Form (xing) and Intention (yi)

On Tuina Form...

The spine is a column built as the axis for rotation.

In the human body that works most effectively when we are upright, well supported through the legs and relaxed through the shoulders.

This relaxed, engaged framework that we also utilize in our qi gong is the core structure that we engage from when applying our tuina in the clinic. 

Let’s go through a quick postural checklist for achieving strong architecture for effective labor mechanics, starting from the ground up. 

Strong rooting in the feet. 

Mindful contact with the ground that is stable and mobile. 

Soft bend to the knees to engage the lower body suspension system.

Relaxed pelvis. Allow for easy movement from the hips and low back. 

Drop through the shoulders and let the elbows be heavy.

Lift through the crown and extend the neck gently.

Resist the tendency to fall forward with the upper body.

Use only as much force as is required. Build the habit of asking yourself what is “just enough”. 

At the tables, typically we are in one of 3 stances. The horse stance as its often referred to in martial arts and qi gong - or a split stance, either rear or forward weighted. In this system of Tuina we’ll refer to the rear weighted stance as a fencers stance. The forward weighted position we’ll call a bow stance. Each of these stances is designed to be both stable and to create an engine of force which starts with the relationship of the feet to the ground, each other and the distribution of the body over them. 

Rear weighted “fencer’s stance” gives us load and spring from the rear leg allowing for ease of movement and creation of force. 

Forward weighted “bow stance” allows for strong direction of that force derived from the rear leg extending along with the forward positioning of our bodyweight. 

“Horse stance” - where the feet are squared underneath us - gives us a strong neutral position that allows for stable, comfortable, balanced work where we require less force and are typically working in a more focused area. 

We shift between these 3 positions often as they are incredibly effective for movement around the table and creating full body engagement so that we don’t over-rely on the muscular strength of the upper extremities when doing our manual therapeutics. 

“Use your entire body to move their entire body”.

This mantra keeps us on the path. We are looking for full engagement of our architecture translating well through our clients body and resonating throughout the entire frame. If both these things are visible, we are likely moving in the right direction. 

The final piece to this approach is axial rotation. With the rest of our form taking shape, we can bring in axial rotation as a method of greater reach and one more generator of movement. If we are deriving force from the lower body, refining that movement in “the core” - what we will often refer to as “dan tian” - we can then express it in the upper body either as a unified force: both hands engaged with the body and moving in unison, or as a divided force where the two upper extremities can exert independent and unique forces to give us powerful and dynamic hand skills.

An early example we’ll come across is “saw the patella” where we chaff the tendinous attachments above and below the patella and “spindle drill” which we perform at the forearms and lower leg. 

Likewise, if we were focusing our work into a single side, we see the advantages of axial rotation expressed well in traveling tui, oscillating palm and rolling. 

Check in on form often! This is yet another space where the practice of adjacent physical arts can help reinforce and strengthen the form and approach that we bring to our work in the clinic.

Happy training!

Until next time, Team Tuina.