In What is Silk Reeling? Part 1, we discussed how silk reeling got it’s name, it’s focus, and the benefits of incorporating it into your form.
So how do you learn to incorporate silk reeling spiraling energy into your form?
As you might expect, to successfully incorporate silk reeling, you must first learn, and become comfortable with, the principles, posture, and movements. Once you’ve accomplished that, you will begin to relax your mind and body, and have greater control over your breath. Subsequently, you can incorporate them into your practice. For example, ensuring your arms maintain a curve throughout the movements.
Here are some principles and postures to keep in mind in order to practice most effectively:
Keep your mind calm.
Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, just behind your teeth
Keep your head up, with your chin tucked slightly, body upright and tension-free, while keeping your chest relaxed.
Use your peripheral vision to focus on your arms when you lower them, in order to keep your body from leaning forward and/or your head from dropping..
Keep your shoulders relaxed, and try not to raise them when moving your arms
Keep your elbows dropped below your armpits and below your hands, especially when your arms arc away from your body.
Move from your Dantian to shift weight, and always keep your knees slightly bent.
Rotate your torso instead of letting your hands cross over your sternum.
Focus on keeping your arm and leg movements circular.
Focus on slow, smooth movements, like moving against slight resistance.
Maintain natural, quiet breathing in conjunction with your movements.
Always remember that when one body part moves, all parts move!
According to Master Chen Zaopai, Tai Chi Chuan is silk reeling when movements contain spiraling energy.
Silk reeling can be complex and physically demanding, and it takes practice in order to understand it and incorporate it into your Tai Chi practice. However, it is certainly worth the effort. If you want to go beyond the basics, which themselves are valuable, find an instructor who specializes in silk reeling. Another option is YouTube videos, but be aware that, like instructors, videos can range from great to very poor!
Either way, it is best to incorporate the above principles and postures into your Tai Chi routine first. You will be pleasantly surprised how they will take your Tai Chi to the next level!