I Found the San Ti Shi Step very difficult and spent an hour over this morning and during the day trying to find some way of executing the step without landing the front foot with a thump,
I started with basic standing BS/FC Cavities Upper Lower, Soft Chest, Smile, PC, then brought in the intention to step without shifting weight and maintaining the cavities.
This involved many attempts to step but of never quite getting as far as the step ie. If the intention to move led to sinking on the 'would be weighted leg' then don't step, start again, build the stand again then intend to shift. Check again 'am I sinking or losing cavities just as I prepare to move?', if so bulld the stand and intend/try again.
That lead to some new feelings and a question.
I think that bringing in the intention to do something lead to a difference in how I perceive the leg cavities but am not sure ii I made progress or if I resorted to over tensiing so I'll describe what I felt as I don't want to end up practicing something that's a backwards step.
I tried to maintain 'Light Yi' throughout and be more mindfull of perceptions of change than 'achievements'.
After practicing standing, preparing to step, monitoring for the compensatory collapse before each step, and repeating this cycle for a while, I found that I really had to use the cavities to stand tall if I was to have any hope of maintaining my structure. As a result, the support from the foot arch became very clear, and my leg cavities shifted from a 'flatness' feeling to a feeling of flatness with a stretch. Then, my heels felt like they were stretching or pushing into the ground, which in seemed to further facilitated the leg cavity stretch, it felt as if all of this was adding to support but, as I've never heard any mention of stretch in these parts in any of the videos, my concern is that what I am feeling is just me 'trying too hard' and I need to back off. Is back of ankle and back of knee stretch a result of over tensing the legs?
Thanks