Section 2 Videos - 2025
Discussed in detail how Sink, Turn & Expand are found in every posture. We used the act of "catching the baby" to demonstrate the "sitting" in every posture or qigong. When you "catch the baby" you automatically expand and sink by loosening the leg muscles and kuas. We related this to opening the arms as we start the section. We then went into a detailed explanation of doing "Brush Knee". We discussed sinking into the movement, rather than just shifting the weight across. We looked at how the arms spiral from the back, and how when the Brush Knee is finished our upper palm spirals a little by dropping the elbow and hiding the pinkie, creating a long line from the fpinkie finger to the back toes.
Feeling suspended, lifting the head, dropping the hips, these are just words unless you really feel them. Like a slinkie, the hips drop away from the head creating a tugging or tension between them that is a connection. As your spine lengthens, you have to feel it in every posture. The tailbone must connect to the heels to feel this even more. We related this concept to the Swing Arms, Push the Water, and Block and Strike qigongs. We then looked at it from what happens when we do Brush Knee. We went into great detail about the many aspects of doing Brush Knee, to Present the Peach, to Brush Knee.
All movements start with the feet pulling, sinking, turning, and rooting. For many students this can be challenging. To get students to understand, the material has to be presented in different ways. For the past few weeks we focused on letting go of the hamstrings of the leg that is getting the weight. This week, the focus was on moving the trunk back to start each movement. Moving the trunk back expands the arms, sending their energy forward. It allows for the smooth transition between moves because as the move finishes, and before it is complete, the arms go forward into the next movement. We applied this concept to Push The Water, Block and Strike as well as to Brush Knee and Present the Peach.
In this session we elaborated on the concept of elbow resting on the knees and how that is applied to every movement that we make. We reviewed the idea of dropping the hamstrings in the leg that is getting the weight and hollowing the front of the body to push the arms forward. The arms expanding forward as the trunk sinks back creates power in the arms (peng jin) and helps to feel the continuity between the movements. We applied these concepts to 'Push the Water', 'Block and Strike' and to the 'Cloud Hands', the kicks, and the 'Brush Knees."
In this class we covered a few of the critical aspects to doing tai chi and qigong correctly. We used a towel to describe how the arms and body spiral to create energy. Letting go of the hamstrings in the leg you are shifting to is critical because it opens the door to sinking the hips, rooting, opening the spine and ming-men and hollowing the chest. Hollowing the chest is also critical and it goes with the letting go of the legs. The third important thing we talked about is sinking the elbows to the knees which is critical for unifying the upper and lower parts of the body and becoming a unified structure. We then applied these concepts to doing 'Drink the Water' and 'Block and Strike'. We then looked at the details of doing 'Drink the Water'. We applied our concepts to the form in doing the "Opening of the Section', and 'Brush Knee'. We looked in detail how to do the 'Present the Peach' posture.
Today's class was about the feet absorbing and sinking. It is easier to feel one leg absorbing, but that means the other is not being used. So, we discussed what it feels like to sink the 'empty' foot. We exaggerated the shifting to one side so the heel of the foot is off the ground, and then we lowered the leg and hip, thus straightening the trunk automatically. We reviewed how the absorbing and sinking is in every qigong and form movement. We reviewed the Brush knee and the Present the Peach movements and how the sinking and absorbing of the feet make the movement.
One of the basic movements in all of tai chi is the turning of the hands which comes from the "squeezing" of the elbows. However, the elbows do not move on their own. They are moved by the sinking of the chest and rounding of the back. As the chest sinks, it pushed the shoulders forward creating a movement in the elbows that spiral the hands. But, even the chest is moved by something else; the ming-men. As the ming-men (or lower back) sinks, it pulls on the chest to hollow. The ming-men, off course, sinks because the weighted leg releases its hamstrings, and the empty leg goes deeper into the floor. So the chain of movement goes from the feet to the hands, created by the sinking and pulling in the legs. We then looked at how this kinetic chain is used to do the 'Brush Knee' and 'Push the Water' movements.
