by Interloper on Tue Oct 31, 2017 5:47 pm
One big problem is that the muscle/tissue groups used for this kind of internal methodology, are ones that are either not conventional to typical modern-human movement, or else they are used in a different way than normally utilized. So, drawing a student's awareness to those "mystery muscles/tissues" is the real challenge. How can you activate something, if you don't know where it is or what it feels like inside your body?
That's where metaphor like "sinking" probably are the only cues that work. At first, the student "sinks" everything they have, with gross motor movement. Eventually, they start to eliminate all of the movement that doesn't achieve the desired effect, and, after a time, they finally can isolate and recognize the correct tissue(s).
I have found that knowing what the actual muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. are that we're supposed to be using -- coupled with a metaphor (such as "sinking" or "wrapping," etc.) -- make the process a little quicker.
For example, if you know what muscles your "dantian" actually consist of, or the ones that connect your arms to your core, and what sensation you should be feeling for when you activate them, you can pick up the skills a little quicker than being told to "sink the Qi," which is kind of generic and vague.
Pariah without peer