Are there good ways to relax the waist in Tai Chi? (1)

Hi Every Shifu, are there good ways to relax the waist in practicing Tai Chi? My waist seems stuck. Waist must be relaxed, right?

Derek Fulker • I have heard numerous teachers talk about the “waist” and they have frequently defined it differently, usually somewhere within an area somewhere between the solar plexus and the back of the knee. This may be because the core muscles (Psoas, Iliac, Abductors and Adductors) extend that far. Anyway, as regards relaxation and the waist… seems like a good idea to me. You also might wish to consider the real meaning of “relaxation” as it is translated from the Mandarin “sung” or “tsung” or some other Anglicization. This page seems to be pretty inclusive: http://www.bearrivertaichi.org/writings.html… take your pick…

Sifu Chris Bouguyon • I agree with Derek plus I will add that relaxing the waist includes strengthening the deep core to a level where you can work on releasing the hip joints and keeping them open/free during movement. In Yin/Yang Principle training, in order to effectively release (Yin) a joint there must deep strength (Yang) nearby. This is true of every joint in the body. Only once all joints are effectively open will you feel the “sung” completely.

Ernie Boxall • This is just my method for relaxing the waist/hips:
Standing in “Bear Stance” (see T’ai Chi Ch’uan by Chee Soo) I have my hands behind me supporting my kidneys..
Focus attention down into the feet to relax the shoulders..relax the knees
KEEPING THE HEAD STILL-circle the coccyx around a line from the crown to the centre of the stance..
Keep attention on the movement of weight around the feet..use the hands as support..
Smile and breath in at the back of the circle/breath out at the front of the circle..
Remember..NO PAIN..NO PAIN treat your knees and ankles gently by staying well within their comfort zone..this is important to the practise of movement.
Visualize the coccyx prescribing an arc..

 
(from Tai Chi Group in LinkedIn)