LIFTING WATER
Lifting Water
Question
Can you please tell me more about Lifting Water
-- Baron, Netherlands
Answer
Lifting Water is an effective exercise to develop internal force, and is popularly used in Taijiquan. Indeed, it is so popular that most Taijiquan sets start with Lifting Water, though practitioners performing the sets normally perform only two repetitions of Lifting Water instead of many times.
Not many people realize that Lifting Water is also found in Shaolin Kungfu. In my Golden Bell training, Lifting Water was an important part of the training procedure.
In practicing Lifting Water, a practitioner sits at a Goat Stance, and lifts both his arms, palms facing down, from thigh level to chest level numerous times, which may range from a few times to more than a hundred, depending on his aspirations and developmental stage.
He may breathe in gently through the nose when lifting up his arms, and breathe out gently through his mouth when lowering his arms. Or he may perform the exercise without worrying about his breathing.
As it is an internal art exercise, it is advisable to practice it under the supervision of a competent teacher.
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