The function and connections of the ming-men is vitally important for understanding tai chi and doing it correctly. The focus of the class today was on feeling the connections between the arms and the ming-men. Although movement originates with the feet and legs, the movement is expressed in the ming-men, which then moves and moves the arms. The ming-men is responsible for hollowing the chest and sinking the hips and tailbone. We then looked at how this is manifested in doing the Open Clouds of the form. We finished by looking at the movement of the arms in the kicking of the right foot. The arms expand from the ming-ment and do not just flap around. The arms are counterbalances to the lifting of the knee and kicking of the foot.
Awareness vs. Yi (Intention). The classics say movement starts with Yi. However, Yi is intentional, meaning you tell your mind what to do; move an arm, move a leg, etc. At higher levels, there is no conscious thought, only reaction, feelings and almost unconscious movement. Move without thinking. To get to awareness, you must feel the hollows in the body; specifically the 3 hollows of the chest, hands and feet. Hollowing is both going inwards and at the same time feeling the hollow space filling in. To hollow the feet, we must go back to "catching the baby" where we catch a heavy weight by bending our hips and knees. Doing that, lift the knees, which lift the ankles, which create the hollow under the feet.
We applied these concepts to doing the Open Clouds movements in the form. We then looked at doing the kicks and how expansion is pivotal in keeping our balance. We covered in detail the second kick, where after the kick we turn to the left and then turn the entire body to the right to step into "High Pat On Horse". We then looked at the "Punch Down" movement and the transition into "Carry the Moon."
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When turning, it is very important to keep both kuas bending inward. The temptation is to push the kua out in the direction of the turn. It is also very important to expand, especially the arms. We did an exercise to feel that expansion. We related the opening of the kua and expansion of the arms to doing the postures in the form.
We looked at the punch downward in detail. The punch is done with a soft and hollowed fist with the palm facing down. We then turn the palm up from the elbow as we shift back. The left elbow continues to expand forward. As the arms rise up to go to the next movement, the elbows sink and squeeze.
In this class we reviewed the Push the Water, Block and Strike, and Drink the water qigongs. We discussed how opening the ming-men (lower back) creates the hollow in the front of the body, and combined with the hollow in the hands and feet, create the hollow that is the sphere that surrounds you.
We looked at the Punch Down movement and the transition into Carry the Moon. When punching dow, there must be a backward movement as well to balance it. Therefore the back leg mus sink. After the punch, the wrist rotates to face up, and is not pulled back. When opening the arms and sitting back, there must be a forward movement in the knees and elbows. Feel the energy going forward and not back to you.
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Opening the shoulder joint along with opening the kua is one of the most important things that you can do. To feel the opening of the shoulder joints, extend you arms as far as they will go. Then, move the trunk back to counterbalance the forward direction of the arms. We then applied it to the Push the Water qigong. We then looked at how the elbow changes as the direction of the movements change.
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We continued with the Punch down in the 2nd section. As the punch completes, the opponent grabs the wrist. Do not pull back or resist. Simply go with their pull for a brief second to allow your body to expand and strengthen the internal connections from the wrist to the feet via the ming-men. We continued to the posture, "Carry the Moon", emphasising the squeezing of the elbows as the arms go up.
To open the class we reviewed the concept of expanding; specifically how to open the shoulder joints. We applied this to Push the Water and Block and Strike. In addition, in Push the Water, we emphasized the idea of making the internal circle smaller so that one arm extends out as the other shortens. In Block and Strike we pointed out how the lower arm needs to extend all the way before turning to move forward. In the moving Block and Strike we emphasized the weight shift; The weight moves as the leg turns, and not afterwards. We finished the qigongs by pointing out that as the arms go up, they still expand, and when the hands move towards the face, it is the elbows that expand forward. Also, when the arms go down, the head lifts, opening the spine for more energy.
We reviewed 2 aspects of the Open Clouds. First, when finishing the diagonal move, the upper body turns more than the lower body. Secondly, when we shift weight and turn, it is similar to what we reviewed earlier in the Block and Strike. To go from Brush Knee to Present the Peach, the kua must bend a little more and the upper body lean forward more to get a feeling as if you are pulled into the next movement. The power of the hands in Present the Peach comes from the ming-men. We finished the class by introducing Master William Ting's Video Library.
