Tag Archives: 3-P

Ancient Bell Body

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The 2/4 Dots, 3 Passes, 3 Chi Rings and 5 Bows are put into practice through the Ancient Bell Body.

In Yang-22 we use the analogy of the body as akin to an ancient Chinese bell. The Ancient Bell Body is actualized through the use of the intent to flesh out what is not real into something that can be felt but not seen.

Your mind dictates the command to create the Ancient Bell Body and your mind sees it being created. However, it is what you feel as the Ancient Bell Body is being created that informs you if you are doing it correctly. This is the most important reason for spending some time to practice and refine the Commencement Movement.

The 3 Chi Rings

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This is not a post about how to use intent to create the 3 Chi Rings. Instead, I would touch on why we have the 3 Chi Rings.

In Yang-22 we practice our form such that the internal and the external harmonizes. Yes, that’s what other Tai Chi styles say too but in Yang-22 we are very specific about how to bring this about.

Our intent is internal, in the mind, it cannot be grasped. Our body is the external shell, we can see and feel it. What is outside our body can be internal or external.

For example, the wall next to you, that you can touch is external. However, our relationship to the wall, how we connect to it is not visible, nor can it be seen – this is internal. Our internal intent maps the relationship between our external body to the wall internally. Our external body creates another relationship to the wall by mapping the connection.

Sounds confusing, right, all this talk about internal and external?

The last movement in Step Back, Repulse Monkey is an example of what I mentioned above. In the final movement, we hold a pose that looks a lot like the Xingyiquan’s Santi posture. However, we are not practicing zhanzhuang here. Our pose is momentary, like a runner getting ready to take off.

When we get into the Santi-like posture we quickly map our mind to an active Chi Dot that is in the air, some 36 inches away (I am just using an arbitrary number here). In our lead hand we have a Small Chi Sphere. Then in our mind we see the Chi Dot.

We quickly gather our body (you know, those steps you do in the Commencement Posture), get ready, Small Chi Sphere in lead hand. Then as soon as the Chi Dot disintegrates, our Small Chi Sphere also does the same. In that moment there is no obstruction between our lead hand and where the Chi Dot used to be.

In the next instant, it is over. The Small Chi Sphere is back in our lead hand. Then our internal Chest Cross communicates with the external Cross. We feel the re-balancing adjustment. Then the technique of Repulse Monkey is over.

And how do we pose our arms?

Using the 3 Chi Rings, of course.

I will continue this in the second part since there’s already too much information here.

Heaven, Earth, Man

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I used to think of Heaven, Earth, Man (HEM) as some philosophical concept. I have read different explanations over the years and the typical explanation is not really satisfying. Most of the time the writer would go round and round the bush, offering an explanation that could not really be put into practice.

In Yang-22 we have HEM. My teacher, Master L, did not call this sub-movement HEM but the moment I heard his instruction on the very first movement of the 22-form I went – isn’t that HEM – in my mind.

This is the HEM part – before we begin the practice of the 22-form we stand upright with both feet together. Next we use the intent to unify Heaven to the Earth with us, the Man, right in the middle.

I won’t explain exactly how to do this. I could but I don’t want other Yang styles to steal our teaching and claim it to be theirs.

Right after the HEM unification, we next use the intent to create the plumb line for the 2/4 Dots mechanism. However, this is not the end. Our intent carries on and the 2/4 Dots plumb line once it goes out in space about our head becomes……. tada! …… the 3 Passes.

So one line, two usage.

I hope you can see now why I wrote about the 2/4 Dots and 3 Passes first. They are the very first two things to be created by the intent. Without the 2/4 Dots and 3 Passes you will have a problem performing the next movement of parting the feet with good control of your balance.

The 3 Passes

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Once you have learned to use the 2/4 Dots to move up and down you can add the study of the 3 Passes to it.

The easiest way to think of the 3 Passes is a line connecting the top of the head to the tailbone to keep the body upright. Technically it is really the back of the head that connects to the back and thereon to the tailbone. I chose to keep it simple by just aligning the top of the head to the tailbone.

Why I do this is because aligning two points is much easier to learn. Plus, if the learner has a problem getting it, just ask him to balance a book on this head and learn to walk straight without the book falling off.

This is technically not exactly what the 3 Passes are physically. However, physically keeping the book balanced on the head is one of the four variations of the 3 Passes.

At a more advanced stage the book balancing variation of the 3 Passes is used as the Mother of the 3 Passes. You can use the Mother of the 3 Passes with the other three variations of the 3 Passes.

The four variations of the 3 Passes are :-

i) Vertical Upright 3 Passes (Mother of 3 Passes)
ii) Turn Up 3 Passes
iii) Move Back 3 Passes
iv) Front Lengthen 3 Passes

You can move beyond visualizing balancing a book on your head to imagining that there is a flagpole running from your tailbone up through your head, stretching upwards some 24 inches above your head.

When using the 3 Passes this way it is like a puppet master (your intent) above you is using a string (the 3 Passes) from above to control your movement so that you can move effortlessly.

For the study of the 3 Passes I would practice the sequence below over and over for an hour :-

1) Brush Knee Twist Step (left) – Vertical Upright 3 Passes
2) Transition to BKTS (right) – Turn Up 3 Passes
3) Brush Knee Twist Step (right) – Vertical Upright 3 Passes
4) Transition to BKTS (left) – Turn Up 3 Passes
5) Brush Knee Twist Step (left) – Vertical Upright 3 Passes
6) Play Pipa – Move Back to Vertical Upright 3 Passes
7) Repulse Monkey (right) – Move Back 3 Passes
8) Repulse Monkey (left) – Move Back 3 Passes
9) Repulse Monkey (right) – Move Back 3 Passes
10) Repulse Monkey (left) – Move Back 3 Passes
Repeat from (2)

The above exercise will enable you to study the variations of Vertical Upright, Turn Up and Move Back of the 3 Passes.

The 3 Passes is a key principle so it is important to get a handle on it early.