Chapter

16

Mulan Quan Sword Style

In This Chapter

Mulan Quan is great for everyone, but women especially greatly benefit from the elegance and tender beauty it promotes. However, another profound benefit is its tremendous yet subtle power. The power of Mulan Quan is perhaps most dramatically observed in the performance of Mulan Quan sword style.

This chapter exposes you to some of the Mulan sword form postures, their benefits, and points to enrich your experience with the postures. Several styles of T’ai Chi offer sword styles as well as the Mulan. You can learn much more about various T’ai Chi sword forms from www.worldtaichiday.org, other books, and Appendix C.

This book’s Web Video Support provides an exhibition of the entire Mulan Quan sword style, meant to enhance your general knowledge of T’ai Chi sword styles.

Preparation to Eye on Sword

This section quietly prepares the mind and body before launching into the expansive motion of the Mulan Quan sword style. Refer to the Web Video Support’s Exhibition of Entire Mulan Quan Sword Style, www.idiotsguides.com/taichi, as you proceed through these descriptions.

Preparation Stance

The Preparation Stance is meant to focus and relax the mind, body, and heart.

Left Foot Half-Step with Eyes on Sword

Here is a full rotation of the shoulder and arm as the sword arm goes into a clockwise rotation. (Again, for a visual example of this Mulan sword style movement, see the Mulan Sword T’ai Chi section on the Web Video Support.)

Forward Step to Low Jab

This series works the entire body, loosening and lengthening it from head to toe.

Forward Step, Holding Sword Under Elbow

Your right foot steps right, with the weight shifting forward. Bring your sword-wielding arm straight out to the side and then around to the front, bent elbow. This movement helps to loosen the entire body as you breathe and allow your Qi to flow through all your limbs, as well as through the sword hand.

Sword Exchange, Turn Body, and Low Jab

This movement fosters an elongation of the entire frame as the hips are rotated and the body loosens. (See Web Video Support.)

Sword Upright to Balance Body

In these motions, your entire body is strengthened with very desirable and select muscle toning.

Body Return, Step with Sword Upright

The abdominal muscles are toned in this movement as the back and legs are worked as well.

Vertical Sword and Balance Body

The shoulder and wrist joints are exercised here, which helps the practitioner avoid calcium deposit buildup in joints that might negatively affect flexibility. Mulan Quan enables you to age while maintaining fluid, elegant flexibility.

Turn Around to Up-Jab

Balance, posture, and leg strength are found in this set of movements.

Turn Around, Lower to Sitting Position, Sword Upright

Leg muscles are both stretched and strengthened as you breathe and lengthen through this movement.

Step Up, Lower to Sitting Position, Sword Up-Jab

Practicing this movement with an attitude of elegance and style will have a wonderful impact on both your balance and your posture.

Level Sword to Lift Leg

The following set of postures tonifies and beautifies your body in many ways.

Level Sword, Turn Body, and Lift Knee

While improving your balance, Level Sword, Turn Body, and Lift Knee also tones and strengthens.

Lift Leg, Side Step, Side Chop with Sword

This may be the most beautiful of all Mulan Quan sword style movements, yet it also works to loosen the body’s muscles and joints.