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| Femaleness (2) | ||
| Written by Rachel | ||
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Stay calm
In application, remain composed.
Make space, then counter smoothly and gently.
There is no need to struggle or use force.
All of your skills must be applied in a thorough and convincing manner.
No room for doubt can exist.
Believe
Believe in yourself, and trust that the art will work.
Apply it with confidence.
If you are experiencing problems, then you must be doing something
incorrectly.
It is not a question of sex.
Trying harder is not Taoist.
Do something different instead.
Reconsider how to perform the skills appropriately then try again...
Warfare is based on deception
In combat, men have all the natural advantages.
They are often larger, stronger, more aggressive and willing to inflict pain on
others.
It is necessary for you to take all of those strengths and
turn them around, so
that they are now working for you...
Taoism is quite sneaky and underhand.
The game it proposes is not fair and friendly;
you must be very sly about it.
Water
Zen and Taoism have long revered qualities that are considered 'female'
and the most feminine symbol of all is water.
It was thought to reflect the very nature of
the Tao.
Water is used as a representation of the Tao because it always seeks the path of
least resistance.
It does not compete; it finds the easiest path and follows it.
Nothing can oppose water; it will carve through rocks and flow around anything
that resists it.
Water is strong because it lets go - it uses gravity and
yielding - never
tension.
Fooling men...
Victory is accomplished by taking the very things that men love about women and
turning them around.
This is the strategy of using your opponent's weapons against him.
As a female student, you want men to use their machismo and
brute strength
against you in combat.
These very things will be a man's undoing.
Leg strength
A woman cannot reasonably hope for success when she uses her upper body for
strength against a male opponent.
Biology is against you.
You need to think about your lower body, in particular your legs.
When you measure the size of leg muscles relative to arms, you find that the leg
muscles are significantly larger and can produce vastly more power.
Connect your arms to your back, and use your legs to drive your movements.
Femininity
The feminist would have you dress like a man and behave like a man.
Taoism counsels the opposite. Integrity comes from being true to yourself.
To gain power you must employ what you have at your disposal in a skilful and
appropriate manner, relative to the situation.
If you are cunning, a man's strength, passion and arrogance can be turned to
your immediate advantage. Women are strong, so have faith in yourself as a
woman.
Fashion
Desmond Morris (the anthropologist) maintained that the human body is frequently
prevented from natural, healthy, spontaneous movement because it is twisted to
suit cultural notions of fashion.
An extreme example of this was the historical Chinese tradition of binding the
feet. It is quite possible to be entirely feminine without sacrificing femininity
or good body use.
A psuedo man?
Over-worked muscles stop the joints and vertebrae from moving freely.
They create resistance within the body and this can lead to discomfort,
injury and strain.
Women who work out at the gym or run a lot often develop lifted shoulders from
muscular tension.
Their legs are often too far apart; as though their reproductive organs were
on the outside.
The muscles of the face grow to adopt a range of expressions more commonly
associated with a man.
Overall, these factors combine to give the woman a
manly, macho look.
Don't be afraid of being a woman
A truly feminine woman has the power to captivate a man's attention
and commands his respect by exemplifying the female.
Men will rush to open doors, offer aid and put themselves out.
They will listen, they will be patient. If you don't think that this is true, you have clearly not tried it or been
unsuccessful in its execution.
Biological differences
There are obvious anatomical differences between men and women and this affects
how we use the body.
Consider walking...
Desmond Morris points out that a woman's feet anatomically are much closer
together when walking.
Also, the differently-shaped pelvis and loose sacroiliac joint create a freer
action throughout the hips: a pronounced, natural hip-sway.
A lady of tai chi
Femaleness can be accentuated. Working out can be offset by embracing womanhood in other areas of your life.
Invest in feminine clothing, nice underwear, wear nylons as everyday attire,
modulate your voice, speak like a lady not 'a lad'. Why bother?
This is your sex (female).
Do not betray it.
Page created
8 March 2008
Last updated
16 June 2023
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