The Standing Palm practice is a traditional internal martial art method to build strength in the torso. Here is another traditional exercise to strengthen your torso, and one of the most hated words in the English language, Crunches.
Lie on your back with your feet against a wall and your knees bent at ninety degrees. Put your hands under your head and take a deep breath.
Crunches preparation posture.
Breathe out as you lift your shoulders and head off the floor. Keep your eyes focused on the ceiling; if you can see the wall your feet are against, then you have lifted too far off the floor. Hold the position for just one moment, then breathe in as you lie back down.
Engaged Crunches posture.
As you lift up, be sure that your elbows do not curl forward around your ears; keep them pulled back. Also, do not leverage your Crunch with your feet; all the work should be done by the muscles in the lower torso.
While standing in Wuji Posture, your mind will probably fit the formless chaos definition of wuji; racing from thought to thought, but your body will be still; standing upright without moving. You want to stand until your mind is aware of your body, and clear from other thoughts.
Walking heel-to-toe seems natural enough, but that old enemy of sitting too much can really interfere with your ability to put one foot in front of the other. What usually happens, is that one foot kicks out to the side and lands slightly on one side of the foot or the other. You will recognize t…
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