Changing my intent on intensity

        I’ve been working on changing the way I see and exude intensity.  For me it starts in the eyes, but it is also tied into my emotions and mental state and goes out from there.

        During Tai Chi I decided to do some reps with lots intensity.  What I noticed was that I naturally wanted to have a hard release at the end.  Usually I find I try to be as calm and tranquil while doing my form, but I wanted to see how adding intensity to a soft style would manifest.  I was still nice and loose and flowy, other than the release at the end wanting to be hard.  I applied that same feeling to some reps of my forms and same thing.  Intensity burned through the eyes, but I could still keep my body relaxed through the of movements until the release at the end.

       Before my intensity definitely manifested as going hard and fast throughout the form, but I’m realizing that it doesn’t have to be that way.  Actually I should clarify by that’s how I thought intensity should be.   Intensity is more than just movement, it’s about projecting emotion.  Movement can be a byproduct or manifestation of intensity, but it is not responsible for intensity.  The reason I’ve been working on this is so that I can learn to be softer and relaxed during my form, while still having explosive power at the end, and intensity is a big part of that.