where the elbows don't rise up, to decrease the degree of horizontal instability (Scott describes it nicely below);
as to the "operant conditioning" bit - I think that we are,in general, primed to go into this response, probably due to a lot of "background noise" that our society generates, and because we tend to live life in a very "on" state - welcome to civilization...how to turn that "off" is a skill that I find very few people even want to learn - but I can tell you that the patients I have had the most success with are the ones who do; in a nutshell, it starts with this one simple "exercise": noticing how often you hold your breath during the day; if you can notice this, then you are already well on your way to step two - learning what to do when you do notice this (breath in or out more); step three is to notice what you are like just before you hold your breath, and then "not" doing it...that's it, the "secret" to long life!

Another purpose of lowering the shoulders is to keep our center of gravity lower. ETC.....
all true; and it's not just lowering the shoulders that "sinks" the center of gravity (COG) - you can't really lower the shoulders unless you've made changes elsewhere in the pelvis and trunk that allow for the shoulder to lower; basically, I believe that you want a neutral to slightly anteriorly tilted pelvis, which allows the natural curvature of the spine to function; now, if I understand it correctly, it seems that a lot of folks out there believe you should actually do the opposite: "tuck" the tailbone, slightly flattening the low back - personally, I have a problem with this for various reasons, both experientially as well as theoretically / philosophically; to me, when you do that, you misorient pelvic floor, you also decrease the folding at the kua (inguinal crease), and you direct all your weight "downward" - which I think gives people a feeling of being rooted - the "problem" is that it also eliminates the ability to balance rootedness (gan) of the legs / pelvis with lightness (hing) of the torso / arms; anyway, I don't want to get too into that too much...

Peng is ... the proper unification of body and mind with a knowledge and understanding of biomechanics/biophysics. ... your body learns to sense the weakness in your opponent and learns to maintain your center.
it's is basically learning to "hear" the information coming from your proprioceptors (nerves in joints / muscles that tell you about position in space and changes in position), and to respond to that accordingly (e.g. - not to over correct); it also teaches you not to rely too much on visual input, which is slightly "out of sync" with body sense, because it's a longer set of neural pathways / different information system that has been clinically shown to be secondary in terms of balance information (I can give references...)

Spinal alignment allows for proper body mechanics which enhances balance and force generation. A non-aligned spine is out of balance and therefore more easily toppled or controlled. Our purpose is to create a circumstance where either we are able to create a non-aligned spine in our opponent or to create a circumstance that allows him to create it for us while maintaining our own physical and emotional center.
right; if I try to push you "out", you have to work to stay / get back "in" - this means that you will contract muscles to do that, while at the same time I am also trying to move you, possibly in a different direction now - if you are not able to quickly adapt to the changes, you will be less likely to keep your center of gravity inside your base of support; the more out you are, the more you have to contract to get back, and the more likely you will use large, multi-jointed muscles to get you back in (e.g. - hamstrings, gluteals, psoas; called a "hip strategy"), because the lever arm for the ankle muscles (the first ones to act to keep you aligned; "ankle strategy") has been made too inefficient, so you have to use the larger ones; and using large muscles to correct, you are more likely to overcorrect (e.g. - someone on ice skates for the first time), so i can exploit that; so, if you are misaligned to begin with, you are more likely to use a hip strategy first...

Push Hands is one method we may use to learn these physical principles. But it still has its limitations because it is a contrived method generally using specific rules. That is not a bad thing, we must have rules in order to learn safely, but it is important to understand that good push hands does not necessarily make one a good fighter. It means someone who is good at push hands has a reasonably good understanding of biomechanics and how to manipulate the intentions and force of an opponent under specific circumstances. It becomes our responsibility to learn to transfer that ability to the real world of self defense.
yep

This position is similar to proper ballet body mechanics and it serves the same purpose of elongation of the spine.
the only "problem" with ballet is that it is designed to be viewed from the front, meaning that it lacks a 3-D quality to the postures it promotes; also, ballet was originally designed to be performed on a forward tilting stage - being "on point" is a carry-over from that; as such, it elongates, but in a rather rigid manner; overall, most ballet dancers I know have screwed up bodies and lots of pain...

Sinking the chest and breathing lowers the center of gravity which increases stability. Also a withdrawn or sunken chest is able to expand which creates power. You must contract before you can expand, right?
precisely: everyone thinks you should start the taiji form by breathing in first...

Can anyone tell me What body mechanics are involved in sinking the elbows, chest and breath?
sinking the breath means to not use you accessory muscles of respiration (scalenes, sternocleidomastoid) to "pull up" the ribcage, but rather to utilize respiratory diaphragm as the prime mover; it also means to allow coordination the motion of the respiratory diaphragm with that of the pelvic diaphragm; it also means, I believe, the pedal diaphragm (arches of the feet; if you read your Chuang Tzu, it states "the men of old breathed straight down to their heels" - took me about 10 years to figure out / "feel" that...)

[lhommedieu]

...now, if I understand it correctly, it seems that a lot of folks out there believe you should actually do the opposite: "tuck" the tailbone, slightly flattening the low back - personally, I have a problem with this for various reasons, both experientially as well as theoretically / philosophically; to me, when you do that, you misorient pelvic floor, you also decrease the folding at the kua (inguinal crease), and you direct all your weight "downward" - which I think gives people a feeling of being rooted - the "problem" is that it also eliminates the ability to balance rootedness (gan) of the legs / pelvis with lightness (hing) of the torso / arms; anyway, I don't want to get too into that too much...

Exactly. The tailbone should not "tuck" but rather "fall" (i.e. descend) into the space between your feet (which correlates to your last statement above about being able to breathe into the pedal arch).

Best,

Steve

[cjurakpt]

Exactly. The tailbone should not "tuck" but rather "fall" (i.e. descend) into the space between your feet (which correlates to your last statement above about being able to breathe into the pedal arch).

