Tai chi stuff

So at tai chi tonight I was having some balance problems and a lot of posture difficulties. Lao Shir told me to stop, just stop, and hold still. Then she proceded to totally scrutinize me, like this thorough, visual assessment while I stood there going, "uhh... *cough*" Finally she nodded her head and said, "Okay, I see."

Apparently my hips are so narrow that I don't have a natural center of gravity. Combined with having really long legs, she thinks that the muscles on the insides of my legs are "normal" but the outer ones are too long and not as strong as they should be. And because I've held my posture so weirdly due to this, it has screwed with my spine, made my hips uneven (a fact confirmed long ago by my chiropractor--I had one leg about an inch shorter than the other till he started to fix me years ago,) and the grand result of this is the crazy knee problems being so much worse on the left. It's also made me knock-kneed (also because I have stupid, bony knees.) In short, think of a newborn colt, only upright. O_O

I do not have load-bearing hips, apparently.

I do have a lot of chi in my arms, which makes for another imbalance. Lao Shir says, "You're such a dancer. Relax your arms!" Because I hold my arms up, stretched and "posey" I guess, which is the opposite of what you're supposed to do in Tai Chi. So this is a hugely different style of movement for me to even begin to get used to, much less master. Still, I want to be good at it, especially if there are going to be weapons involved someday.

Oh, and check it out, I'm in the market for a new bed. I've still got the old one that I had in my old bedroom, that I had since I was about 14. It's a queen size, and I do not need a queen size. Since I'm trying to downsize pretty much everything and make more space, I deceded to get a twin. I only use half of my bed anyway. So I'm gonna get something nice and small. I'm kinda excited, I like little changes like that.

I feel like I should play the lottery. Maybe I will, tomorrow.

Tai chi stuff

So at tai chi tonight I was having some balance problems and a lot of posture difficulties. Lao Shir told me to stop, just stop, and hold still. Then she proceded to totally scrutinize me, like this thorough, visual assessment while I stood there going, "uhh... *cough*" Finally she nodded her head and said, "Okay, I see."

Apparently my hips are so narrow that I don't have a natural center of gravity. Combined with having really long legs, she thinks that the muscles on the insides of my legs are "normal" but the outer ones are too long and not as strong as they should be. And because I've held my posture so weirdly due to this, it has screwed with my spine, made my hips uneven (a fact confirmed long ago by my chiropractor--I had one leg about an inch shorter than the other till he started to fix me years ago,) and the grand result of this is the crazy knee problems being so much worse on the left. It's also made me knock-kneed (also because I have stupid, bony knees.) In short, think of a newborn colt, only upright. O_O

I do not have load-bearing hips, apparently.

I do have a lot of chi in my arms, which makes for another imbalance. Lao Shir says, "You're such a dancer. Relax your arms!" Because I hold my arms up, stretched and "posey" I guess, which is the opposite of what you're supposed to do in Tai Chi. So this is a hugely different style of movement for me to even begin to get used to, much less master. Still, I want to be good at it, especially if there are going to be weapons involved someday.

Oh, and check it out, I'm in the market for a new bed. I've still got the old one that I had in my old bedroom, that I had since I was about 14. It's a queen size, and I do not need a queen size. Since I'm trying to downsize pretty much everything and make more space, I deceded to get a twin. I only use half of my bed anyway. So I'm gonna get something nice and small. I'm kinda excited, I like little changes like that.

I feel like I should play the lottery. Maybe I will, tomorrow.

Yay for kicks...right?

In Blackbelt tonight it was just Raq, Chris and I. I know that Lee is away for these two weeks, but I don't know where Tracy was, but anyway we were down to us three and we had the entire floor. As I'd predicted Sifu said, "Break off into forms."

Well, I am so damned bored with the same damn form that I only did it a few times before turning to watch the stuff that Raq was doing. I watched her doing the butterfly kick and two other aerial kicks and then I decided it was high time I'd tried it, too.

To my surprise, the butterfly kick didn't go so badly. I can't get my body horizontal in the air though, but I can get both legs up at once and get some air time. Getting your body straight, horizontal, and about two feet off the ground for any amount of time, well, yeah. Raq can do it, but I'm not sure I'm ever going to master it.

Still, though. I think just being able to do it--especially when I only started taking Kung Fu when I was 32--is pretty decent. Add to the fact that I can do a few more aerial kicks that at least look kind of cool, and well, that's not so bad. I can't imagine using any of those kicks in a real life situation (read: fight or attack,) but being able to do them means a lot to me. I don't know why, it's just massively important to me that I can.

Oh, and as a side note: It's finally cold. It's not going to last, (which scares me on a few levels--I mean, hello, it's winter?) but for not it's about 18 degrees. I'm going to be whining a different tune tomorrow morning walking out the door, but yeah. Winter. It makes me feel like I deserve Spring.

And I am getting a really awesome, teeny new bed, with tons of storage space. I'm more excited than I should be. :)

Yay for kicks...right?

In Blackbelt tonight it was just Raq, Chris and I. I know that Lee is away for these two weeks, but I don't know where Tracy was, but anyway we were down to us three and we had the entire floor. As I'd predicted Sifu said, "Break off into forms."

Well, I am so damned bored with the same damn form that I only did it a few times before turning to watch the stuff that Raq was doing. I watched her doing the butterfly kick and two other aerial kicks and then I decided it was high time I'd tried it, too.

To my surprise, the butterfly kick didn't go so badly. I can't get my body horizontal in the air though, but I can get both legs up at once and get some air time. Getting your body straight, horizontal, and about two feet off the ground for any amount of time, well, yeah. Raq can do it, but I'm not sure I'm ever going to master it.

Still, though. I think just being able to do it--especially when I only started taking Kung Fu when I was 32--is pretty decent. Add to the fact that I can do a few more aerial kicks that at least look kind of cool, and well, that's not so bad. I can't imagine using any of those kicks in a real life situation (read: fight or attack,) but being able to do them means a lot to me. I don't know why, it's just massively important to me that I can.

Oh, and as a side note: It's finally cold. It's not going to last, (which scares me on a few levels--I mean, hello, it's winter?) but for not it's about 18 degrees. I'm going to be whining a different tune tomorrow morning walking out the door, but yeah. Winter. It makes me feel like I deserve Spring.

And I am getting a really awesome, teeny new bed, with tons of storage space. I'm more excited than I should be. :)