Principle 4

Question 1

State Principle 4

Answer 1

Setting the Shoulders and raising the thoracic vertebrae elongates the cervical vertebrae, allowing the head to rise. This is sometimes referred to as, “Keep the head upright.”

Question 2

(P4) What are the functions of the cervical spine?

Answer 2

(1) It supports the head, which can weigh from 4-5 to 6kg
(2) It acts as a tube for the flow of blood and Qi to the brain.
(3) It houses the spinal cord, the conduit for messages from the brain to the body.

Question 3

(P4) How should the cervical vertebrae be?

Answer 3

The cervical vertebrae should be straight, with the crown of the head reaching towards the sky. This balances the body and allows the flow of energy upwards, just like a tree. The cervical vertebrae and the skull should be raised from the ground up. Thought: Use Sifu Ding’s spiralling energy.

Question 4

(P4) What weakens the cervical vertebrae alignment?

Answer 4

1. Collapsing the chest and rounding the shoulders forward.
2. Allowing the scapulae to spread and rounding, instead of raising, the back.
3. Pulling the shoulders down instead of setting them properly. This ‘yokes’ the shoulders. Eventually energy will get stuck at the base of the neck and create a hunched appearance.

Question 5

(P4) Should I suspend the head from above?

Answer 5

No, this disconnects the head from the body. Instead, use the Taoist image of a thread of energy starting 1m below ground, then rising through the body to a point 1m above your head. The purpose of this principle is to draw Gergy upward for the ground to raise the head.