Best,

Steve

totally agree re: "descending" versus "tucking" - but the question is, what is the sacrum really "doing" when it does so? that begs a whole discussion on sacro/pelvic biomechanics, including what is going on in pelvic floor, inguinal crease, etc. (I recently saw an article in KFM on the "kua" written Sal Canzioneri, and I had some real difficulties understanding what he meant when talking about that same topic - not because he was wrong in his concept, but because the terms used were imprecise)

glad to see someone else has had an experience of the pedal arch; Hugh Milne, DO lists it as part of the whole body diaphragm system in "Heart of Listening: Visionary Guide to Craniosacral", a very interesting read if you ever get the chance (if you haven't already).

this is almost worthy of its own thread...

[kung fu fighter]

totally agree re: "descending" versus "tucking" - but the question is, what is the sacrum really "doing" when it does so? that begs a whole discussion on sacro/pelvic biomechanics, including what is going on in pelvic floor, inguinal crease, etc. (I recently saw an article in KFM on the "kua" written Sal Canzioneri, and I had some real difficulties understanding what he meant when talking about that same topic - not because he was wrong in his concept, but because the terms used were imprecise)

glad to see someone else has had an experience of the pedal arch; Hugh Milne, DO lists it as part of the whole body diaphragm system in "Heart of Listening: Visionary Guide to Craniosacral", a very interesting read if you ever get the chance (if you haven't already).

this is almost worthy of its own thread...

Hi!

Can you explain what is the sacro/pelvic biomechanics, including what is going on in pelvic floor, inguinal crease, etc.?

Also how does one coordinate the motion of the respiratory diaphragm with that of the pelvic diaphragm and the pedal diaphragm?

Thanks
Navin

[lhommedieu]

Hi!

...Can you explain what is the sacro/pelvic biomechanics, including what is going on in pelvic floor, inguinal crease, etc.?...

Not a bad explanation of sacro/pelvic biomechanics, from a yogic perspective:

http://www.marylandyoga.com/new_page_4.htm

One must also consider the ligamentous attachments within the pelvic girdle that are anterior to the sacrum, as well. I've only just started to think about these in any depth; I'll try to write a description tonight but in the meantime I'm sure that someone will be able to answer your question.

Best,

Steve

[cjurakpt]

Can you explain what is the sacro/pelvic biomechanics, including what is going on in pelvic floor, inguinal crease, etc.?


it's pretty complex - most models I've encountered are just that - models (e.g. - osteopathic being the most widely utilized clinically); you get a feel for it over time, the more you think about it / visualize it in 3-D, but it's still tricky at times to figure out what exactly is going on (thank God for shotgun techniques...:) ) I'll see if I can come up with something realitively understandable from layperson perspective, but no promises...

Also how does one coordinate the motion of the respiratory diaphragm with that of the pelvic diaphragm and the pedal diaphragm?

takes time, can be difficult - you can do it on your own via yogic / qigong practice; it also helps if you get some sort of manual treatment to help key you in; it's not something I would try to explain here, just because it requires varying amounts of feedback to do it "correctly" depending on the person, their history, etc.

[cjurakpt]

Not a bad explanation of sacro/pelvic biomechanics, from a yogic perspective:

http://www.marylandyoga.com/new_page_4.htm

he uses a lot of osteopathic concepts / terminology - while it works nicely as a clinical model, it's not neccessarily what's going on "in reality"...

[lhommedieu]

he uses a lot of osteopathic concepts / terminology - while it works nicely as a clinical model, it's not neccessarily what's going on "in reality"...

That's correct. I think that it's fair to say that any bodywork/body movement tradition is more or less forced to use whatever metaphors it has on hand to describe what is ultimately an experienced and experiencial phenomenon. An osteopathic tradition is no more or less metaphorical in its attempts to "explain" what is going on than a Nei Gong tradition; what's important is the willingness to listen to the imagery and then try to feel in in your own body. If all it took were a perfectly written manual of some sort then we wouldn't need to practice so much!

I was reading an osteopathic textbook last night and the author took the position that osteopathic treatment and acupuncture treatment should not be used at the same time because it is confusting both to the patient and the practitioner. He claimed that they were not complementary because they employ different concepts and terminology to treat at the same level But I find osteopathic concepts useful insofar as they provide just another "filter" through which to work through a biomechanical problem if I'm treating as an acupuncturist: it's a sort of guided imagery, so to speak, that I use for as long as it's effective and efficient - and if it doesn't work any longer I'll just treat using a different intention.

Best,

Steve

[cjurakpt]

