USING THE "SUIT" AKA "EXTERNAL QI" AKA PRANIC SHEATH TO SUPPLEMENT STRENGTH.


Just to give an idea about how strength is developed, over time, using the functional "Qi" of the body, let's look at the below video of a Chen-style teacher twisting (with "spiraling strength", aka "reeling silk strength") a dried limb of wood. Bear in mind that it takes a while to develop this kind of strength and to coordinate it in the body, but we can at least get a feel or flavor of supplemental strength from analyzing the video.

In order to transmit or propagate any strength, we need a good connection from source to point of application. One of the oft-stated goals of developing your qi/ki is to "take out the slack" ... which is the same idea.

If we imagine that the "suit" covers the body like a leotard and we need to maximize the stretch, mostly across the back of torso and limbs, then bending the body in order to draw the "suit" taut is logical. If you notice in the video, in order to tauten his suit so that the suit is doing most of the work ("use qi, not muscle") the teacher bends his knees, elbows, butt, and back to maximize the amount of tension in the suit, prior to applying that bodywide tension to torque the wooden limb.

So, as an exercise, you could assume the general position that the teacher is using and then inflate yourself with a reverse-breath inhale to maximize your pressure and external connection ... then twist, trying to feel and utilize your "suit" to twist the object, not your muscles.

https://vimeo.com/486481521


This video might add some data points to the idea of the "suit" being something more than just superficial tension.

When you exhale and twist, try to make your exhale only contract the "suit". It takes practice, time, and development of the qi/suit.

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