SECTION 1 -- The Opening Stance

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The Opening Stance

As the title implies, the Opening Stance is in fact the "Opening" of the Physical Body, the Joints, the Hips, the Ribs Cage, the Shoulder Blades, the Spines and Vertebrae (esp. C7, T11,  Sacrum & Coccyx). Opening also implies the "Opening" of the Energy Centers, esp. the Ming Men, Tan Tien, Heart, Solar plexus, Crown and Root Energy Centers. Important to take note is the tip of the tongue should always touch the upper palate of the mouth during the exercise.


However, there are a few training objectives in the Opening Stance, depending on the level, effort, intensity and the depth of training of each students. When the students are observed to be ready for a more in-depth cultivation, instructions then will be given accordingly and appropriately. In fact the most important Essence of the fundamental foundation training is in the Opening Stance. It is from this that the system is built upon and moved on. The Opening Stance will mean nothing to an untrained eye or a superficial practitioner. Those that have gone progressively into the training, experience the empowerment, then can appreciate and understand.


Following are the breakdown of Section 1, consisting of 8 exercises, briefly explained:-


1. Standing like a Pillar

  • stretch your C7, feel that your Crown center is pull up
  • relax your diaphragm, feel your coccyx tuck in automatically
  • stick your Yong Chuen (bubbling well) into the ground
  • inhale and "sink" into the ground, starting from soles, ankles, knees and Kua, then exhale, pushing up from the soles, ankles, knees and Kua. Tip of tongue touch mouth's upper palate


2. Pulling the Qi up

  • place both palms' Lao Gong facing each respective Yong Chuen
  • exhale and at the same time "pulling" the Qi up, bring hands to eyes level



  3. Sinking into the Tan Tien

  • inhale, at the same time withdraw your elbows to chest level
  • inhale deeper into the Tan Tien, pulling your hands to the chest and knee slightly bend

4. Opening the Kua

  • open the stance, the Kua and feeling the Ming Men opening also
  • hold the breath all this while, with tip of tongue touching the mouth's upper palate
  • cross the hands at chest level



5. Pushing open the Ming Men

  • exhale and push the Ming Men backwards
  • with the cross-hands at the Tan Tien level, raise the cross-hands to the chest level, inhaling at the same time
  • bring the cross-hands close to the solar plexus, holding the breath


6. Expanding the Heart Center

  • compress the diaphragm, exhale and bring the cross-hands at chest level
  • uncross the hands to shoulder level, inhaling at he same time





7. Delivering Qi to the four limbs

  • inhale deeper into the TanTien, turning the palms outwards
  • compress the diaphragm, open the Ming Men at the same time
  • push out the palms to the front, visualising Qi emitting through the Lao Gong and the Yong Chuen




8. Building up the Qi in the Tan Tien 
  • grasps your hands, inhale and bring the hands to chest level
  • exhale and "sit", relaxing in the neutral stance
  • inhale into the Tan Tien
  • hold the breath ( storing Qi in the Tan Tien )
  • inhale without exhaling for as many times as you can
  • once you have reached your maximum level, relax and breathe normally

                                                                       

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