Chapter 4: Sakaki-san's first steps towards enlightenment and martial mastery
(Where Sakaki is subjected to the Evil Chinese Sifu's dreadful training regimen ... )
"Alright, is everyone at peace with the universe yet? Remember, do not go into the postures as if they were stopover points. Your body should always flow like a great river ... and the postures should become like fleeting snowflakes ... melting in the water ... uh, that doesn't really make sense, does it? One should not become a Tai Chi teacher without any talent for making poetic and colorful metaphors ... oh well, hehe ... "
Wang-sensei's cheerful voice is gently guiding us during our Tai Chi exercises. It's the late afternoon, and because the weather is nice and warm, we're training in the park instead of inside her gym.
I don't know much about Chinese gymnastics -- despite what everyone thinks, I'm mostly ignorant about sports -- but I think she is not like most Tai Chi teachers. I always pictured a Sifu as someone unapproachable and stern, putting emphasis on discipline and concentration during his class; but Miss Wang's way of teaching is very different.
She never stops talking during her class, always giving advice and correcting her students; but she does it in a kindly conversational tone. Sometimes she just keeps making small talk about random subjects.
Rather than distracting us, it keeps us from thinking too hard about what we're doing and lets our body learn the movements by itself. The sound of her voice is also quite soothing and puts us at ease, so that we don't worry about doing the form correctly or not.
She also sometimes tries to make us chuckle with her strange jokes; she says we should enjoy learning Tai Chi and have fun, because if we're too serious during our training, we won't have any energy in reserve in case we actually have to use Tai Chi in a serious situation. That makes sense to me, although I don't understand exactly what kind of situation she means.
Wang-sensei is a woman in her mid-forties with a youthful appearance and thin body. Her lovely, perpetually smiling face is framed by a classic Chinese bowl haircut. Her eyes are almost closed all the time, which adds even more to the cheerfulness of her expression.
Well, it's funny, but sometimes her manner of speech and demeanor actually remind me of Ayumu-chan, although she is evidently much more ... focused. I wonder if Ayumu-chan would be good at Tai Chi; she is usually quite terrible at sports, but I think it would suit her well.
"Mr Tokumoto, did you have a stressful day at work? Your shoulders seem a little stiff. Remember to loosen them, and to hollow the chest a little. If you're forcing yourself to do the form, it won't benefit your body and mind.
"When you Part the Horse's Mane, you shouldn't force your arms to move around your body. Instead, your arms must be completely relaxed, and it is the rotating of the waist that generates the momentum to move them around. Like this ... See, Tai Chi is super easy; all you have to do is relax!"
Yes, sometimes I don't really understand why the other students have such a hard time copying Sensei's movements. To me, all the forms make sense when your body is loose and you just let go of everything ... Well, it is difficult putting it into words, but in my case, letting my thoughts wander help me relax, and then I don't even feel my own body moving anymore.
I chuckle, thinking that Tai Chi would definitely suit Ayumu-chan.
Maybe older people have many more worries in life than us high school girls, and find it harder to let go, so that's probably why it's more difficult for them.
" ... So, if you let go of any unnecessary tension inside your body and forget everything including your own self, you attain what is called the Sung state, which means being able to do the motions without actually feeling your own body moving. Wow, I sound like a wise old Chinese master or something ...
"Anyway, if you want to understand what I mean, all you have to do right now is to watch Sakaki-chan doing the form; her Sung is near perfection. Ah, my new student is so gifted! Isn't she great, everyone?"
"Personally, I could watch Sakaki-chan all day, even if she was bad at Tai Chi!"
"Tsk, tsk, Mr Tokumoto, with those thoughts, you're starting to deviate from the path to true enlightenment. Besides isn't little Sakaki-chan a bit out of your age category?
"Oh my, look at her; she can actually keep moving in the Sung state despite her being embarrassed! Now that takes real talent! Maybe I could teach her a Chi Kung breathing technique to keep that charming blush of hers under control, but it wouldn't be as fun now, would it?"
