Tai Chi 9 Form Stick: Stand-in-place stick exercises for stretching, flexibility & improved balance PDF
Preview Tai Chi 9 Form Stick: Stand-in-place stick exercises for stretching, flexibility & improved balance
Tai Chi 9 Form Stick Stand-in-place stick exercises for stretching, flexibility & improved balance Jac Guy © 2020 Jac Guy All Rights Reserved The following 9 Form Stick routine is a series of movements specifically designed to stretch soft tissue, rotate joints, oxygenate your blood and gently improve your balance. Since it is wholly therapeutic with no martial aspects, one could argue that it is more of a Qigong practice than Tai Chi. BUT…Tai Chi movements are therapeutic and all Tai Chi falls under the Qigong umbrella. Also, this routine is performed with a stick which could easily be used as a weapon once you are comfortable interacting with it. Let’s leave this philosophical discussion for another time. No special outfits are required to perform this routine. You will be stretching so dress for comfort. Shoes and/or socks are also optional - but keep in mind that you will be lunging so you don’t want your feet to slide out unexpectedly. You will also be performing a couple of toe raises so high-heeled, narrow-toed shoes would not be recommended. This routine doesn’t need a lot of room to be performed as you are essentially standing in one place. However, you will need enough space to take a large step in front of you and behind you. You will also need to be able to lunge to either side and also to stretch your arms (and the stick) above your head. That brings us to the stick. While there is no maximum length, the minimum length would be at least 34 inches - even if you’re a really tiny person. You want to be able to hold the stick by its end with one hand (let’s say your right hand) near your right shoulder. Have the stick run across your upper back and rest in the webbing of your left hand with your left arm fully extended left. This is the minimum amount of stick you need. If it is longer, more stick extends from your left hand and that’s fine - you just need to be more aware of your surroundings when moving around. The stick itself can be any dowel or light-weight length of pipe you have laying around your house. You can use a broom handle (without the broom) or a painter’s extension rod or a leftover bar from a shelving unit. (I like it when my exercise equipment can multitask!) While the typical diameter of the stick is around an inch, you can go a little thinner or thicker. A pool noodle might be a bit difficult for your hands to manipulate and it isn’t rigid enough for some of the twists and stretches you will be doing but if that’s all you have, feel free to try it. You need to find the tool that works for you so that you can perform the routine comfortably and not ding your walls and ceilings or destroy all of your knickknacks in the process. So try different items you already have until you know the length, diameter, rigidity, weight and texture that is right for you. Begin by standing straight with your feet comfortably together. Hold the stick at your left side so that it runs vertically behind your left arm. Holding the stick this way keeps it from accidentally banging into anything around you…at least, in theory. As you stand there, relax your shoulders back and down so they aren’t bunched up around your neck. Concentrate on your breathing. As you inhale, slow and deep, raise your tongue to the roof of your mouth. As you exhale, slowly and fully, let your tongue drop to the bottom of your mouth, behind your bottom teeth. Keep breathing and moving your tongue until your mind is fully focused on what you are doing right at this moment - not on anything else. When you are ready to begin Form #1, exhale as you widen your stance by stepping left with your left foot. Your legs are now hip-width apart. Keep your knees ever so slightly bent - don’t lock them back. Bring the bottom of the stick up and to the right so that it is now horizontal across the front of your torso and grab it with your right hand. Then slide your hands out to shoulder-width. Push the stick down so that your elbows are straight and your wrists are curved back towards the top of your forearm with palms down. Inhale as you raise the stick up to the top of your chest. Your elbows angle out and your wrists curve down (just the opposite of how they were held when the stick was at its lowest point). As you raise the stick, keep your shoulders down - don’t let them bunch up towards your neck - but feel the lift internally. Feel your ribs and shoulder- blades lift. Exhale as you push the stick down, straightening your elbows and curving your wrists back. Again, the feeling is internal - stretch your spine up as you are pushing down. Repeat this lift up/ push down 2 more times. Form #2: Inhale as you once again raise the stick to chest-height, curving your wrists downward and stretching your ribs and spine upwards. Shift your weight to your right leg and step diagonally forward with your left leg, resting your left heel on the floor. Exhale as you push the stick out diagonally forward (let’s call it the 11 o’clock mark) with your wrists curled back, fingers open and the stick resting on the webbing of your thumbs. As you rock forward, your weight shifts onto your left leg and your left foot also rolls forward so that it is flat on the floor. Close your fingers around the stick, curve your wrists downward, and bring the stick down and towards your right hip. As you do so, your weight rocks back to your right leg and your left foot rolls back onto its heel.
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