Openings

It was the last day of a 1997 summer workshop and I was doing warmup danyus. I felt the front of my hip joints slowly open(flex) much like large creaky hinges that had been stuck for years and then overdosed with WD40. I was amazed that the hip joint moved in that way.

In my years of teaching tai chi to people with special needs, I have never found anyone like myself who was unable to flex at the hip joint and didn't know it.

In tai chi, the terms open and opening are frequently used to cover a range of happenings and intentions. I now understand the opening of my hips not as an end-point, but as a matter of degree and in a sense, a gentle encouragement.