Jan 1, 20243 min read

Using Your Legs.

Updated: 1 day ago

Making Movement Easier

Frankenstein's monster doesn't have knee joints.I'm not entirely sure that I'm right about this, but judging from the way that he moves, there's a pretty good chance that I've remembered correctly!

I seem to remember that the monster moves by rocking from side to side, his centre of gravity shifting from one hip to the other (at least he did in the old Boris Karloff films). The only time his centre of gravity is central is when he's standing still.

Having knees makes all the difference. Not only can you stabilise the centre, but you can also move it up and down - it's no longer confined to the horizontal plane. This is the key to elegant and effortless movement.

Leg Strength

One of the first things that beginners can feel is aching legs; they discover that their legs are weaker than they thought. I've often had people observe that their legs are tired... "and we were hardly moving as well!"

The Chinese attach leg strength to longevity; the stronger the legs - the longer the life. Whilst this might not always be true, I suspect that there is much to be said for it... the more you sit down, the less you want to move because the legs get weaker and moving becomes more unpleasant, which makes you sit more, and on and on.

Knees and Leg Strength

Knees play a vital role; they not only need to be well supported muscularly, but they also need to be aligned. Tai Chi and Qigong focus on this alignment with the aim of improving it.

However, improving the situation also requires the practitioner to work on the alignment even when not doing Tai Chi or Qigong... in fact especially when not practising them. You have to bring knee awareness into everyday life.

Align and Then the Body Can Relax

Once the legs are stronger and can be relied upon, they can support the rest of the body which sits on top of them. The upper body can then relax, simply resting on top of the lower structure, and because it is relaxed, it automatically has more flexibility.

We tend to think of our legs as being vertical 'sticks', but, as can be seen from the diagram, the thigh bone (the femur) is angled outwards and then sharply inwards to connect to the pelvis, creating a rotational & pivotal point.

If the legs were in a vertical straight line without that outward angle, our leg movements would be massively reduced.

'Recruiting' Muscles

When we don't have a strong lower structure, we start to use the wrong muscles in other parts of the body in order to strengthen those weaker lower muscles. In Alexander Technique terms, this is known as 'recruiting' muscles.If you start recruiting muscles, the recruited muscles (often in the chest and shoulders) tense up and flexibility in the upper body is therefore reduced.

Understanding this is one thing, but embodying it is another.

James Drewe teaches Tai Chi and Qigong in both London and in Kent and online.

Details of weekly classes both live and online can be found on the website, and there are classes for 2-person Tai Chi on one Saturday a month.