bricks

Yesterday, I ran for 1.2 miles. My left and right upper back hurt afterwards, with very minor intensity, but it was annoying enough. My back pain persisted throughout the day. I kept on massaging my back and relaxing my shoulders whenever I felt the pain. This morning when I woke up, the pain was all gone.

Monday, I tried circlewalking on bricks. I have these extra 5x12 bricks in the backyard. I laid eight of them on the ground, in a circular formation. I was extra careful since I’ve never done this with circlewalking before and I don’t want to get injured. The whole experience was very different compared to walking on flat asphalt ground. More concentration and awareness are needed on the bricks. I did the internal palms in a very, very, very slow pace. I felt like a baby trying to walk the first time again. I was sweating a lot in the end.

Last Saturday, everyone was surprised with my new haircut that most people never recognized me. Two Mondays ago, I had my hair cut very short. Before that, it used to be shoulder length. I maintained my long hair for more than two years. Regarding my practice, my hair never gets to my face anymore and my head feels lighter and cooler. Also, maybe it’s an illusion but I think I can jump higher with my short hair.

I’ve been doing extra horsestances outside the class for about three weeks now. Sometimes after the routine, my right knee feels sore. Massaging and stretching relieves the soreness. I probably still have to work on my right leg alignment.

horse stance

Yin Yuzhang (Yin Fu's 4th son) in a horse stance

Last Saturday, Teacher recommended that I should do more horse stances. He made his first comment when we were doing the hose stances in the Pao Chiu form. He made his second comment when we were doing the two-man form. My 2.4 miles Friday run definitely affected my Saturday practice. I seemed to be weaker. So my goal for this week is more horse stances and no Friday running.

Sunday morning in the backyard, I did 2 sets of horse stances in the Pao Chui form, holding each stance for 1 minute. Then I did the whole 64 form without pausing. I felt the usual strain in the thigh and calf muscles. My whole legs were burning and shaking. In the end, my whole shirt was soaking wet. The neighbors were probably wondering what I was doing.

Here's He Jinghan's article on horse stance.

Last Saturday, one of my brothers mentioned about noticing the form creeping into his daily life. He said he went to pick something up from the floor and noticed that he was doing a horse stance. I also have similar experiences. Just as simple as opening a door, for example. I grip the handle of the door, I open the door towards me and I end up with the reverse bow and arrow stance. And if the door opens away from me, I end up doing the single palm.

Even interacting with people seems to be different nowadays. I seem to be more open and non-judgemental to ideas. I can see the argument of the other side easier. I also see people's postures, their turtle backs and tight shoulders, and how it affects their walking, and their lives. Several months ago, I told my wife that her shoulders were too high all the time. She told me yesterday that she did not notice it until she saw herself in a mirror the other day while pushing the baby stroller.

Teacher said that "Bagua is about change. We don't change for the worst. We change for the better."

clouds in the sky

The other night, my daughter discovered my race bike. When left standing by the wall, it's not the most stable thing in the world. That's because I took out the stand to be more lightweight. And, of course, it looks cooler without it. So after turning the bike upside-down for Isa's safety, she started playing with the wheels. Then she started playing with the pedals. Then she saw me press one of the brake handles to stop the rear wheel, so she started playing with that, too.

That got me thinking about the level of my practice compared to Teacher's. I'm still a baby trying to circlewalk the right way. My legs are still unstable. Teacher once said to be “steady like the clouds in the sky when circlewalking.” Whenever I do the horse stance, even though I can go lower now, my legs still wobble.

Like my daughter playing with my bike, I still have a long way to go.