CMC 37 Posture Tai Chi Form, mirror image (6:35) & normal (6:30), front view - 08/07/10 (Summer)
MIRROR IMAGE FORMS
When I have plenty of space to move around, like in a park, I like to practice the entire Cheng Man-ch'ing 37 Posture Tai Chi Form on each side of my body.
In this video, first I do the entire form "mirror image" style. Then I do it in the normal sequence:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8P-ZCG1ysDo
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vxptpyw0SCI
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VeFpu3cDcUY
"Mirror image" is a method of practice I picked up from Jou Tsung Hwa a long time ago. On page 209 of his book THE TAO OF TAI-CHI CHUAN, he wrote:
"Once the student has mastered the right side of the form through long study, arduous practice and the help of an excellent teacher, the student must then reach an equal level of achievement on the left side, but without a teacher. Only in this way can one determine what one has learned and developed on one's own as opposed to what was only superficial imitation."
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Maoshing Ni, a 38th generation doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, also recommends symmetrical tai chi practice. (His father Hua-Ching Ni, a Taoist master, has written many books on Taoist subjects). On pages 120-121 of DR. MAO'S HARMONY TAI CHI: SIMPLE PRACTICE FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Maoshing Ni writes:
"Balancing Your Practice"
"We are all born with a natural tendency to be either right-handed or left-handed. The habit of depending on only one side of the body in daily activities, while neglecting the other side, creates or aggravates an imbalance. In order to correct such unbalanced development, qi practice offers us an opportunity to use both sides of our bodies.
"For example, both my father and I are right-handed. When my father was small, he could not successfully use his left hand to cut the fingernails of his right with scissors. My grandmother suggested that he try to overcome this shortcoming, so he often switched hands when doing things. He learned to practice all of the tai chi movements beginning on the right side, as everybody did, but in his personal practice he would reverse the movements and begin them on the left. This means that all of the movements that were once to the right are now to the left and all the movements that were once to the left are now to the right. He usually stressed working with the left more than the right, because he already was using his right side in much of his daily life, and he felt that overall this would ultimately balance him, not just in practice, but in life.
"Reversing the right side movements and doing them on the left side is not difficult. Generally, people have more strength on one side than the other, which is natural. However, to challenge yourself, pay special attention to your weaker side if you don't want it to remain clumsy.
"When you have the time and ambition, try to practice your tai chi movements beginning with the left side on odd days and the right side on even days. Or try doing left movements in the morning and right movements in the afternoon, or vice versa. This routine is only one possibility."
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Even though the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere of the brain controls the left side of the body, the two hemispheres specialize in very different types of tasks. The left hemisphere of the brain is NOT an exact mirror image duplicate of the right hemisphere of the brain. Therefore, movement on one side of the body may not necessarily be as easy or as comfortable as movement on the other side of the body.
Usually there's a "smart side," and a "dumb side" to the body. If one is a "righty" (uses his/her right hand for writing), chances are the right side will be the "smart" side, and the left side will be the "dumb" side. The smart side teaches the dumb side how to do the "mirror image" form correctly. So it looks symmetrical, when viewed from either side. So each posture is equally stable. So similar power is generated when doing each posture on the left side as on the right side.
When practicing tai chi sequences on both sides of my body, I apply the same processes of learning that I use during swimming practice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cfSeg3NXTQ
I repeat the movements many times on each side of my body, trying to make the left side "mirror" the right side as closely as possible. The "smarter" dominant side, the one that is capable of more refined motion (because it has done these actions more frequently than the "inexperienced" side) teaches the "cruder" / less experienced side how to refine the movements till they are practically indistinguishable from the "smart" side movements.
This is an ongoing process of refinement. As with all body disciplines, consistent practice produces gradual improvement.
ChiGuy396
ChiGuy396@yahoo.com
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