Many of the exercises I do regularly conform to the basic principles of Prof. Cheng Manching's "The Constant Bear" exercise.
At least two different English translations exist of Prof. Cheng's writings about "The Constant Bear." They are contained in these 2 books:
CHENG MAN-CHING: MASTER OF FIVE EXCELLENCES
Translation and commentary by Mark Hennessy
and
ZHENG MANQING'S UNCOLLECTED WRITINGS ON TAIJIQUAN, QIGONG, AND HEALTH, WITH NEW BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
By Douglas Wile
There is also a brief mention of "The Constant Bear" in Robert Smith's MARTIAL MUSINGS book, on page 313.
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Prof. Cheng repeatedly focused upon The Constant Bear during the last years of his life. Not only did Prof. Cheng apparently practice this exercise regularly himself while in his 70s (he died at the age of 73), but he also wrote about it, and demonstrated it to his senior student in Taiwan, tai chi expert Liu Hsi-heng. (Master Liu became the head of Prof. Cheng's Tai Chi school in Taiwan after Prof. Cheng died in 1975).
Prof. Cheng told Liu Hsi-heng, "This single move IS taichi - - there is nothing more than this."
I am not aware of any videos or photos of Prof. Cheng specifically doing the Constant Bear exercise. Only Prof. Cheng's written descriptions survive. There's also the testimony of an eye-witness of Prof. Cheng doing this exercise, Master Liu, who equates the Bear with the tai chi movement "Cloud Hands." There are several videos of Prof. Cheng doing "Cloud Hands" as part of his 37 Posture Tai Chi Form
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8P-ZCG1ysDo
http://youtube.com/watch?v=USJPmCZ6Efc
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sjV9bx9unxQ
so I have a good idea what "Cloud Hands" looks like.
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After reading the above mentioned 3 written works very carefully, I've concluded that these are the main ingredients & key principles of THE CONSTANT BEAR exercise (I've incorporated all of these elements into my own interpretations of this exercise):
- The waist constantly turns left and right (around a central vertical axis - - the tai chi concept of "turn like a millstone").
- The Taoist "inner smile" is present. "Make sure you are comfortable, relaxed, and happy." (Circulating "smiling chi / happy chi" throughout all the cells of the body helps rejuvenate them).
- The head does not move independently of the torso. The nose aligns with the navel during all movements of the waist. "Your head should not move independently, but moves aligned with the navel."
- The head is held, as in tai chi, "as if suspended by a string from above." This upward idea elongates and straightens the spine, creating a vertical central axis around which the entire torso can turn left and right. The head should not tilt, slump, sag, or droop (the wrong, unintended consequence of the ever-present tai chi imperative to "relax & sink").
- During each turn of the waist, 100% of the body's weight falls through one weighted foot at a time; the other foot becomes weightless (the empty foot can be picked up off the ground easily). "Clearly distinguish full and empty. When you turn left, your weight should be fully on your left leg, making it as heavy as a mountain. Do the same when you swing onto your right leg."
- The sole of the weighted foot "sticks to the ground."
- One unified flow of chi can be felt between the Bubbling Well (KI-1 point) in the middle of the sole of the weighted foot, the middle finger of the opposite palm (if the left foot is weighted, the right palm), and the crown of the head. Also the abdominal tan-tien. All of these areas are interconnected by chi flow.
- This exercise develops "tendon energy" and "total body jing." All tendons throughout the body - - from the weighted foot's connection to the earth, to the fingertips of the opposite hand - - are unified during each movement.
- The hands do not move (independently of the torso / body). The exercise probably looks very similar to the way Prof. Cheng does "Cloud Hands" in his 37 Posture Tai Chi Form. Clearly, Prof. Cheng's arms and hands DO move during "Cloud Hands" (they aren't frozen motionless, cupped over his abdominal tan-tien, for example). His hands simply do not move INDEPENDENTLY of the body; they move as extensions of the central core of his body.
- This exercise develops very flexible waist / hip-joints, and a strong root in the weighted foot.
- This exercise is very symmetrical. Each side of the body is developed equally. For every turn of the waist/hip-joint on the left foot, there's a turn of the waist/hip-joint on the right foot. Mind-body coordination is developed equally on both sides of the body.
"... use natural breathing. In terms of taiji principles make the breath calm, slow, fine, and long."
- The mind and chi are held in the abdominal tan-tien.
- The 3 Taoist treasures (ching, chi, shen) are circulated and cultivated throughout this exercise.
ChiGuy396
ChiGuy396@yahoo.com
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EXERCISES FOR ALL SEASONS: Cloud Hands Tai Chiby ChiGuy3962,974 views
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