wayne hansen wrote:Markers of progress is a western concept
Tai Chi is much more single than that
That is why most people don’t get it
Seated first is a strange concept
If that was true the legs would serve the hands
In reality the hands are there to be guided by the legs
The waist is the pivot
Sitting reverses this
Lots is written regarding the steps one must take towards the different stages of development, and levels of skill in training tjq, as per various founders and masters.
I've trained with quite a few seniors - retired loggers, farmers, carpenters, nurses, housewives...people recovering from stroke, chronic pain syndrome,...who wanted to continue being self-determining in maintaining and recovering overall health. Not my fault if they think tai chi is something worth trying.
In the case of almost everyone I've trained with, seated is/was often most beneficial and effective in introducing the methods of putting tai chi into the body. I got that lesson from my Yang instructor because I couldn't separate myself from the external/mechanical methods that comes from a lifetime of having and using an athlete's body. He called it "musclehead"
Seated might seem like a strange concept if one expresses the Opening/Commencement sequence with the hands. I learned it as expressing tai chi in the spine, head, shoulders and hips. The sequence makes a lot more sense to the body while standing after it's been tested while seated. It's almost redundant to test it while standing after testing it while seated because the body already gets it. YMMV