That's correct. I think that it's fair to say that any bodywork/body movement tradition is more or less forced to use whatever metaphors it has on hand to describe what is ultimately an experienced and experiencial phenomenon. An osteopathic tradition is no more or less metaphorical in its attempts to "explain" what is going on than a Nei Gong tradition; what's important is the willingness to listen to the imagery and then try to feel in in your own body. If all it took were a perfectly written manual of some sort then we wouldn't need to practice so much!
agreed 100%; the only thing though, is that, under all the metaphor, something is happening, in terms of joint kinematics and neuromuscuar function; 100+ years ago, Fryette was state of the art, because he took prosected human spines and submitted them to various stresses and ranges of motion and visually examined what was going on, leading to the whole osteopathic model of "normal" spine kinematics and pathological ones (e.g. - observing that sidebending and rotation couple abnormally in certain dysfunctions); the Mitchell came along and added all the sacral stuff in the 40's and 50's (torsions, etc.), but primarilly from a clinical observation of patients (his son, Mitchell Jr., has updated a fair amount of that based on more contemporary studies); personally, I like Kapandji's books, they are pretty realistic and "continental", and also White & Panjabi's Spine book is very straight about spinal biomechanics: basically "admitting" that individual variation is significant, and that all movements combine rotations and translations to varying degrees at different levels
I was reading an osteopathic textbook last night and the author took the position that osteopathic treatment and acupuncture treatment should not be used at the same time because it is confusting both to the patient and the practitioner. He claimed that they were not complementary because they employ different concepts and terminology to treat at the same level But I find osteopathic concepts useful insofar as they provide just another "filter" through which to work through a biomechanical problem if I'm treating as an acupuncturist: it's a sort of guided imagery, so to speak, that I use for as long as it's effective and efficient - and if it doesn't work any longer I'll just treat using a different intention.
which book is that? while i agree with him that they are completely different methodologies, I think that the statement that they are confusing if used together is kinda strange - I mean, that would depend on the level of intelligence / skill of the practitioner: if you have expertise in both, why not? and as far as the patient goes, why would they get confused - like they care as long as it helps? what I personally would have trouble with is the "mix-n'-match" approach where you take a little from each system without knowing either one sufficiently: I see that a lot where people teach taiji, start talking body mechanics, and then revert to Chinese terms because they don't know how to describe things in western terms (and typically have a poor grasp of the Chinese terminology as well - E.g. - "sung" and "peng" are often totally misconstered, IMHO); besides, I see tui na and osteo stuff having a great deal in common, and tui na and acup are done together all the time, right? also, if you ever read any of Still's original writings, a lot of it reads very much like TCM in terms of how he talks about organ function (who's to say he didn't get his hands on some TCM texts at one point?)
as far as osteo in general - bear in mind that there's the standard stuff (e.g. - Greenman et al at Michigan State), sub-specialties like Counterstrain (Jones), Muscle Energy (MItchel) and then the whole crazy world of cranial ranging from standard osteo (Frymann, Magoun), biodynamic (Jealous), somatoemotional (Upledger) and visionary (Milne); then there are the various European schools which are a whole other ball of wax (and IMHO methodologically far superior to most of what is taught in the US); one of the strengths throughout is that they have numerous "shotgun" techniques that seem to get you a lot for the relative amount of time you may spend on them; and yes, in a sense all approaches are a "filter" insofar as they organize things according to their own internal methodologies, and simply help you orient / sort out what to do - which is why it's nice to have more than one system, sort of to cross-reference when one doesn't quite get you where you want to go...

[lhommedieu]

Mechanical Link, by Paul Chauffour - p. 171 (I think). It's just a paragraph and I think that it's directed more to osteopaths than to acupuncturists. I think that it might also be influenced by a consideration of the sheer amount of time it takes to master both disciplines (see below).

I'll look up the rest of the books you mentioned above. I'll be first to admit that I've but taken just a few steps towards learning the osteopathic concepts about which the above authors write. I've got Milne - but haven't cracked it open yet and given it the couple of hundred hours that it deserves. Ditto Upledger. I think that between the two it's probably a year project just to get through the reading. I'm currently reading Joseph Helms' Acupuncture Energeticsand then it's on to Van Nghi, et. al. (I've more or less decided on focussing on the French meridian acupuncture model for the next couple of years) - so Time is of course once again the enemy...

What I have been able to do is incorporate some basic osteopathic concepts as taught by my teachers, Tom Bisio and Frank Butler, into a journeyman-level acupuncture practice. Add to that what I've been able to understand about my own body through the practice of internal martial arts and I think that it's a solid foundation for a successful practice. Certainly the kind of needling that I am learning and practicing is geared towards understanding which structures of the human body can be needled in an osteopathic context. So while I might needle BL 23-25 for lower back pain I'm also cognizant of the need to needle the psoas muscle from the back, the iliacus from the front etc. - not so much from a "trigger point" approach as from a desire to treat "lines" and "torsions" etc. - i.e. what is a physical model one moment becomes an energetic model the next depending on what you see and feel.

Best,

Steve

[cjurakpt]

Mechanical Link, by Paul Chauffour - p. 171 (I think). It's just a paragraph and I think that it's directed more to osteopaths than to acupuncturists. I think that it might also be influenced by a consideration of the sheer amount of time it takes to master both disciplines (see below).
you have to understand that Chauffour is a) French, b) promoting a very, very specific approach (ML, or "1001 Ways to do Recoil Technique" - and I've had it done by his top person here in the US - I left genuinely underwhelmed by the effects, TBH) and c) French; with the French, it's very much "you must not do "x" with "y" because of "z"; and they tend to be a little osteocentric as well; although as far as "mastering" both, a lot of these French PT / DO guys live, breathe and eat what they do professionaly, so devoting time is not so much the issue (one of my former Toronto-based DO instructors studied TCM for a good time before getting into osteopathy - he used to tell stories about his TCM prof having them needle oranges or something weird like that...)

I'll look up the rest of the books you mentioned above. I'll be first to admit that I've but taken just a few steps towards learning the osteopathic concepts about which the above authors write. I've got Milne - but haven't cracked it open yet and given it the couple of hundred hours that it deserves. Ditto Upledger. I think that between the two it's probably a year project just to get through the reading. I'm currently reading Joseph Helms' Acupuncture Energeticsand then it's on to Van Nghi, et. al. (I've more or less decided on focussing on the French meridian acupuncture model for the next couple of years) - so Time is of course once again the enemy...
I'd read Milne waaay before Upledger, for several reasons: it's more comprehensive, it's less agenda oriented, it's less outdated, it's more inclusive, he's got more carry-over to TCM / Ayurveda, he writes better (there's a whole very cool section on evolution and stuff about ontology mimicking phylogeny or something like that), the pictures are better, and Hugh is a real trip in general whereas John is just kinda cranky (ok, last point has nothing to do with the books, but anyway...); BTW, Hugh was the personal head bodyguard for...get this...Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, for like ten years - he wrote a book called "Bhagwan, the God that Failed" several years ago after he left the "movement" - in "Heart of Listening", he totally glosses over it, says something like "so I studied osteopathy in England, and then I went to India for a few years, yada yada yada, and then I came back to England"

