A xingyi demonstration of a routine I don’t recognize, but ends with my favourite of the 12 animal forms, the chicken.

Two important characteristics of Taiji are alignment and flow. Alignment provides the frame, the angles and the structure of the practice. Flow provides the dynamic change.

Different stylists will have varying degrees of each, but both are essential to embody.

Every style seems to have an exercise that appears meaningless but is teaching a fundamental skill. It appears to be simple drugery or a test of character, but it simply the most efficient way to re-train the body according to the meeds of the style. 

In Bagua it is circle walking, in Xingyi it is Santishi standing, in Taiji it is silk reeling. 

(photo by Dimitri dF. Click on photo to see more.)

Some great insights, with reasonable translation, from Chen Zheng-lei on Fajin practice, and Four Statements.

Too often, when moving, people place the movement in the muscles and when standing, stand on top of the joints. Over time, this can lead to chronic tension in the tissues and limited range of motion.

In internal arts, the two need to be reversed. Motion is centred in the joints and stability is created by balanced use of the muscles.

(photo by Tonio Vega. click on image to see more.)

A friend of mine from Da Lian showed me this video of Yu Cheng Hui (于承惠). His teacher studied under Yu Cheng Hui.