Turning Elbows and a Training Mentality

I now distinguish between the years I studied and practiced tai chi and the years in which I have been training. It began with an instructor's group correction for turning of the forearm initiated from the elbow and not from the hand or wrist.

After 4 years attending tai chi classes three times a week and practicing regularly, it was apparent that I had very little movement or control if I initiated the movement from the elbow.

Over the next few months I worked on very small movements, focusing my attention and intention on the elbow. The initial rotation in my left forearm was barely noticeable. Gradually, I have learned how to move the arms through a full range of motions by turning elbows.

The connection between a turning elbow and turning of other distant joints in my body continues to reveal itself. One of my friends, a Feldenkreis instructor, is able to generate a visible flexing of the arch in her foot from a turning of the elbow.

The elbow correction changed everything and I mark it as a breakthrough and new beginning. From that point, my practice had focus. I had taken my first step in training.