What I have been able to do is incorporate some basic osteopathic concepts as taught by my teachers, Tom Bisio and Frank Butler, into a journeyman-level acupuncture practice. Add to that what I've been able to understand about my own body through the practice of internal martial arts and I think that it's a solid foundation for a successful practice. Certainly the kind of needling that I am learning and practicing is geared towards understanding which structures of the human body can be needled in an osteopathic context. So while I might needle BL 23-25 for lower back pain I'm also cognizant of the need to needle the psoas muscle from the back, the iliacus from the front etc. - not so much from a "trigger point" approach as from a desire to treat "lines" and "torsions" etc. - i.e. what is a physical model one moment becomes an energetic model the next depending on what you see and feel.
sure, why not - sounds useful - i remember in Bob Flaws old book on dit da that he talks about needling the pelvis to get structural realignment; although TBH, most of the time I couldn't care less about whether someone has a pelvic rotational asymmetry: those very common Left-On-Left forward torsions as well as posterior left iliac and anterior right are basically "normal", and typically chasing them down is a waste of time in context of non-axial, translatory stuff like unilateral sacral extensions - basically things that have "lost" their axis, or are moving in reference to an axis that's geometrically outside of the body; what actually worries me more and what I've seen with people with unrelenting, chronic pain, is to have the pelvis completely symmetrical - bad news (I mean, life is asymmetrical, right? pure symmetry = dead!); anyway, it all sounds good what you're saying, it's always cool to see someone else coming from the same general perspective despite from a different treatment paradigm

[kung fu fighter]

it's pretty complex - most models I've encountered are just that - models (e.g. - osteopathic being the most widely utilized clinically); you get a feel for it over time, the more you think about it / visualize it in 3-D, but it's still tricky at times to figure out what exactly is going on (thank God for shotgun techniques...:) ) I'll see if I can come up with something realitively understandable from layperson perspective, but no promises...


takes time, can be difficult - you can do it on your own via yogic / qigong practice; it also helps if you get some sort of manual treatment to help key you in; it's not something I would try to explain here, just because it requires varying amounts of feedback to do it "correctly" depending on the person, their history, etc.

Hi cjurakp,

Does Mantak Chia give a good discription of what is the sacro/pelvic biomechanics, including what is going on in pelvic floor, inguinal crease, etc.? or are there any good books on this stuff?

Navin

[kung fu fighter]

it's pretty complex - most models I've encountered are just that - models (e.g. - osteopathic being the most widely utilized clinically); you get a feel for it over time, the more you think about it / visualize it in 3-D, but it's still tricky at times to figure out what exactly is going on (thank God for shotgun techniques...:) ) I'll see if I can come up with something realitively understandable from layperson perspective, but no promises...


takes time, can be difficult - you can do it on your own via yogic / qigong practice; it also helps if you get some sort of manual treatment to help key you in; it's not something I would try to explain here, just because it requires varying amounts of feedback to do it "correctly" depending on the person, their history, etc.

Hi cjurakp,

Does Mantak Chia give a good discription of what is the sacro/pelvic biomechanics, including what is going on in pelvic floor, inguinal crease, etc.? how to coordinate the motion of the respiratory diaphragm with that of the pelvic diaphragm and the pedal diaphragm?or are there any good books on this stuff?

Navin

[cjurakpt]

Hi cjurakp,
Does Mantak Chia give a good discription of what is the sacro/pelvic biomechanics, including what is going on in pelvic floor, inguinal crease, etc.?
never read any of his stuff, so I don't know; my guess is that his perspective on sacral biomechanics is not going to be that rigorous though; one of the better descriptions I've seen is Kapandji's "Physiology of the Joints" (vol.3, Spine) - but I can't seem to find it on-line (only vol. 1 & 2)
for Pelvic Floor there's a pretty technical but very comprehensive text just out called Pelvic Floor: http://www.amazon.com/Pelvic-Floor-Beate-Ed-Carriere/dp/1588903257/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200635274&sr=1-2

how to coordinate the motion of the respiratory diaphragm with that of the pelvic diaphragm and the pedal diaphragm? or are there any good books on this stuff?
Navin
I've never seen it written anywhere specifically in context of movement based practices (although it may be somewhere); as I mentioned above, "Heart of Listening" by Hugh Milne, DO goes into the different diaphragms somewhat with a good schematic illustration of all of them, but it's written from the perspective of manual therapy and is pretty technical / complex and long
http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Listening-Hugh-Milne/dp/155643278X

[kung fu fighter]

Hi!

Can someone explain the concept of sinking and how it relates to the kwa?

What area exactly is the kwa?

And what's the bio mechanics involved with the kwa to generate power in strikes?

[Ray Pina]

It's been a while since I've been around the lingo... I think Peng is express in Taiji after cloud hands right, where you drive off the foot and use the back, hip, shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers to express power, either striking or space creating.... right?

Either way, I would say once one becomes aware of their body a straight spine and relaxed shoulders are ideal everywhere, always. Sometimes when I'm sitting out in the water on my surfboard waiting for a wave I find my shoulders riding up, myself hunching over.

It's usually because I'm thinking too much.... about some local hassling me, or trying to surf too hard to impress some hotties in the water.

I take a deep breath, blow it out, sit up straight and relax. The shoulders drop naturally and then I'm in a position to perform better.

Posture is important because it will reflect an unsteady, angry or in training a lazy mind.

[Zenshiite]

Exactly. The tailbone should not "tuck" but rather "fall" (i.e. descend) into the space between your feet (which correlates to your last statement above about being able to breathe into the pedal arch).

Best,

Steve

Fascinating. I think I've been tucking and I've got some lower back pain that I never experienced before. When don't tuck, and I'm not sure if it's entirely wrong but it could be... the pain goes away and I feel more aligned.

[cjurakpt]

Fascinating. I think I've been tucking and I've got some lower back pain that I never experienced before. When don't tuck, and I'm not sure if it's entirely wrong but it could be... the pain goes away and I feel more aligned.

