Dragon & Tiger Pathways – What is the mind doing?

[Anonymous]

What should the mind be doing during the practise?

When practising a movement with a single pathway such as “Tiger Crouches” or “Tiger Separates Her Cubs” I become aware of the single pathway. Which is relatively easy. Is this correct? For example in Tiger Crouches, I become aware of the dai mai, dantien, kwa, down the leg and up again to the kwa, dan tien back to the dai mai.

What should I be doing with the more complex movements such as the simultaneous up and down pathways of “Dragon & Tiger Meet”, “Dragon looks to the Horizon” and “Dragon & Tiger Soars” etc. Do I become aware of the down movements, or the up movements. What should I be doing with these movements.

Thanks,

Adam

[Anonymous]

Hello Adam- I wondered if another might reply to this first, but as one who has had this same issue arise (and I believe it is a central issue of this Practice).
The qualification of your question is based on what one’s development level is- which may sound obvious, but if you are familiar with Bruce’s describing of acting from Intent (Yi) vs deeper area of mind, down to the level below the separation of Yin-Yang, in the TaiChi (Hsin or “heart-mind”) Being at each level would clearly change, and as each of those three- there is more of a sense of more happening at the same time, as a “whole” (and even not “at the same time” as beyond time)… so as you mention- mind here, mind there, in your example- would be in the Yi of parts… as more “parts” of you are involved in the activity and then Integrated in to a Whole… its like a group of people all cooperating

to more directly address your last paragraph: the neat thing about Dr&T (like G Playing, or BaguaZhang) one can do the “movements” one knows, and then pause and listen.. and you can sense changes/affect arising… and then ‘do’ the movements again, based on that slightly enlarged perspective… etc. and they reveal them selves…………. So say the last movement in the form (Saturday Night Fever reach and point, then swoop that finger along the diagonal and curl it to shoot down along the lower leg at the same time you twist and point the other fingers up and to the corner of the room)… trying to describe it so that the continuous flow, as well as how each part of the body is involved in every movement (at least in my exper)
Even in Tiger Crouches, when cupped hands are nearly at ground level- near your ankle and foot.. still the spine,, thus lowback/sacrum, as well as scapula/”shouldernest” -into neck and releasing behind eyes, etc. are all just as involved in that part of the movement (as in others)- a whole, vs a “micromngmnt” of ok you do this and you do that (“speaking” to the various parts)….

But that could be many too many details, I’d do it as you have been doing it, as you describe in your post, and yet not mechanically… rather than 10 or 20 reps.. do a few (2 or 4, and even #) and pause after.. what parts are activated.. a quick standing-type scanning any parts feel differently? also if do say Tiger Crouch.. do a rep slowly and stop in the movement for a sec listen for “realization pops” of how parts fit together, and try out different (not a “true” answer, but test and see what reveals)…
-I think doing that for a while might make your question written above still Very Significant, but you might read it completely differently and likely not experience the different parts let alone what you understand the phrase- “what should the Mind be Doing” during practice… may be seen quite differently..

Hopefully reading above will download some ideas in the background- and give you some ideas (I’m not one that teaches this stuff- I prefer the “drink from a firehose method” of inhaling understanding) luck

[Anonymous]

Gary,

Thank you so much for your reply. Its given me a great deal to think about and ideas to play with.

I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a detailed answer.

Adam

[Anonymous]

I’m glad you were able to read it and see some insight in it/from it.

I appreciate hearing another not only working with this, seeking to understand deeper, and neat to get the response from your that you did read my post (nice to hear not just “whistling in the wind”

Best of luck to you- if you have other comments/insights I’d be interested to read such a post in the future- until then..

(some who work with this would say- don’t think about it so much, just do it, etc. But the changes in mind I think are the deepest, but it isn’t something done “with” the mind, but rather a change “of” mind, ie thinking-acting from a different/deeper.. [stride forth] )

luck to you

[Author]

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