This class reviewed sinking the hamstrings and how to use that when stepping; how to spiral the elbows; how to open the shoulder blades; and how to use counterbalances in every move. Stepping is key in tai chi and it is more than just shifting weight. When stepping, sink your weight to shift it, and when you do, your back foot sinks deeper, thereby, giving you roots. To allow you to move, the tailbone must sink forward as your hips drop so that your body goes from a slight leaning to a vertical stance. Spiraling the arms is done from inside the body, and as the arms go forward, the back goes back. This opens the upper kuas ass well. The shoulder blades move forward as your ming-men moves back. That's what moves your arms and turns your fingers.. Counterbalances are key to maintaining balance. Just as yin needs yang to balance it, moving forward needs something to go back, so when your elbows and knees go forward, your ming-men goes back; when you sink, your head feels taller.
Getting the weight to go down to the feet requires the shoulders to sink more than what they are used to doing. When the shoulders are not sunk enough they stop the weight from sinking to the feet. Similarly, if the back is not straight, that also stops the weight. Expanding and opening the spine is another area of great importance. The spine should feel as if it is continuously lengthening. The feeling is that as you relax, you can let go more, and as you let go more, you lengthen more so that you can keep lengthening for a long time. Every weight shift should be done with the spine going down and lengthening. This allows the weight to sink into the feet, and the feet to sink into the floor.
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When we do the opening movement of the second section, our arms rise and open. We explored how the arms hardly move, and that it is the sinking and opening of the spine that moves the elbows forward and up. In addition, as the hands go up the elbows sink so that the shoulders stay open and relaxed. the turning of the feet brings the arms together and lets them open outward. The sinking and lengthening of the spine, puts teh hips into the right place as we shift weight and step. All our movements are circular and continuous, so that we go from posture to posture without any breaks, and our hands are always turning and spiraling because our feet are turning.
The spine should feel as if it is continuously lengthening. The feeling is that as you relax, you can let go more, and as you let go more, you lengthen more so that you can keep lengthening in every move. The opening of the spine is combined with the bending of the knees and the sinking of the elbows. As we lengthen our spine and sink, the kees lift allowing the feet to hollow and remain soft. Every weight shift, forward or back, is really a sinking of the spine so that our hips are under us and we are sitting
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When doing "Open The Clouds" (Cloud Hands), we sink our spine (tailbone) as we move from posture to posture so that we are rooted and the movement is continuous. When we go to do a kick, the arms move because the body is sinking away from them. The elbows have to adjust downward as the arms go out. In "Brush Knee", when the right arm is up, we start with our weight on the left leg. To start the stepping, we shift to the right leg and as we sik to start the step, our arms lengthen before we step. As we step, our tailbone siks downwards, and the upper elbow sinks as well.
A chain is a good metaphor for the tai chi posture. It is only when the chain is stretched that each and every link is fully connected so that what happens to one link affects the rest. With that in mind, we reviewed how to open and expand the body, especially the spine so that each joint is open. We reviewed it in Push the Water, Block nd Strike and especially in Drink the Water. We also included how lifting the head and elongating the center line affect the movements.
We looked in detail at doing the "Carry the Moon' posture in the 2nd section. When coming out of the 'Punch Down', as we're lifting our arms and turning, we are squeezing our elbows. This keeps our arms at the correct height, so when we go into 'Carry the Moon', we're already half way down. As we come up in "Carry the Moon', we feel the right knee and toe truning the the left. We then kick to our left for the next move.
To shift weight, one leg pulls and the other sinks. Sinking the 'empty' leg is key to rooting. As we shift and load one leg with our weight, gravity helps us sink the leg. But, as there is less weight on the other leg, it needs something more to help it sink. We use our mind or intention to do it. When there is 70% physical weight on one leg, we need to put 70% of our intention into the other leg so they are in balance. When the leg sinks, the tailbone also sinks with it. As the tailbone sinks, it opens the ming-men, which hollows the chest more and expands our back, arms, and head.
