Stance: Bow Stance with Heel Raised - Bai Bu
Instructions : Same opening as in Tiger Level II.
Body: Step forward with the left leg and cross over your front foot as far as you can reach. Step on the heel of the foot and then turn it outward as far as you can go. Straighten the back leg, pushing into the front foot.
Straighten the left arm down in alignment with your shoulder to your side. Twist your waist to the left to feel the squeeze on your spleen. Look at your back foot to increase the twist.
The right arm is in alignment with your shoulder and turned to a right-angle inwards. This twist also wrings out the Governing and Conception Vessels (Ren and Du Mai) along the spine.
Untwist to your right, rotating your right arm up in front of you and turning your body to look straight ahead.
Breath: Inhale stepping up and down; hold the breath and twist. Exhale and untwist while rotating arm.
Spirit: Feel as if you are a tiger hunting for prey. You look down and twist, then look up.
Anatomical and Physiological Benefits : Fascia/Anatomy
In this stance, we deeply open the hips. Tiger III has a rotation in the torso. The feet are going in opposite directions so you need to bring your body around. The foot sets the rotation and you are connected all the way up your body through the arms. When you add the upper body movement, you get a dynamic cross-stretch that goes all the way up the back of the body.
Chinese Medicine Relationship
The liver and spleen are squeezed out.
Meridians/Acupuncture Points Targeted :
- This deep twist in the legs dilates the meridians in the legs.
- The twist in the arm dilates the meridians in the arms.
Lungs