Deficient or Excess

         I've been making more and more connections lately from my Tai Chi to my Kung Fu.  I may only be a few classes and moves in, but it is raising lots of questions for both.

        For my Tai Chi a lot of the questions I have are focused around my energy, and secondly how that translates into my body movements.  It is much easier to feel where my energy is and isn't travelling when you slow everything down.  Even though my forms in Kung Fu are being done at a faster pace, I am recognizing more where my energy is aligned and where it isn't.  A prime example is the tiger claws near the beginning of Lao Gar 3.  I knew something was feeling off while I was doing those motions.  There was an emptiness or hollow feeling to it.  Sort of the same way I view my acupuncture.  Deficiency in Qi creates a hollow sensation, whereas an excess of Qi creates more resistance and a fuller feeling.  Think tummy ache.  Is it better when you press on your stomach (deficient), or is it worse when you press on it (excess).  So doing the tiger claws before felt empty.  They were lacking substance.  I've made some tweaks and they're nowhere near perfect, but they are feeling more solid.  There is some substance to them now.

        We also briefly talked about our internal harmonies: spirit-intent, intent-Qi, Qi-power.  Because of my background, Qi has always been a healing energy.  I can feel where my energy is, but to use it in a combative way is foreign to me.  I really struggle with that concept.  Something I'll need to get over at some point.  For now, I'm going to work on just feeling if there is Qi present in my techniques or not.