Recently I’ve been having this feeling of my arms being disconnected from my shoulders. It’s present even on small things, an example being using a pepper grinder at arms length and feeling as if somethings not right with my arm/shoulder/torso connection.
I stopped practicing Tai Chi form when I started the UCB program as I didn’t want to be mixing things until I had some understanding of how the UCB was different to what I have been doing. I have played with form a couple of times when checking how bend etc would feel in the form, but it's on the backburner as far as a regular daily practice goes.
In regards to the 'disconnected feeling' I was curious if I still had access to the ‘connected feeling’ that I associated with that practice. So I went outside to do some form, as a kind of test . ( A test of what I’m not quite sure now - a test of my historical body?).
In the form I was looking for the filling that comes with lightly pressing the foot through a relaxing down leg/abdominal region. The filling was still available but I didn’t much care for the arm shape I had to make to get it. And, although I was able to create it with less abdominal sinking, I didn’t much care for that pressure feeling either. I am preferencing the ‘non collapse’ feeling where I am able to achieve it.
Another point is that my arms feel weaker, yet I know for a fact that on the whole I am stronger than I was four months ago. Bringing a full basket of logs down the hill feels easier than before.
So I am kind of confused as to what to do. I had a vague notion that I need to work more with the upper cavities to ‘reconnect’ the arms, I don't know if that's possible.
I do have a clearer question around stick - 'stick as stand'. I am thinking back to an earlier video explaining the weight/gravity effect of holding something at different distances to the body, increasing the 'foot pounds' and how this must effect 'stand'. Would a downward - oops - would a forwards strike require the cavity involvement to maintain standing as the stick travels from behnd head to arrive horizontally at waist level and the foot pounds increase , an anticipation of not being pulled there.