Arm Joints Should Be Completely Relaxed

Hang on! This point gets lots of press in T’ai-chi Ch’üan circles. We hear…

“Relax. Relax. Relax.”

Human Arm Bones Diagram - Lady of Hats

We often envision shoulders, especially that bit between the neck and shoulders, as a source or a storage device for stress and tension. It’s true. And it’s where many people cinch down and hold up the weight of the world.

We want to drop it; let go of tension. We want to relax.

Lots of good things happen when we relax. But relaxing the muscles is a superficial exercise. When we look at tension in the arms, it’s easy to see tense muscles.

We’re after something deeper.

It’s not easy to see tense joints.

Here’s Yang Cheng-fu:

All the joints of the arms should be completely relaxed, with shoulders sunk and elbows folded down. The palms should be slightly extended and the fingertips slightly bent. Use the mind to move the arms and allow ch’i to reach the fingers. After many days and months the internal energy will become extremely sensitive and marvels will naturally manifest.

—Yang Cheng-fu from Yang Family Secret Transmissions, p. 6

What are we talking about exactly?

Here’s the detail to be aware of: the joints.

Holding the arms up requires tension, just a little, in whatever simple muscles hold the arms aloft. But no matter: the arm joints never need to be tensed or compressed.

Let’s explore that detail in the following video.

Watch: Arm Joints Must Be Completely Relaxed

By now I hope you’re relaxed…and not just your arms. Sometimes, by relaxing two arms, the body lets go.

Does that work for you?

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