Sinking the 'empty' leg is in every tai chi and qigong movement. We looked at the 'Open Clouds' movements of the form and pointed out where this is happening and the impact it has on the movements. We finished the class by going over the 'Carry the Moon' posture as it transitions into the 'Beat Tigers' posture.
"Catch the Baby"!
When you “Catch the Baby,” you are naturally and intuitively doing the Tai Chi posture correctly. To catch a falling weight, your body instinctively bends at the knees, the kuas, and the elbows. Your ming-men opens, your chest sinks, and your arms expand. This is exactly what we want to happen in every Tai Chi posture and every move.
When practicing our qigongs, at every weight shift, imagine you are catching a weight. This mental image triggers the correct physical response: the body softens and sinks, the structure rounds, and the arms become alive and connected.
In a Bow and Arrow stance, you “catch the weight” during the weight shift. Shifting the weight is not just moving it from one side to the other—it is sinking into the move, grounding into the floor. The feet are rooted, not sliding or shifting across the surface.
We applied this same concept when moving during “Open the Clouds” and “Present the Peach.” As you transition, think of sinking and catching the weight rather than simply stepping or leaning.
We also reviewed the opening of the arms. The arms should go up and forward, not just straight up. This forward intention creates space in the back and connects the movement to the body’s center.
In “Brush Knee,” just before you step, the body sinks, creating the visual impression that one arm goes up while the other goes down. This sinking is not a collapse, but a controlled gathering, accompanied by a turning of the torso, which naturally spirals the arms.
This class unified the concepts for how stepping and weight shifting are accomplished in tai chi. When stepping, you could think of dropping the hamstrings of the leg that is getting the weight; you can also use 'catching the baby' as a way to do it; and you can think of one foot pulling as the other sinks. They all accomplish similar things. We then added the turning of the feet as we step. Combining the turning with the weight shift creates a 3-D spiral.
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We also looked at the correct position of the head. When correct, the energy flows, the body roots, the spine is open. When done wrong, the opposite happens. We reviewed the 'Circle the Knees' qigong and related that to the turning of the feet. We also discussed how the knees and toes connect in front and the sinking. bending kuas connect behind us. Finally, we reviewed the sinking of the elbows to the knees.
Tai chi is about sinking the weight to the feet and opening the connections and channels within the body. To do that we have to let go our hamstrings and extend our limbs from our lower back. "Catching the Baby", letting go of the hamstrings on the weighted leg, sitting are all expressions of letting go so the weight can sink to the feet. The hips have to sink back to let this happen. And, the arms have to extend all the way from the ming-men. We looked at various places when this happens. We looked in greater detail at the qigong "Drink the Water" and how we use these principles in the movement. We looked at how the arms extend in Brush Knee and When we do Open Clouds. We explored what "double weighted" means, that even though both our legs have 50% of the weight we are not double weighted because we have the separation of Yin/Yang. Double weighted also implies that you cannot move your feet because their is too much weight in either leg. But when you separate the heavy from the light, you can move your feet regardless of the weight.
As your training progresses it is important to feel how the energy goes under you and over you. When we are in a posture your hips and legs sink sending the energy down, while your head is lifting, sending the energy up. So, how we shift our weight is about sinking into the floor. As our weight sinks into the leg that is getting the weight, the knee bends and the kua bends. The ming men goes back a little, and all this causes your upper kua to hollow more and the arm to expand.
We then explored how to improve on the Push the Water Qigong using this way of moving.
We then looked at how we move in the form when doing Open the Clouds.
We explored the curvature in the arms that sends energy outward and creates peng-jin in our body.
We finally capped off the class by looking at how we spiral the arms when doing the start of Brush Knee. The spiraling is generated from the back and goes into the arms and hands. As the body sinks the shoulder joint opens and the arms extend.
As your training progresses it is important to stop thinking about your hands and to start thinking about other areas of your body. For example, when doing the movements pay attention to your knees. The feeling of holding a ball or riding a horse stays with you in every move. We looked at doing this in the qigongs Push the Water and Block and Strike. We looked at Drink the water and how the arms go down by themselves. In Push and Pull, it is not the arms that move, but the lower back. We went further with describing how the energy moves through and around the body, as if we are filling up a globe or sphere that surrounds us. We concluded the class with a look at how the arms and hands spiral when we start the Brush Knee and then as we step forward.
