Steps to Relax Shoulders in Tai Chi – Worth Learning

Before I formally started learning Qigong, I used the computer knowledge I learned in 2003 to search online for a lot of related materials about Yang-style Tai Chi, and I learned that the first step in Tai Chi is to relax the shoulders. When I was wandering around in the parks, I saw people practicing Qigong and asked them for advice, and they almost always refused to give me any tips. One day, I saw a few people practicing Qigong under the Qingliangmen Bridge next to my home, so I chatted with them.

Because of my age, their master also came over to greet me. I boldly told him about my problems with relaxing my shoulders. He told me a lot about the principles of yin and yang and their methods. To be honest, I didn't understand what he was saying, and I didn't know how to practice. He looked helpless.

His 50-year-old disciple said, 'Lift your arms and put them on my arms,'. After my arms were stable, he quickly withdrew his hands, and my arms were still hanging in the air. He then asked me to put my arms on his arms again, 'Relax your shoulders,'. I didn't know how to relax my shoulders. He said, 'When you think of your shoulders, relax them.'. He used to say, 'This is the mother of all the forces in Tai Chi'

I realized: ''

After that, I began to practice relaxing my shoulders while practicing Qigong. Over the years, I gradually formed a practice program: before practicing Yang Chengfu's traditional Yang style Tai Chi 85 forms, I always do a few things:

Deeply inhale and exhale, quiet your mind, first bow to Yang Chenfu's teacher for three minutes, relax your body and mind.

With two feet in a wide stance, relax your whole body (mentally relaxing, truly relaxing your whole body may be a lifelong task). Keep your center of gravity on your heels. Use the power of your hips to shake your shoulders up and down. Don't use your knees to force yourself up and down. Do it for five to ten minutes. Make sure your arms move up and down the shoulder bones are moving, and your body feels a slight warmth.

Use your mind to lift your shoulders high, and then quickly relax your shoulders and let them fall open.

Alternate raising both arms:

With your left hand extending, use it to hold your right arm, and when you relax your right shoulder, your left hand should feel the weight of your right arm, and then quickly withdraw your left hand, your right arm will fall freely, swing back and forth. At least repeat ten times

Use your left hand to grab your right index finger, relax your right shoulder, your left hand should feel the weight of your right hand and grab your right index finger. Do it repeatedly

Alternate cloud hands, just keep your upper arm close to your ribcage, use the palms of your hands to pull inward, then extend your arms to form a cloud-like movement. Relax your arms and stretch them straight. Practice this hand in both hands (to be honest, this is a way to stretch the long muscle tendons with force, but it is effective.)

Standing with a bent-arm stance, your hands are relaxed and hanging down naturally, use the power of your waist to swing your hands out, and then swing them back in, repeat this 100 times every day.

We should also use our minds to separate our arms and bodies as we walk, and swing our two arms forward and backward with our steps, forming a lotus posture. The two hands are in a lotus position, with open palms hanging down. Empty-hand top, chest up, back straight.

My understanding is:Don't do it for 5 minutes, with your arms feeling, , , and then take a look at your palms are red and tender, with ten fingers all bulging, the whole arm has a smooth blood circulation.

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