IMHO actively tucking is a huge misunderstanding pervasive in the world of taiji; you also see a lot of Okinawan stylists do it with explanations ranging from "just because" to "it makes the spine stronger"; unfortunately, this makes no sense biomechanically / neuromuscularly; fortunately, we can use information from the field of biomechanics to help us understand various postural concepts as they relate to FUNCTIONAL spine usage;

first off, the spine (and pelvis) are never static, so the idea of assuming and holding one position makes no sense - this holds even if you are doing static standing (zhang zhuan), because unless you stop breathing, you will have spinal movement because the way that the respiratory diaphragm, pelvic diaphragm, and even the pedal diaphragms work will require a "compensatory" spinal motion with every breath; not to mention the automatic vestibular system function vis a vis anti-gravity postural muscle function

2nd, as far as how to organize the spine, the old time osteopaths had the term "easy flexion", which denotes a spine that is aligned, but not rigid; it's like a spring that is in the mid-range of it's excursion; this allows a responsiveness in the spine that keeps it "lively" and able to adapt to multi-directional forces that may challenge it; conversely, when you tuck the tailbone, you are essentially creating a posterior pelvic tilt, which is a relatively less mobile position of the pelvis relative to hips and lumbar spine (the two structures with which it articulates on a boney level); as such, you loose the ability to have a full-body mediated postural response, and will end up using muscles like hamstrings to orient in gravity, which is inefficient and imprecise; furthermore, a tuck also increases relative hip extension, which has the exact opposite effect of "sung kwa", which is what happens when you have a slight anterior pelvic tilt / relative increase in hip flexion which creates a "softening" of the kwa (inguinal crease / loins), and allows, among other things, relative less impedance of ground reaction force up the kinetic chain - which is the force you initiate by inhalation (respiratory diaphragm descends; ground reaction force responds), which is what you use to "float" the connective tissue matrix (FYI - TC Bob has some very nice ways of qualifying this experience as does Scott B. [I admit grudgingly, my abject hatred of him notwithstanding])

the "point" of good spinal alignment is that it creates, among other things, a relative ideal situation within which the pelvic, abdominal and thoracic viscera can be pumped by the various diaphragms that abut them, in order to enhance clearance of lymphatic fluid and venous blood; the challenge is that it occurs in gravity, with all the organs predisposed to hanging down on top of each other (as opposed to quadrupeds, who don't have organ ptosis, prolapse or loading stress on a vertical spine)

the "secret"to start with good principles, and then pay attention to what is happening - probably you shouldn't do anything that feels wrong, although if your sense of your body in space is skewed, you may not be able to make that assessment alone at the beginning;

[kung fu fighter]

What's the best way to handle and align the kwa and lower back area?

[cjurakpt]

What's the best way to handle and align the kwa and lower back area?

it depends;

this is where one-on-one assessment and interaction come into play, because the end result may be similar, but the path getting there can vary greatly; anyone who can tell you "how" w/out that sort of relationship to you is full of sh1t, IMHO

so, i guess the answer is "find a good teacher"...

[imperialtaichi]

Hi!

Can someone explain the concept of sinking and how it relates to the kwa?

What area exactly is the kwa?

And what's the bio mechanics involved with the kwa to generate power in strikes?

Do some research on Qicong Yue located on the Yinqiao Mai. You will find your answers there.

I have a couple of blogs on Yinqiao Mai:

http://imperialtaichi.blogspot.com/2008/06/yin-qiao-mai-forgotten-line.html
http://imperialtaichi.blogspot.com/2008/06/double-axial-rotation-using-yin-qiao.html

Qicong, which sits directly on top of the centre of rotation of the ball joint on your femur, is one of the main control of the Yinqiao. I may post some information on Qicong Yue later.

Cheers,
John

[Bob Ashmore]

Hi folks,
I've been away at a seminar and then I had to catch up on all the work that didn't get done while I was gone, so I'm just getting back to the fun stuff.
The seminar was awesome, as usual, and I learned quite a lot from it.
I have read quickly through this thread and I like quite a bit of what I see. I'll have to save a more in depth reading for when I have ample time but there have been some very good posts.
My only coherent thought at this time is on the subject of "tucking" the sacrum. I have some personal experience with this and I'd like to share it.
Don't do it.

OK, now I'll tell you why.
I spent a long number of years with a Tai Chi Chuan teacher who had some pretty good bona fides on paper. He was the disciple of a Master who really does know what he's doing and is highly regarded world wide, fortunately he's not a disciple any more. 'Nuff said on that front.
This teacher taught all of his students to "tuck the sacrum" and he would show us what he meant, which was to pull the sacrum forward in an arc that made the buttocks roll up and under.
It does sort of feel good, at first, and seems to give you some good feeling for center driven movement, at first.
However, after about three years of practicing my art in this fashion I developed chronic lower back pain. Not in a million years would I have guessed that my Tai Chi was the cause!
On a visit to the school by the Master I asked him what I could do to make my lower back pain decrease. He asked me to demonstrate my form.
His words after watching me very closely: "Why are you pulling you a$$ up and forward like that?"
I told him that was how I'd been taught to do it and he told me to stop, right now, and never do it again. He said that "tucking doesn't mean to use muscular force to pull your sacrum up and forward, it means to drop it downwards, let it relax downards but don't stick it out or pull it forwards, like you're about to sit down but don't sit".
Since the Master taught me the correct alignment my back pain has completely disapeared, never to come back.
I think this is another demonstrable case of bad Chinese to English translation at work. Just like "sink the chest, raise the back" causes major problems for English speakers who don't learn the concept correctly from someone who knows what it means, "tuck the sacrum" can, and most definitely has, caused major back problems for many people who follow the instruction of a teacher who doesn't really know what he's doing.
Unfortunately, even in the best schools you'll find some monkeys who just don't get it.