Despite them teasing me a little, I really feel at ease among Wang-sensei's group. In school, and generally among people my age, I always feel like I'm expected to act in a way completely adverse to my true nature. I often hear whispers around me that I'm cool or stoic or something, and as a result, I'm afraid of disappointing everyone by acting silly or revealing my love for cute things, which doesn't suit me at all.
The majority of Wang-sensei's small dozen of regular students are older ladies; I think the youngest is in her late forties. As a result, they all probably consider me as some youngster still wet behind the ears, trying to act all mature.
Yes, they sometimes try to embarrass me a little, surely to show me that to them I'm still a child. But far from upsetting me, it kind of gives me a very nice feeling.
(Sigh ... ) maybe we always yearn for what is out of our reach. Chiyo-chan wishes she were already an adult, and always acts so mature ... whereas I wish I still were a little girl, coddled by everyone. I outgrew that state so quickly ...
I was always a good, obedient child, but for some time now my parents have been expecting me to act like a "responsible young adult" ... I can't even remember the last time my father made me sit on his lap, or carried me in his arms, or even simply hugged me.
" ... Now, Mr Tokumoto, remember, breathing is not only for girls! You are strong, manly, and invincible, but you still need to breathe! If you do any hard effort while holding your breath it will upset the chi flow to your heart, which is obviously NOT good for your health.
"You know, we all lead stressful lives nowadays, and it has made us acquire bad habits in our posture, movement and breathing -- especially our breathing. How many of you hold your breath when getting up from your bed or lifting a heavy object?
"Tai Chi allows us to re-learn how to move and breathe naturally, like we instinctively could when we were toddlers."
Now that we have finished with our forms, Sensei has told us to do push-hands exercises in pairs. At first I didn't like that kind of practice very much, because it looked somewhat like fighting to me, but Sensei assured me that it isn't a pushing competition but rather a fun game that teaches us to move more easily while conserving our energy.
" ... Now, I've been teaching you the traditional push-hands and sticky-hands exercises for quite some time now, and it gave you a basic understanding of jin, which is the skill to generate strength without the brute force of your muscles, but rather from your internal power. The more relaxed and softer your body is, the more Jin you'll be able to produce.
"They are many different kinds of Jin, but instead of teaching you an insipid nomenclature, I prefer to let your body learn them by itself with many different practical exercises. That's why I'm going to show you something new today."
Miss Wang has her students form a circle; she then takes me by the hand and pulls me into the center.
"So, this is like push-hands, only without the hands! You will use any part of your person, instead. It will teach you how to absorb exterior forces coming from any angle and generate jin with your whole body. Everybody is going to take turns inside the circle.
"Alright, everyone, start pushing Sakaki-chan with your palms; you can push on any part of her body, including the head. No, Mr Tokumoto, since you are the only male student here, you aren't allowed to participate right now, but you'll take your turn in the centre of the circle soon."
"Why not? That's not fair!"
"Do I really have to answer that? Anyway Sakaki-chan, only the part of the body that is in contact with the pushing hand should be allowed to move back. It will teach your body softness and total liberty of movement. Remember the Tai Chi saying: 'yield, stick, and don't let go'. So give way to the pushing hand, but don't evade it completely, and keep it close to your body.
"Now if you are rooted into the ground like a mountain, yet able to step lightly like water, you can suck the adverse force into your center, then you can either pull it further with a yin absorbing motion until it overextends and collapses, or redirect it and push it away from you with a yang repelling motion.
"If you are relaxed enough and breathe correctly, you can make either motion with any part of your body, not just your arms.
"Sakaki-chan, first you can try the yin absorption ... Yes, that's it, perfect! If someone pushes you really hard, try to redirect the energy into the ground by loosening the waist and hips, and flexing your knees; but keep your spine straight. That's right, you're doing it perfectly! Undulate that sexy body of yours!"
Wow, this exercise gives me an incredible feeling; I'm being pushed from every angle and I feel the opposing forces gliding on me instead of repelling me, as if my body has become liquid. I'm even starting to feel a little tingle just before a hand touches me, letting me know when and where I'll be pushed, despite not being able to see all of my partners.
"You really are a natural, Sakaki-chan; only people with a high innate sensitivity are able to sense movement around them without many years of training. This means they are well attuned to their survival instincts. Obviously, you have the spirit of a great predator inside you, Sakaki-chan, hehehe!"
