6.1 Foundational Release: Hanging the Joints and Pulsing Drills

The process of achieving true Sōng (鬆, loosening/releasing) is the meticulous replacement of muscular gripping with skeletal support and fascial elasticity. This article details the specific, repeatable exercises necessary to bridge the gap between mental intent and structural reality. The ultimate goal is to isolate and release chronic muscular tension to facilitate Whole-Body Connection.

The Hanging Joints Drill

This drill utilizes the powerful principle of gravity to train the mind (Yi 意, Intent) to bypass unconscious muscular contraction. It requires stillness but demands intense internal attention.

• Shoulder and Elbow Release: The arms are not held but mentally "hung" from the highest point of the shoulder. Focus on the feeling of the elbows sinking, drawing a slight weight down through the lats and torso. This action eliminates all residual tension in the upper traps and neck, ensuring the movement is suspended, not braced.

• The Kua (襠, Hips/Groin) Drop: The crucial intermediate challenge is releasing the deep hip flexors and inner thighs. Mentally visualize the entire mass of the torso settling vertically into the seat of the Kua. This sinking action allows the tailbone/sacrum to gently drop and the pelvis to become fluidly stabilized. Any horizontal bracing in the Kua destroys the vertical root, preventing the free circulation of Internal Energy (Qi 氣).

• Spinal Suspension: As the lower body settles, mentally visualize the vertebrae gently separating and lengthening upward, suspended from the crown. This dual action of downward release and upward suspension is the key to maintaining a flexible, aligned spine that acts as a conduit, not a rigid, resisting column.

The Pulsing/Bouncing Drill

The Pulsing Drill is the practitioner's most reliable tool for diagnosing and eliminating residual tension that static practice may miss.

• The Diagnostic Function: While standing in a comfortable Zhàn Zhuāng (站樁, Standing Post) posture, initiate a gentle, rhythmic, micro-bounce—no larger than a few millimeters—from the ankles and knees. The vibration should be sustained and effortless. The focus is on where the vibration stops. If the vibration is absorbed and halted by a specific muscular bundle (e.g., the lower back, chest, or shoulders), that location is holding tension and is structurally disconnected.

• The Fascial Feedback: By identifying these blocks, the mind can apply conscious Sōng to the rigid area. As the tension releases, the vibration will transmit further up the body. Once the vibration travels freely from the floor, through the legs, hips, torso, and out to the fingertips, the practitioner experiences the initial sensation of the fascial network working as a unified tensile unit. This integrated structure is the prerequisite for expressing unified power (Jin 勁).