days 119 & 120: 5-element theory & yang long form cont'd

concepts:

• internal
• external
• yi
  

forms:

• yang long form

this week was pretty straightforward, with an expansion of 5-element theory into the yang long form.

day 119

this tuesday involved some review of 5-element theory, since there were a number of new students who'd missed last week. we went back through the 5 elements, and their association with internal and external body parts. we also took time to review the 1st half of the yang long form, with Sifu providing commentary as to the application of 5-element theory to the form.

day 120

today we repeated 5-element theory, but this time applied it to the 2nd half of the yang long form, spending more time learning the movements and covering the element associated with each move, as well as the respective internal and external body part.

in addition, Sifu also discussed how concentration on 5-element theory within the yang long form serves to train yi (i.e., intent), and thus our ability to direct awareness to specific body parts. this is a major factor in the application of 5-element theory, since it develops the ability to manipulate internal organs, much as people manipulate external ones--in modern society, people tend to only be aware of their ability to control their external body parts, and never consider the ability to control their internal ones. it's in this way that tai chi is often associated as a tool for traditional chinese medicine, helping to address internal problems through movement in a therapeutic manner.

we finished the week with this. Sifu said we should expect to continue on this for the next few weeks, and then warned us we would also incorporate 5-element theory into stances.