We reviewed the “Catch the Baby” concept and how it applies to every posture. The key points are allowing the shoulders to drop, connecting the elbows and knees, and dropping the hips. We emphasized that dropping the shoulders should be practiced consistently until it becomes habitual.
We elaborated on how sinking the elbows toward the knees illustrates the principle of “separation within connection, and connection within separation.” Dropping the hips and opening the kua are, of course, fundamental to all postures.
We then applied these concepts to Push the Water and Walking Push the Water, as well as to Open the Clouds. We studied the posture Punch Down in detail, including the transition into Carry the Moon.
Finally, we revisited the idea that in Tai Chi the arms move very little on their own. In the beginning stages of learning, the focus is often on the arms, but as we progress, the focus shifts inward. The movement of the body leads, and the arms simply follow.
When doing Push the Water, it is important to note what the elbows are doing. When we look at the position of the hands, one is vertical and one is oblique. This is because each elbow does something a little different than the other. It is important to feel the chest hollowing and the back rounding which determine what the elbows do.
In Block and Strike it is the same. Many students, however, do not allow the the arm that is moving out and up to fully extend. The sinking of the hamstrings opens the kua which in turn pushes the arm out and that's how the arm moves. The other arm is dropping by sinking the elbow and not focusing on the hand. Ultimately, as you move in this posture, feel as if your fingers can touch the corners of the walls around you.
We reviewed in more depth the Punch Down and the transition into Carry the Moon. We reviewed how the elbows squeeze when the arms come over into Carry the Moon. We explored how to spiral down into the movement and how we get back up. It is important to extend the arms out and lift the head as we sink into the floor. When we come up, the arms wrap around the body as the body turns slightly right. We then turn to the left to kick, unwinding the arms. Finally we kick and put the foot down a little to the left and the arms move into the right place.
The elbows always sink to the knees and just as importantly, they bend to match the bending in the kuas. As the elbows bend with the kuas, they turn the hands. To bend the kuas, the hamstrings must release to allow the legs to bend and accept the weight, as we do in "Catch the Baby". We must also lift the head as we sink or otherwise we collapse our structure. We must feel the hips going down and the head lifting to open the spine. Releasing and letting go of the muscles allows the joints to open and expand which is done in every posture.
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We looked in detail at the "Punch Down" and "Carry the Moon" movements. The power of the punch comes from the rotation of the hips. As the punch completes, the hips make a small circle to bring the arm back. This is felt by pulling with the back foot an instant before the punch completes. The elbow does not pull back; it sinks down as the wrist turns. It is the body that turns. The elbows do not rise when we transition to "Carry the Moon". The elbows sink and squeeze as we come around and go down. To go up, we focus on our right knee pointing to the lft while our hips are turning to the right.
Today's class was about fundamentals. "Catch the Baby" encompasses everything one needs to know about doing the tai chi posture correctly, with the advantage that all the requirements are done instinctively, without effort or conscious thought. That simple movement can then be used when stepping and going from posture to posture because it is about sinking and not merely shifting. Elbows must sink to create a feeling of a band across the back and the shoulder joints open.
When shifting weight, it is vitally important to shift the hips back to "open the kuas", which is done by dropping the thigh and lifting the hip. This is similar to opening the shoulder by moving the forearm forward and the trunk back. Opening the kuas and sinking the hips causes the back to expand and push the arms out. We looked at examples of how the hips move in Push the Water, Block and Strike and Push and Pull. We also discussed the Elbow-Knee connection and that the heigh of the elbows is determined by the bending and sinking of the kua. ​
We looked in depth at Step Up & Punch and Step Up & Strike Ears with Both Fists (Box the Ears).
Turning doorknobs under each foot is what turns the body. One leg pulling and one sinking moves the body. Together, they create a spiraling motion in the hands and trunk. To go along with the turning and sinking of the feet, the ming-men (lower back) has to move back as well. This action opens the shoulder joints to allow the arms to rotate and expand. We went over a few qigongs and postures to see how that works.