Just my little personal testament.
Hope you are all well.
Cheers.

[kung fu fighter]

I think this is another demonstrable case of bad Chinese to English translation at work. Just like "sink the chest, raise the back" causes major problems for English speakers who don't learn the concept correctly from someone who knows what it means.
Cheers.

Hi Bob!

Thanks for the great explanation!

Can you give an explanation of the proper way to sink the chest as well as the shoulders?

What exactly does arch the back/Cobra back mean

What exactly does Sunken chest/Sow Hung mean?

What exactly does Hang the shoulders mean

Thanks
Navin

[cjurakpt]

a more "correct" translation would be "swallow the chest / pluck (up) the back"; the latter is more difficult to get, until you understand the biomechanics of mid-thoracic spine in regards to scapulothoracic relationships;

just consider; "swallow" the chest - meaning to soften the anterior thoracic zone, especially in terms of not using the accessory (upper) respiratory musculature to drive the breathing mechanism (scalenes, SCM, UT's); you need to do this first, then you can "pluck (up)" the back - meaning that you "set" the scapulae using lower traps as a sort of guiding force, which is possible having defacilitated the muscles that inhibit LT's (pecs, lats) by "swallowing" the chest

of course, this is all predicated on the first principle "empty the collar / suspend the top"; meaning that if you engage the postural system by going into slight capital flexion (a chin tuck - basically occipital condyles moving posteriorly relative to C1), while at the same time elongating the sub-occipital region, you get major inhibition of "anti-postural" flexor musculature, you get stimulation of a parasympathetic response (relaxatory phase of autonomics, meaning you get the whole cascade of norepi., serotonin, etc.) and this sets up the possibility of getting that "float" of the cranium on top of the spine;

BTW, tongue touching roof of mouth "works" because when you engage the tongue that way, it inhibits masseters and temporalis muscles, causing detonification of fight / flight response (the harder you push, the more you get - but a light touch is enough usually); this is a technique commonly taught to chronic TMJ pain patients, FYI...

[Bob Ashmore]

Kung Fu Fighter,
Chris has given a very good clinical explanation of the phenomenon. I can't really improve on it.
To actually do it though is quite difficult without having someone who knows how to show you. You have to feel this happening, it can't be forced. Forcing it defeats the purpose.
Basically you have to follow the Essentials that were laid out by Yang Cheng Fu.
I always start at the bottom and work my way up though, which is the opposite of how the Essentials are listed.
I will try to write this out as I say it to beginner students, maybe that would be easiest.
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. This is not an absolute distance, it's a generality. Each person will be a little bit different on this stance and only a qualified teacher can really show you the best distance. As a general rule of thumb stand with your arms at your sides, palms facing your thighs (arms should be directly at your sides, your palms should not be in front of or behind your thighs but on the outside edge facing you directly). Look directly down each of your arms to your feet, you should see the outside edge of your foot directly below your fingers. This is a good distance to start with, it can be adjusted as necessary.
Your feet should be straight, toes in line with your knees. Do not allow your feet to point to the side, not even a little. This keeps your knees and toes going in the same direction and holds true in all stances. This will save your knees a lot of punishment.
Your knees should be naturally straight, to do this you should gently straightem them all the way until you feel your knees just begin to "lock" then allow them relax slightly. Do not bend them too much, do not keep them locked. This give you a slight "spring" in your stance.
Your hips should be relaxed downward. To do this imagine that you're going to sit down on a stool that is only a couple of milimeters below your tushy, but don't sit on it, just have the feeling that you're about to.
Keep your spine straight up and down. Don't force it, just let it happen naturally.
You should relax your chest slightly and open your back. Don't allow your chest to sink inwards visibly, the key word here is "slightly". It's more the idea of sinking than an actual visible sink. Don't puff your chest out, don't pull it in. Just relax it. By relaxing the chest you will allow your back to round outwards very slightly and open or "raise".
Relax your shoulders down and out, do not round them forward, do not puff out your chest and raise them. Your hands will be sitting naturally at the side of your thighs if you are doing this correctly, not pointing forwards or backwards even slightly, just levelly facing the sides of your legs.
Keep your headtop raised. You do this by using the hinge of your jaw as a pivot point and then lowering your chin slightly. Again, "SLIGHTLY" is the key to this. You don't want your chin on your neck, you want it to just relax downward, this will raise your headtop naturally. Your neck must be relaxed to do this, do not force it.
Your arms should be kept naturally straight (see explanation at the beginning of this) and your hands should be relaxed at your side with a very slight bend in the wrists to show spirit. Again, SLIGHT is the operative term.

This is Wuji stance as I understand it.
I hope this helps but it really does take a qualified teacher to show you, hands on, the best way to achieve this for your body. You've got to feel the correct posture in yourself and only a qualified teacher can tell you what is or what is not correct for you.
This description of wuji, of course, does not definitively describe the Ten Essentials, it only covers some of them that relate to stance work.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Yikes!! I'm scanning my medical references to comprehend Chris's posts..:eek:

My understanding, in my own simpleton terms, is a bit like the preparing to sit in a chair posture, previously mentioned.. bend the knees, letting them pull the pelvis downward.. then, sit on the femurs/quads.. by securing the bent knee position the pelvis can float at the femur/pelvis hip-joint.. tucking the chin and elongating the spine also puts gentle tension on the erector spinae (runs the length of the spine), this, in turn, activates the Connective Tissue System (CTS).. tucking the chin doesn't mean to bend the head forward, it means to pull the chin toward the spine.. between "sitting on the femurs" and tucking the chin, the spine is naturally elongated, opening space between the vertebrae..

The activation of the CTS is a bit like our startle response.. like when we hear an unfamiliar noise and our senses go on alert.. the back "raises", the chin tucks, the head scans with its senses for the source and intent of the sound.. that is a primal response where the CTS activates before we can intellectualize the meaning of the sound..

