Just starting with Tai Chi in response to a right shoulder injury (partial bursal thickness tear and SLAP tear with small flap tear of adjacent superior glenoid articulation cartilage) and a sore arthritic hip. The effect of Tai Chi on both sites is remarkable and I plan to obtain more gains as I progress. Primary attention goes to posture and internalizing moves. Balancing Yin and Yang makes sense and helps. Most difficult remains the use of arms, the right one in particular as external and internal rotation -however minute- at specific angles and height still trigger a painful pinch. The tension between developing strength and managing the injury is a real battle. Thank you for your clear and insightful videos.
Thank you for sharing your orthopedic challenges. Two years ago I had a frozen left shoulder and had absolutely no external rotation, no flexion and barely any abduction. Because I use my arms as my livelihood (teaching Tai Chi), I was almost panicked, even though I am a therapist and I know the shoulder well. I tried doing regular shoulder rehab exercises, but I was too compromised to do them. So instead, I did my Wuji Qigong every day, and went very, very, very slowly. I allowed the limitations of movement to guide me and never went into pain or push into a range of motion that was not available. I'm convinced this healed me. My shoulder now has full range of motion, and in some ways is better than my right one! The movement that worked the best for me was "Drinking Water." I have that in a video called Qigong for Sciatica. You might take a look at it. It is a great movement for all different types of injuries. I have 7 herniated discs, and have dislocated both shoulders numerous times. Tai Chi keeps me mobile and from having orthopedic pain. Just remember to 1. Keep your arms below chest height (look in the mirror to double check you are doing this). 2. Do not move into pain. I wish you the best of luck and hope you continue to find my videos helpful!
@@InternalTaiChi Thank you, Susan, for your thoughtful reply and for sharing your personal story. I had found you researching shoulder and Tai Chi and your approach made sense. I went on to discover more of your videos and found them all to be intelligent and helpful. I will explore your suggestions and try them out. Thank you.
What a perfect comment! That is what I love about Tai Chi, we keep learning and feeling different things even with forms and movements we have been doing for years. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Hi Susan, thanks again for a wonderful lesson in achieving balance. In our practice we are moving into balancing in Yin and holding the posture in balance without trembling. This will also help in all the standing postures.❤ Kind regards on behalf of Gray Horse Tai Chi.
Yes! It sounds like we are practicing the same concepts and experiencing them in much the same way. Thank you for sharing. I'm off to do my standing meditation now and will be aware of Yin. The trembling can sometimes be a sign of stagnant Qi releasing. I would suggest just allowing it and not trying to control or stop it.
You can song any part of the body or the entire body without having to do Tai Chi and Qigong. In fact, for many the movements get in the way of doing the "song." Song should come first, by practicing it sitting, standing, waiting in line, working on the computer, while doing a small task. Then we can try to carry that feeling into Tai Chi, Qigong, etc. So the answer is YES! Song is a mental exercise that can be performed throughout the body with our without movement.
Thank you so much for the weight shifting technique. I will try to incorporate it into my daily Yang Style 24 forms. Are we suppose to focus our mind into the yin part of the leg each time there is a shift from one movement to the next? I am concern that the muscles in the yin part will be strengthened further but the muscles in the yang part will be less developed.
This is a good question. Typically the Yang side is already pretty developed and our yin is not. For instance think of your quads vs your adductors (the muscles inside your legs). Most people have weak adductors. However, remember that this concept is more mental and less physical. If you place your mind through the yin line, you will find and discover more balance between the two. Your muscles will actually relax more, which is what we want. We do not want to strengthen as much as we want to let go. The longer and softer the muscles, the more power and benefit you will get! I hope this makes sense.
Just starting with Tai Chi in response to a right shoulder injury (partial bursal thickness tear and SLAP tear with small flap tear of adjacent superior glenoid articulation cartilage) and a sore arthritic hip. The effect of Tai Chi on both sites is remarkable and I plan to obtain more gains as I progress. Primary attention goes to posture and internalizing moves. Balancing Yin and Yang makes sense and helps. Most difficult remains the use of arms, the right one in particular as external and internal rotation -however minute- at specific angles and height still trigger a painful pinch. The tension between developing strength and managing the injury is a real battle. Thank you for your clear and insightful videos.
Thank you for sharing your orthopedic challenges. Two years ago I had a frozen left shoulder and had absolutely no external rotation, no flexion and barely any abduction. Because I use my arms as my livelihood (teaching Tai Chi), I was almost panicked, even though I am a therapist and I know the shoulder well. I tried doing regular shoulder rehab exercises, but I was too compromised to do them.
So instead, I did my Wuji Qigong every day, and went very, very, very slowly. I allowed the limitations of movement to guide me and never went into pain or push into a range of motion that was not available. I'm convinced this healed me. My shoulder now has full range of motion, and in some ways is better than my right one!
The movement that worked the best for me was "Drinking Water." I have that in a video called Qigong for Sciatica. You might take a look at it. It is a great movement for all different types of injuries.
I have 7 herniated discs, and have dislocated both shoulders numerous times. Tai Chi keeps me mobile and from having orthopedic pain. Just remember to 1. Keep your arms below chest height (look in the mirror to double check you are doing this). 2. Do not move into pain.
I wish you the best of luck and hope you continue to find my videos helpful!
@@InternalTaiChi Thank you, Susan, for your thoughtful reply and for sharing your personal story. I had found you researching shoulder and Tai Chi and your approach made sense. I went on to discover more of your videos and found them all to be intelligent and helpful. I will explore your suggestions and try them out. Thank you.
@@silver-itch thank you so much! Please feel free to reach out if you have questions along the way.
thanks for sharing. Several years ago I wouldn;t hav imagined that shifting weight could feel so enjoyable and interesting:)
What a perfect comment! That is what I love about Tai Chi, we keep learning and feeling different things even with forms and movements we have been doing for years. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Hi Susan, thanks again for a wonderful lesson in achieving balance. In our practice we are moving into balancing in Yin and holding the posture in balance without trembling. This will also help in all the standing postures.❤
Kind regards on behalf of Gray Horse Tai Chi.
Yes! It sounds like we are practicing the same concepts and experiencing them in much the same way. Thank you for sharing. I'm off to do my standing meditation now and will be aware of Yin. The trembling can sometimes be a sign of stagnant Qi releasing. I would suggest just allowing it and not trying to control or stop it.
Thanks :) 1 concept, explained in a clear and relaxing way , i enjoy your teaching:)
Thank you!
Hi, can i do only the song for knees without actually practicing tai chi or qigong?
Thank u for the videos.
You can song any part of the body or the entire body without having to do Tai Chi and Qigong. In fact, for many the movements get in the way of doing the "song." Song should come first, by practicing it sitting, standing, waiting in line, working on the computer, while doing a small task. Then we can try to carry that feeling into Tai Chi, Qigong, etc. So the answer is YES! Song is a mental exercise that can be performed throughout the body with our without movement.
Thank you so much for the weight shifting technique. I will try to incorporate it into my daily Yang Style 24 forms. Are we suppose to focus our mind into the yin part of the leg each time there is a shift from one movement to the next? I am concern that the muscles in the yin part will be strengthened further but the muscles in the yang part will be less developed.
This is a good question. Typically the Yang side is already pretty developed and our yin is not. For instance think of your quads vs your adductors (the muscles inside your legs). Most people have weak adductors. However, remember that this concept is more mental and less physical. If you place your mind through the yin line, you will find and discover more balance between the two. Your muscles will actually relax more, which is what we want. We do not want to strengthen as much as we want to let go. The longer and softer the muscles, the more power and benefit you will get! I hope this makes sense.