In the form we reviewed the punch down to Carry the Moon to the Kick with Left Foot.
All movements should start from the midline and radiate outward. In each movement the upper body expands and the arms extend outward because the ming-men moves slightly back pushing the back muscles and the arms forward. The lower body starts the movements by pulling the weight while sinking the kua as the ming-men pulls back. The ming-men is the connection point of the upper and lower parts of the body. This is evident in the qigongs whenever we change directions (shift the weight) and we looked at Push the Water and Block and Strike. In the form it is the same, and we used the Turn Arms movement t o demonstrate this.
We reviewed the Punch Down in the form and the transition to to the Carry the Moon posture. We then looked at going from the Carry the Moon into the Kick with Left and into Beat Tigers. We discussed how the arms move from the elbow rather than the hands, especially when striking downward. We also stressed that every movement has power and a martial usage that needs to be understood. For example, in Cloud Hands, the arms don't just circle up and down. Each arm is doing a strike or a push downward.
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Practice starts with simply standing and letting go. With each exhale the muscles let go more and more, and the joints begin to separate. Letting go allows the weight to sink to the feet. The 3 dan-tiens hollow out to allow the expansion of energy to fill the room and beyond. Each dan-tien has a corresponding point in the back: the ming-men, the middle of the upper back, and the jade pillows. The body sinking and the muscles letting go must be matched with the head lifting. As the trunk sits back more to hollow the dan-tiens, it must be matched with the elbows and knees going froward to counterbalance. A feeling of both heaviness and lightness is produced, such that the arms become so heavy that they cannot be lifted.
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In the form, we reviewed the Punch Down and Carry the Moon going into Beat Tigers Left. We then looked at how we do the Double Punch.
Feeling the Upper Kua is opening is important for knowing that your arms and upper body is expanded. It let's you know when your arms have opened too far because the feeling is not there. Opening the Upper Kuas is dependent on opening the Lower Kuas. The pulling and turning of the feet is in every movement. We reviewed how we use that in the form, especially when doing the opening and Cloud Hands. We started looking at Brush Knee and Step Up, Parry & Punch.
To keep the knees safe, it is essential that they stay aligned with the big toes and that the knee never bends so far that it extends past the toes. Even more important, the kuas must be open so the knees can move independently of the hips.
To “open” the kuas, the tailbone must sink. As it drops, the back of the hip settles downward and inward. This causes the front of the hip to tip up and away from the sinking thigh. The thigh drops because the hamstrings release, allowing the upper leg to settle naturally into the hip.
A bow stance is often described as having a 70/30 weight distribution, with the front shin perpendicular to the foot. But when you are actually moving, keeping track of these measurements becomes difficult and, ultimately, unnecessary. A far simpler and more accurate approach is to sink the tailbone and the rear leg as you move forward. The front foot receives the body’s weight as gravity pulls it downward, while the rear foot sinks through intention and release.
When this is done correctly, movement becomes a coordinated action of sinking and shifting, rather than a horizontal transfer of mass. The stance then aligns itself. The sinking tells you exactly how much to shift before the “empty” leg can release and step. This removes the need to worry about whether you are at 70/30 or 65/35, or whether the shin is perfectly vertical.
When you sink correctly, the proportions take care of themselves.
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We did a deep dive on the Step Up, Parry & Punch posture.
In every posture the tailbone is sunk toward the heel that is getting the weight. As the head lifts and the tailbone sinks, the spine elongates and opens the vertebras. Sinking the tailbone also opens and stretches the arms. The tailbone is part of the bow that extends over our heads and under our feet. It is of utmost importance in opening the kua.
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We went into deeper detail about Step Up, Parry and Punch, and looked at the Apparent Close-Up.​
Sinking the hips back as well as the entire trunk is at the heart of all movement. When the hips are sunk and the chest is hollowed, there is expansion in the entire body that is manifested in the lengthening of our arms and entire torso. This is Peng Jin which is the hallmark of tai chi chuan.
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We went into deeper detail about Step Up, Parry and Punch.​