2014 Winter Retreat

I've been training solo for about a year and a half with the Sifu on demand program. Human nature as it is, I didn't train EXACTLY as sifu said. Lol. I didn't always follow the progression as prescribed. I haven't had any partner training to speak of for all that time. I had some"accomplishment" in the sense that I was developing some internal feel. I came to the retreat in Tuscon and finally got to touch hands with some Iliqchuan brothers and sisters. The amount of refinement that I got was profound. I found that my perineum wasn't really pointing at the balance beam line, my ribs weren't tucking enough and I was not clear on absorb and project. I was using my back to pull and my front to push. Backwards. My time with sifu was priceless. He is a kind, patient and be generous man. I was very pleased to meet Eva, his wife, and his children. They were very nice. Connor did some some spinning with me and actually pulled me off of my feet when we did spin up to pull. :) Now that I'm back home, I'm back to teaching a local Tai chi boost class. The amount of ease during spinning has  increased. I've also found that when I keep the perineum down, ribs tucked and crown suspended, I can project with very little sense of effort and even a large person is simply up rooted and they move. Both feet simply come up off of the ground. I can't maintain this fullness in all positions yet. Habit so comes through but I see that the principles just work. No secrets. Just train the basics. Train well!