Why does everybody make these kinds of jokes about me? Do I really look like a big bad wolf or something?
"Now Sakaki-chan, don't absorb your partners' pushes too fast, or you might hurt them or even throw them to the ground!"
"Ow!"
Oops! It sounds like I have pulled Mrs Tanaka into Mrs Sayuri by accident.
"Ah! I'm sorry!"
"Don't worry about it, these old ladies are tougher than they look."
"Hey!"
"Anyway, it seems that contrary to most people, your body still knows how to move in a natural way; but maybe it does react a little too well sometimes. You'll learn how to control it soon enough.
"By the way, you know, the type of Tai Chi I've been taught by my father is not some kind of esoteric Chinese art, but a rather practical method. It just teaches us how to move and breathe better in our daily lives. The skills we're developing with these exercises may serve us in many different kinds of situations.
"For example, you could put your Tai Chi skills to use when catching a person falling down the stairs without falling yourself ... or moving quickly through a big crowd without bumping into anybody ... or helping your friends move their furniture without getting sore muscles ... or amazing everyone at a party by snuffing out candles with the sole power of your chi! See, the possibilities are endless!"
Wow, there is much more to Tai Chi than I originally thought! But suddenly, I realize something.
"Umm, Sensei?"
"Yes Sakaki-chan?"
"Actually, I was wondering ... Could Tai Chi be used, to, umm, you know ... "
"Yes ... yes?" Sensei asks cheerfully.
"Well um, to hurt someone. That is, intentionally ... I mean using it in a ... violent or evil way."
"Hmm, let me see ... yes, I suppose you could; if you used your Tai Chi skills to push someone into the traffic, then it wouldn't be very nice of you, would it? But a nice girl like you wouldn't do such a thing, right? Hehehe ...
"All right, Sakaki-chan, now the last exercise before someone else takes over from you inside the circle. As I said before, you can deal with an opposing force by giving way, sticking and then pulling it further with a yin motion. Or you can push it away instead with a yang motion. Let's try the second option now.
"When you feel a hand pushing you somewhere, yield so that it is pulled into your center, and then immediately push it away from you by sticking out the part of the body which in contact with the hand. It is only possible if you're really soft and relaxed, and you possess a high freedom of movement.
"Generally, you use a yin motion against a strong continuous force that needs to be dissipated, and a yang motion against a brusque force that weakens quickly after being absorbed. Don't worry, after you have done many such exercises, your body will know by itself what to choose.
"For the time being, Sakaki-chan, please try to do the motions slowly. If you do it too sharply, you might hurt your partners' hands. When a hand pushes you and you suddenly yield, then the wrist will instinctively relax; so if at that moment you push right back, you might bend the hand in the wrong way.
" ... Good. You did really well, Sakaki-chan! Now, Mr Tokumoto, you seemed bored; how about you take over inside the circle?"
" ... Oh my, look at the time! Already seven o'clock! I shouldn't keep you for so long ... Ok, just ten more minutes. To finish this lesson I'll show you a little pressure point massage technique, or shiatsu as you call it here in Japan. Everyone, choose a partner; I'll demonstrate it on Sakaki-chan.
"Alright, start gently pressing your partner's Inner Passage point on the inside of her wrists with your thumb. Do it simultaneously on both arms, for about a minute. This activates the Stone Hinge points on both sides of the diaphragm. Now press with your middle fingers on these new points.
"This is a very simple massage, useful against abdominal pains, motion sickness, or hiccups, because it allows the chi to travel down the life force meridian into the diaphragm."
Hmm, I'll have to memorize this one for the next time we travel to Chiyo-chan's summer house in Yukari-sensei's car ... or when Ayumu-chan has hiccups again.
"Be careful when massaging these pressure points, though; if you push too quickly or too strongly, it will have a complete opposite effect, draining the energy from the diaphragm and thus cutting off the breath and bringing about vomiting. It will also send too much yang chi up to the head, causing bleeding from the nose and ears, or even loss of conscience.
"So be gentle with your partner, if you hurt them, they might take revenge when it's your turn to be massaged, hehehe!"
