Squatting Monkey - Dai Xin yi

[AllanF]

I have recently been wondering about this exercise Squatting Monkey (SM) from a taiji point of view.
Quick explanation, my taiji teacher tells me that i relax down the front of my body well but i don't bring the power back up my back. So with that in mind i was wondering if the above mentioned exercise would help to do that. As i understand it SM is dan tian gong but i was wondering if it would help improve my problem?

I know a few of you are Dai guys and would appreciate any info on the matter. Is the any reading material that can explain the principles or clip that can so the basic movement?

Thanks
Allan

[QuaiJohnCain]

Kettlebell Swings.

[edededed]

Taiji is quite different from Dai style; in particular, you don't want to be curving/uncurving the spine, so I would avoid mixing and matching in this instance.

"Squatting monkey" (dunhoushi) is also called dantiangong sometimes, but other styles have other methods of training the dantian.

[AllanF]

Taiji is quite different from Dai style; in particular, you don't want to be curving/uncurving the spine, so I would avoid mixing and matching in this instance.

"Squatting monkey" (dunhoushi) is also called dantiangong sometimes, but other styles have other methods of training the dantian.

Yeah i know they are very different but basically i am trying to find a way of exercise that help me to bring the power up my spine. Thought this would be a good method.

[edededed]

Did you teacher have any ideas as to what you should practice?

[GrahamB]

Taiji is quite different from Dai style; in particular, you don't want to be curving/uncurving the spine, so I would avoid mixing and matching in this instance.

You've obviously never seen a certain friend if the pregnant Yak doin' his Hula-inspired Chen Tai Chi.

[edededed]

Let me elucidate and add that when I say "taiji" I mean "Yang style taiji"

[lazyboxer]

Don't try to mix up dai xinyi and taiji - taiji has its own methods of development and the shenfa is very different.

Unless your teacher knows exactly what he's talking about, leave it alone for now, or risk hurting yourself. Taiji five bows theory discusses it, but you won't find it in marketplace taiji, which is mainly for exercise and health.

For now, just practise ding tou xuan (suspend the top of the head) to open yuzhen (the jade pillow, between the base of the skull and the first cervical vertebra), while you also relax weilu (the tailbone) with the idea of a weight suspended from it. This will help your spine to open and extend. Don't worry about power, people are too hung up about it. Taiji power arrives naturally when the right conditions are met. You can't force it.

[AllanF]

Don't try to mix up dai xinyi and taiji - taiji has its own methods of development and the shenfa is very different.

Unless your teacher knows exactly what he's talking about, leave it alone for now, or risk hurting yourself. Taiji five bows theory discusses it, but you won't find it in marketplace taiji, which is mainly for exercise and health.

For now, just practise ding tou xuan (suspend the top of the head) to open yuzhen (the jade pillow, between the base of the skull and the first cervical vertebra), while you also relax weilu (the tailbone) with the idea of a weight suspended from it. This will help your spine to open and extend. Don't worry about power, people are too hung up about it. Taiji power arrives naturally when the right conditions are met. You can't force it.

Yeah this is what my teacher has already told me, which is why he says we have to do the form super slow (83 movements +45mins). But i was thought i could speed things up is i did a supplemental exercise to help move things along. Yesterday he was concentrating on teaching me this very subject. When he pushes etc you really can see his spine elongate upwards and relax downwards. With me if i pull my spine up it doesn't go down if it goes down it doesn't go up...dam it!

[BonesCom]

Not that I can say too much since I am a real beginner (~1 yr), but I would strongly discourage anybody from attempting dun hou shi without proper guidance. In my limited experience doing it slowly isn't too bad (however there can be some issues with your cervical area if you don't do it properly, that is have you head placed correctly) but when it comes to the fast power emmission I really screwed myself by having improper technique. If you could imagine every intercostal muscle, front and back hurting everytime you move/breath/turn over in bed for about two weeks after the discontinuation of the exercise you'd be pretty close. I never really realised how many movements afftect your intercostals, a painful lesson but probably worth it in the long run, I'm back to doing it nice and slow until my technique is sorted.