Shoulders, Mass and a few other things

ashwini mudra, experience, insights, kaufman, mass, rise, shoulders, spine, tai gong, Thoughts, time, training / By / 17 November 2022

A few days after coming back to India, I started working on pushing my shoulders back. In my opinion, there are a handful of ways to achieve the state of “your shoulder sitting in the back.”

The first is manually forcing it to stay there as much as you can during the day. This method hurts and because its forceful, it will cause soreness the next day. However, there is speed to this method. You should be able to achieve a better state as days and weeks progress. This was the method I used.

Gradually rolling the shoulders back is the second way. As Sifu Ken – during the gathering – told me, try to rise [through the spine] and roll back your shoulders as much as possible. He said if the big guy – the shoulders – don’t work, you can’t get the small guys – the elbows – to work as effectively. A few other points:

  • the small guys can be controlled easily. It’s the bigger guys you need to work on. 
  • the small guys will burn out easily and then you will be in trouble. You must learn to activate, control and order the big guys for greater efficacy 
I use the first method because I tend to go “at it” when attempting something new. Now – 3 weeks later – it certainly feels better than when I was in HK. Shoulders roll back quicker, easier and more naturally. I still need time because they have to start in that position. Yes. I want them to start off relaxed. So it will take a bit of time for me to achieve that state.
Kaufman, in his YouTube videos, said a couple of points:
  • connect your mass with your movements
  • “turn on” the switch to send energy through
  • relax 4 points – 2 points between the armpit and chest and the other 2 between quads and pelvis
Now, I find mass to be a strange thing. I don’t think I am “ready” for it. I have enough on my plate focusing on rising and channeling the energy through my limbs. I think, and am hopeful of this, that the mass will reveal itself naturally and align itself to my movements. All I have to do is:
  1. Keep my spine straight. But in a relaxed manner. It cannot be rigid but it must be straight. This is very important. In the beginning the flow will become stuck at one point or another. The time has not yet come for me to rise in any position. Contortion of the spine is a impediment, not a test at this stage.
  2. Tai gong – a strong, mental ashwini mudra – and rise
  3. Channel the energy flow into my limbs. There should be backing of the spine; backing of the energy. That is the foundation.
I am feeling this – channeling – now. Whenever I remember, I try to channel energy from the spine as a means of demonstrating to others what is the power of the spine. When we break it down, we can show others what each major joint respectively feels like. That is, the power each joint can individually produce. We can begin with the wrist, then the elbow, shoulder and finally utilize the spine to showcase this power. 
In our forms, if we utilize the spine from the get-go, then we can cultivate this state in a more pure manner. 
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