After releasing mental tension (精神鬆, jing shen song), the next refinement is the integration of yi (意, directed intention) and shen (神, awareness-spirit). It is crucial here to distinguish between two uses of shen:

• Functional Shen (神用, shen yong): the clarity and liveliness of consciousness, the “light” of awareness that illuminates perception.
  
  

• Transcendent Shen (神明, shen ming): the spiritual radiance cultivated in Daoist and Confucian traditions, belonging to the third dimension of Song.
  
  

In this stage we are working with the first sense — shen as the mental-spiritual faculty that harmonizes awareness with intention.

Yi (意) — The Directive Mind

Yi is the sharp edge of the mind. It defines orientation, leads the body, and gives precision to movement. In modern cognitive terms, yi resembles goal-directed attention. Yet when isolated, it often becomes rigid (gu zhu, 固著) — over-concentration that stiffens both mind and body.

Shen (神) — The Illuminating Mind

Shen in this context is expansive awareness: the presence that perceives without grasping, the “field” in which yi moves. In modern terms, this parallels meta-awareness or open monitoring. When scattered (san luan, 散亂), shen loses coherence, and attention diffuses into distraction.

The Union of Yi and Shen

The principle of 意神合一 (yi shen he yi) is to let yi ride within shen, like a thread moving inside a vast, illuminated space.

• Yi provides orientation: guiding intent through posture, direction, or point of contact.
  
  

• Shen provides integration: maintaining whole-body coherence and preventing fixation.

In practice:

• Form training (套路, tao lu): Yi leads the vector of movement (e.g., extending through fingertips, sinking through heels), while Shen maintains awareness of the whole structure (zheng ti, 整體).
  
  

• Zhan Zhuang (站樁, standing nei gong): Yi defines subtle internal lines of force, while Shen sustains expansive presence, preventing narrow concentration.
  
  

• Push-hands (推手, tui shou): Yi attaches and follows the opponent’s force; Shen keeps the field open, avoiding collapse into local struggle.
  
  

• Combat application: Yi allows decisive choice of timing and direction; Shen preserves calm and adaptive awareness, preventing tunnel vision.

Modern Perspective

From a neurocognitive lens, yi parallels executive control, while shen parallels global workspace awareness. Song in this stage down-regulates excessive executive rigidity while stabilizing awareness, creating a nervous system state of relaxed readiness.

When yi and shen are unified, the mind ceases to be split between directing and observing. Intention and awareness form one continuum, where each movement is both purposeful and free. This is the mental hallmark of advanced Song: a mind that is sharp without rigidity, open without dispersion.