"Sitting on the femurs", once learned, will permit those who practice deep horse stances to greatly increase their time.. the quads, designed to support us anyway, will quickly adapt to this modified condition and hold us there in a state of "relaxed tension".. the tension on the femurs sets the piezo-electric quality of the femurs into activation, which feeds micro-currents into the energy systems.. (a good thing).. so, all-in-all, Wuji is a superior practice..

Be well..

[cjurakpt]

Yikes!! I'm scanning my medical references to comprehend Chris's posts..:eek:
don't waste your time - it's all just crack-psychosis induced hallucinations...

My understanding, in my own simpleton terms, is a bit like the preparing to sit in a chair posture, previously mentioned.. bend the knees, letting them pull the pelvis downward.. then, sit on the femurs/quads.. by securing the bent knee position the pelvis can float at the femur/pelvis hip-joint.. tucking the chin and elongating the spine also puts gentle tension on the erector spinae (runs the length of the spine), this, in turn, activates the Connective Tissue System (CTS).. tucking the chin doesn't mean to bend the head forward, it means to pull the chin toward the spine.. between "sitting on the femurs" and tucking the chin, the spine is naturally elongated, opening space between the vertebrae..
yeppers, especially the "chin tuck' ≠ forward head bending - the rotational axis is not in the neck, it's in the cranium itself: meaning that if the front rotates down and in, the back rotates up and out (sorta) - the key is the "up", activating the CTS in context of the neuromuscular postural response, because of what it does to sub-occipital musculature, which has a disproportionately high percentage of sensory versus motor fibers, suggesting that they are designed to provide feedback between the head and the torso, probably having a lot to do with the vestibular-occular reflex (the brain stem programming to keep the eyes level with the horizontal plane)

The activation of the CTS is a bit like our startle response.. like when we hear an unfamiliar noise and our senses go on alert.. the back "raises", the chin tucks, the head scans with its senses for the source and intent of the sound.. that is a primal response where the CTS activates before we can intellectualize the meaning of the sound..
yes - in fact, the postural activation targets - ta daaa - the brain stem (think about where what you are elongating - it's right over it)! which is orienting one into a sort of sub-cortical reference set - not exactly like a startle response as TCB points out, but coming from the same space, because the "startle" response is a sub-cortically mediated activity; at the same time, there is cortical involvement as well, so it's actually engendering a balanced response of flight/fight (sympathetics) and rest/digest (parasympathetics) - like a cat posed to pounce: tense and relaxed all at once; this overall helps to take people who actually are living in a chronic, low-grade "fight/flight" response (gee, we don't know anyone like that, right?!?), and mediate it back to a better state of autonomic balance

"Sitting on the femurs", once learned, will permit those who practice deep horse stances to greatly increase their time.. the quads, designed to support us anyway, will quickly adapt to this modified condition and hold us there in a state of "relaxed tension".. the tension on the femurs sets the piezo-electric quality of the femurs into activation, which feeds micro-currents into the energy systems.. (a good thing).. so, all-in-all, Wuji is a superior practice..
precisely; our qigong for "activating "central channel" involves, among other things, holding a deep but relatively narrow horse, and it doesn't really work unless done in context of what you state; although i would suggest that gluteus max and medius are also important, as are anterior tib and peroneals in context of that particular skill...

very nice to read your thoughts, as always

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Hi Chris: humble thanks, and.. ditto!

One of the major issues i find with students, and admittedly, myself, is.. relaxing the "girdle region", low back, abs, and glutes.. Considering the CTS as a whole body system, the tension manifested in the girdle region separates the system into upper and lower portions.. the dampening effect of tensed muscles distorts the vibrational signals utilized by the CTS and greatly affects the process of grounding/rooting..

In a pushing scenario, the tensed girdle region traps the received energies in the upper body (above the tensed girdle).. this creates a situation where the push cannot be effectively neutralized without resorting to "clever technique" as opposed to Taiji principles.. energy trapped in the upper body actually uproots the foundation.. it is most evident by the leaning back to neutralize rather than sinking into the ground.. we often refer to it as "using the opponents force to screw ourselves into the ground".. the incoming force activates a twisting and sinking response (loading the spring/bow).. just as the source of the push empties the stored energy that was "screwed into the ground" is released.. it is a measured release, sticking and following the opponents return to their center.. no rush, no bump, just stick and adhere.. we don't reach to the opponent, that is a telegraphing of intent.. we simply follow until the opponent begins to get "stuck".. then, without "shoving", we let the stored energy steadily build on the stuckness.. any resistance at all bounces the opponent out.. any change to neutralize is followed without rush or bump..

At any point in the above described push where we tense the girdle region will result in our own energy pushing back at us.. it will break our source of energy from the earth and isolate it in the upper torso.. in effect, a tensed girdle region is a form of our own internal resistance, we end-up pushing against ourself.. when we should be expanding from our centers outward.. into the opponent AND into the earth, while maintaining a balanced center..

Another critical point that many miss, i think.. is the alignment of the spine.. too many students, and teachers too, try to center the body's mass rather than the spine as a perpendicular axis.. if the body's vertical center of mass is controlled as a perpendicular axis, the spine is already oriented backward, retreating.. energy received or issued cannot be effectively rooted, basically, we are already retreating.. If the spine is oriented as the vertical axis, the body-mass will be positioned forward of the spine and shift the weight to the middle/ball (bubbling well) of the foot, rather than the heels.. remember, the heels are basically two round balls.. we don't want to balance precariously on two round objects.. with the weight centered in the arch/ball region of the feet, the heels act as braces, solidly connected to the ground, but not supporting the body-mass.. in this posture, received energy is braced by the heels while balance is maintained in the "bubbling well".. any "live sport" athelete centers their weight over the arch/ball, not in the heels..

Any way.. just some thoughts..

[kung fu fighter]

Thanks guys.

your posts have been most helpful.

What's the engine that powers tai chi movements?

