Help with spine alignment

[S.Teebas]

Hi all,
Im from way over on the WC board (where i usually reside) but i have a question which you guys might be able to help me with.

My sifu has asked me to properly align my spine (ie have it BE straight) but i was told not to "HOLD the poition" or "Maintain the position"...as this holing is not what is wanted (restricting movement??). So my question is how the heck can i have a straight spine without concentrating on the position. I was told that i have been thinking too much about the position (i.e straight spine) and that the muscle supporting this position isn't a good thing basically.

Ive heard that most internal styles have 'structure' in common so i thought maybe you can suggest ideas???

This is really hard to describe...but if you can offer any advise i would be really grateful. :)

Thanks,

S.Teebas

[TheBigToad]

Think of head as a balloon and it lifts off of the spine and the tail bone droping away from the body. This will keep the spine open and relaxed.

I am the big toad and this is my pond.

[count]

Press the top of your head to the sky and roll your hips under.`

Count

Kabooom.com (http://kabooom.com)

Chi Kung International (http://chikungintl.com)

[monkey mind]

I like that balloon image. What my bagua instructor always said was to think "spine like a flame" - fluid and dynamic while rising upward by its very nature.

[Water Dragon]

Then hit something. You'll find your alignment quickly.

Although there are many styles, they all depend on the strong beating the weak and the slow falling to the quick. These are not related to the power that must be learned -- Taiji Classics

[wufupaul]

I found that placing my back against a wall and bending my knees used to help me in the beginning to align my spine straight. I would stand against a wall, bend my knees, and align my back as straight as possible, with the lower back(ming mun) touching the wall, and head tucked forward. Then I would drop all of the muscles, while holding the same posture, and step forward into my taiji stance. Of course now I just drop into it, but that might help you to feel it since you aren't sure of the feeling.

[S.Teebas]

Thanks everyone for the replys. Tonight at kung fu training my sifu spent some time with me and helped me understand it...so it's all sweeeet.

[Nexus]

Rather then using a wall, use the thin part of a door. Stand with your back against a door, on the side where the metal piece is that latches into the frame when a door is shut.
____
| |
| | <-- back goes here.
| o|
|__|

Then check to see if there are any spaces between your back and that panel of wood, and fix accordingly, by standing in wuji, tucking under the tailbone, slightly tucking the chin, sinking the chest, and relaxing. Once you have a feel for that, step forward or remove the door from behind you and get a feel for that posture.

Takes about 4-6 months for the posture to sink in properly, then it becomes natural.

(Remember most people have a poor posture naturally and the sooner you fix it the better. Also note that new styles of taiji, those being taught with the more narrow stances and the spine angled forward for the reasons of health do not generate as much power as qi cannot naturally flow up the spine as it does in traditional yang styles. Be careful of these if you are interested in taiji for its martial applications.)

- Nexus

Freedom is what you do with what is done to you. - Sartres

[les paul]

Don’t bother to much with your spine alignment. Concentrate on your applications and all your alignments will come together. I have seen plenty of people who had great form but possessed little or no real martial skill. However, I’ve never seen someone who had great martial skill that didn’t have good form. Usually instructors don’t want to hear this type of talk (especially if they are making a living off you)

Too many instructors hide behind the forms. Does it take you twenty years to learn how to hit a baseball? Does it take you twenty years to learn how to swim? If you go down to the local boxing gym, they will have you boxing in six months. Taichiquan is no different, nor are any of the other internal arts (Xingyiquan and Baguazhange included). Does it take you twenty years to master an art, you bet! (Be it painting, sculpting, dance or etc…) But you can start painting or dancing within months.

I can’t imagine all those Chinese caravan guards in the early 19 century taking twenty years to learn a martial art just so they can make a living. I bet it was more like a couple of years with a lot of focus on application and less on the form.

I’m really skeptical of any art that tells me it will take twenty years just to learn how to use (if needed). Unfortunately, this is the proper diatribe of most internal schools.
Think of your form as a racecar. To me it’s better to have a beat up car that you know how to race around a track than to have a shinny car that just sits there because you don’t even know how to start it.

Mix it up and make mistakes!
This is the true road to mastership!

Paul
Michigan
:)

[origenx]

One thing people overlook is the potential need for a professional spinal alignment - i.e. a chiropractor. Chances are, most people probably have some subtle (or not so subtle) vertebral misalignments whether they know it or not, and a chiropractor can likely diagnose and straighten them out for you. I myself am having that done right now, and hopefully will notice a difference once i'm all staightened out. I think it can only help!

[[Censored]]

Please note that a flat back is not the same as a straight spine, especially if your shoulders are down and forward a la Wing Chun. This makes the "wall test" a bit inaccurate.

IMHO, the best way to find good alignment is to have someone apply some pressure to your wu, fok, etc., while you are doing your Sil Lim Tao. If your posture changes, it was wrong to begin with.

[Nexus]

If you are going to a chiropractor for spine alignment, which IMHO everyone should do, you should go at least 3 times. This will allow you to actually keep any permanent changes that are made as well as make a small improvement. I go the chiropractor once every 2 months and get a massage once every 3 months to remove adhesions in the arms that cause forearm muscles to become naturally tense, rather then relaxed.

They get in there deep and remove the adhesions and it feels like your arms are jello. (Heh!)

- Nexus

Freedom is what you do with what is done to you. - Sartres

[BAI HE]

Accupressure!
That is the only thing to have helped my back spasms.

[Nexus]

Ask about their experience, years of practice etc before attending. I personally will not attend an accupressure/acupuncturist with less then 10 years in the field and 5+ more additional years training. And look for testimonials from others that you can get in contact with locally. Thats a good start :)

- Nexus

Freedom is what you do with what is done to you. - Sartres

[origenx]

nexus - actually there is a new school of chiropractors that uses a small jackhammer-like hand-held device called an "activator." It's painless and supposed to be even a bit faster than the old snap, crackle & pop method... That's actually the method I'm using right now.

www.activator.com (http://www.activator.com)

But I agree that everyone should see a chiropractor, as most everyone likely has some spinal misalignments. And better to treat them now, before scar tissue forms, disks compress, bone spurs form and calcify, and u eventually get arthritis in your old age...

[Nexus]

I have not heard of this. I will do some reading on it, sounds interesting. The best of health to you!

- Nexus

Freedom is what you do with what is done to you. - Sartres