Ah, being massaged by an expert in shiatsu feels so good ... I'm still not very confident about doing it myself, even though Sensei insists on it. I'm always afraid to hurt my partner; one has to be very careful.
" ... By the way everyone, do you remember the form at the beginning of the lesson, when we did that downwards circular motion with the hands, and then pushed them forward? If you had someone standing with their arms outstretched towards you, your hands would touch the inside of their wrists and then the abdomen, just on the points I mentioned.
"That's right, in addition to being beneficial to your own health, the forms are actually excellent mnemotechnic methods for remembering the different shiatsu techniques!
"Instead of having to learn by heart the pressure point charts, all you have to do is practice the forms; they will teach your body how to heal itself, and even other people! The great masters who created these forms centuries ago were true geniuses, weren't they?"
Every time I come to Wang-sensei's lesson, I learn something new about the profoundness and wisdom of the Chinese arts. Hmm, a mnemotechnic system for your body to learn pressure points ... oh, that suddenly reminds me of Ayumu-chan's story during our Hanami picnic, about Tai Chi forms including deadly pressure points attacks or something. Looks like she was wrong after all; it's the complete opposite actually.
... Wait a minute. Didn't Sensei just tell us that we have to be careful or the massage could have an adverse effect if done too hard? What if ... no, no, Ayumu-chan was only kidding, like always. But still ... maybe I should ask Sensei about it.
... No, I can't do that, she'd feel insulted! Someone as gentle as her could never teach us dangerous things ... It's not like I could ask her something ridiculous like "if I practice the forms too much, am I going to start poking people into their pressure points by accident, and make them drop dead?". But still ... didn't she say that sometimes my body reacts too sharply all by its own? I need her to reassure me somehow.
"All right, everyone; that's it for today! Have a pleasant evening and remember: always to be nice to your body, and it will be nice to you!"
"Err, Sensei? I, um ... "
"Ah! Sakaki-chan. I have something to tell you. You know, I'm already forty-seven years old, unmarried, and it looks like I'm going to be the last holder of my precious family arts ... "
Wow, she's saying that so easily with a beaming smile on her face! But it's rather sad! Why is she telling me this, I feel somewhat embarrassed ...
"So I have decided to choose an heir to pass on all of my knowledge. And yes! That means you, Sakaki-chan!" she exclaims with an even bigger smile ... Wait. What did she just say?
Eh? ... EH? ... just like that? Is ... is that one of her jokes?
"Sensei! I, I mean, I can't possibly -- "
"Everyoooone! Did you hear? I have just formally and officially decided that Sakaki-chan is going to be the sole heir to the Wang School of the Four Secret Taoist Internal Arts. And no, I did not make up that name just now."
"Wow, good for you Sakaki-chan! Do your best!"
"That's great, Sakaki-chan!"
"You can do it, Sakaki-chan!"
"We're rooting for you, Sakaki-chan!"
"See, Sakaki-chan", says Miss Wang, "everybody believes in you. Isn't it marvelous?"
I'm frozen solid, and my face has turned crimson. I manage to bow awkwardly, and stutter something.
"I ... I surely can't be worthy of ... such honour ... I mean it's too much for ... I can't be the -- "
"Now, now, don't be so modest! I couldn't have found a better successor with all your natural talents. Don't you want to be a great Tai Chi master? You're going to study to be a veterinarian, right? Didn't you know that shiatsu also works on animals?" She is beaming at me disarmingly.
I'm overwhelmed, I don't know what to do or say ... why is she so insistent on offering me such a precious thing?
" ... And don't worry about your studies; I know you have your university entrance exams at the end of the year, so I won't monopolize too much of your time ... just a little more training during the weekends. At first, of course. You are free this Saturday afternoon, right? ... Right?" Wang-sensei is beaming at me so much it's almost scary.
"I, ah, umm ... of course, Sensei."
"Perfect! I can't wait being able to use some of the more advanced training methods with you. Hmm, I wonder, should I start training you in the iron shirt body conditioning skill right away?"
"Eh? I'm sorry?"
"Ah, already eager to know more? Don't worry, you'll understand soon enough. Fufufufu ... "