How do you use stillness to overcome active?

"You dont simply "Sink chest' . its a combination of having the lower parts correct first off. Than use of "Song" as the core method of implementing the training. Than stretching and rolling the back out and up, while gradually allowing the chest to sink, while not allowing the shoulders to sink back but instead forward and down, while you expand your chest cavity counter balancing the sinking chest, with expansion of the Ab muscles."

Can anyone explain how the chest cavity is expanded to counter balanace the sinking chest?

[cjurakpt]

To actually do it though is quite difficult without having someone who knows how to show you. You have to feel this happening, it can't be forced. Forcing it defeats the purpose.
absolutely

Basically you have to follow the Essentials that were laid out by Yang Cheng Fu. I always start at the bottom and work my way up though, which is the opposite of how the Essentials are listed.
I would say that the order is important first and then not important; first off, I agree that it is easier in general to start from the ground up, and I agree that it makes more sense to explain it to beginners that way; my personal experience was to do that initially, leading to a sort of stacking phenomenon: the problem was that, although my root (gan) improved, my lightness (hing) was impeded once it started to develop; so I switched to top-down, creating a hanging of the various parts: but that frustrated the balance of lightness to root; so that lead to an understanding of "activating" everything at once: the whole system kicks in at the same time: which is ultimately what should happen, meaning that at the end the order doesn't matter (and our last principle is "yaht duhng chai duhng" - one moves, all moves - implying the instantaneous nature of getting everything to line up at once); BTW, the practice of Micro-cosmic Orbit (Siu Jow Tiin) is classically an important aspect of getting this; my personal experience is that having gone through the 100 Day Opening of the Micro Circulation about 10 years ago, it was very useful when everything "hooked up" about 3 years ago

I will try to write this out as I say it to beginner students, etc. This is Wuji stance as I understand it...
very nice

Hi Chris: humble thanks, and.. ditto!
likewise - I actually consider what I write to be complimented by what you offer - to me, it illustrates how the same "truth" can be arrived at and conveyed successfully from a variety of different perspectives

One of the major issues i find with students, and admittedly, myself, is.. relaxing the "girdle region", low back, abs, and glutes.. Considering the CTS as a whole body system, the tension manifested in the girdle region separates the system into upper and lower portions.. the dampening effect of tensed muscles distorts the vibrational signals utilized by the CTS and greatly affects the process of grounding/rooting..
yup; the idea is to integrate upper and lower - I find that this occurs both across the body via the diagonals of the shoulder blade through lower traps / lats / respiratory diaphragm and abdominal obliques to pelvis (one pathway: you can talk about internal visceral ones as well)) and on the same side via lateral chains of subcapularis, quadratus lumborum / psoas / gluteus medius; of course these are not in isolation, but just some idea to play with

In a pushing scenario, the tensed girdle region traps the received energies in the upper body (above the tensed girdle).. this creates a situation where the push cannot be effectively neutralized without resorting to "clever technique" as opposed to Taiji principles.. energy trapped in the upper body actually uproots the foundation.. it is most evident by the leaning back to neutralize rather than sinking into the ground.. we often refer to it as "using the opponents force to screw ourselves into the ground".. the incoming force activates a twisting and sinking response (loading the spring/bow).. just as the source of the push empties the stored energy that was "screwed into the ground" is released.. it is a measured release, sticking and following the opponents return to their center.. no rush, no bump, just stick and adhere.. we don't reach to the opponent, that is a telegraphing of intent.. we simply follow until the opponent begins to get "stuck".. then, without "shoving", we let the stored energy steadily build on the stuckness.. any resistance at all bounces the opponent out.. any change to neutralize is followed without rush or bump..
yup; perfect description

At any point in the above described push where we tense the girdle region will result in our own energy pushing back at us.. it will break our source of energy from the earth and isolate it in the upper torso.. in effect, a tensed girdle region is a form of our own internal resistance, we end-up pushing against ourself.. when we should be expanding from our centers outward.. into the opponent AND into the earth, while maintaining a balanced center..
yup (this is getting repetative...); this is where sung / peng become important (I know my perspective is a bit unconventional, I see them as opposite sides of the same coin, the former being the receptive, the latter being the expressive) - this is where working with "shen" becomes important, where having a certain degree of dispassionate detachment dampens the heart, so as not to draw one up into ones chest too much...

Another critical point that many miss, i think.. is the alignment of the spine.. too many students, and teachers too, try to center the body's mass rather than the spine as a perpendicular axis.. if the body's vertical center of mass is controlled as a perpendicular axis, the spine is already oriented backward, retreating.. energy received or issued cannot be effectively rooted, basically, we are already retreating.. If the spine is oriented as the vertical axis, the body-mass will be positioned forward of the spine and shift the weight to the middle/ball (bubbling well) of the foot, rather than the heels.. remember, the heels are basically two round balls.. we don't want to balance precariously on two round objects.. with the weight centered in the arch/ball region of the feet, the heels act as braces, solidly connected to the ground, but not supporting the body-mass.. in this posture, received energy is braced by the heels while balance is maintained in the "bubbling well".. any "live sport" athelete centers their weight over the arch/ball, not in the heels..
it's all about non-localization: if you "fix" at one point, then that is the point off of which you can be displaced; if every part of your body acts as an instantaneous axis of rotation, there is no center to disrupt...
re: bubbling well (my teacher translates it as "subterranean spring", just to consider the implications...) - this is referred to by some as the pedal diaphragm (each arch of each foot being 1 half of it); this is a hom0logue of the pelvic, respiratory and cranial diaphragms (latter being the tentorium cerebelli - go check out that one if you haven't seen what it looks like - might be interesting for you); meaning that when you breath "right", you get a response through those arches in context of how the breath relates to ground reaction force; which stimulates CTS (and remember, bone is also CT...); etc. so the notion of the "bubbling" aspect of the spring really makes sense, doesn't it?