Preparation    (1)

     Preparation for t'ai chi is as necessary to doing it 'right' as is readying to
bake good bread or researching to be a good parent...if the yeast is too cold,
the dough cannot properly rise...if one does not adequately study child rear-ing, one will probably give to the world mediocre progeny.  So give yourself
a moment before the set to prepare well.
     Breathing is done through the nose only; breathe in slowly through the
nostrils, (it seems like you are) pulling the air down behind your chest to the
bottom of your stomach, then allow the air to be pushed out from the base of
the belly, up, up, slowly up, and out of the nostrils.  Your exhale should last up to twice as long as your inhale.  Inhalations should generally coincide with
the yin movements (those which yield, or receive energy), while exhalations
should generally coincide with the yang movements (those which push, or
send energy.)  Over time, you will find that concentrating on your breathing
will enhance your balance and strength.
     Being grounded is a basic element of being balanced in our movement.
Having neither wings nor a very delicate girth, humans must in some measure
remain down to earth in order to move well.  Some people practice
visualization techniques to imagine roots growing from the bottoms of their
soles into the floor or earth beneath.  Another way to stay grounded is to
maintain continuous breathing while focusing our 'mental' self upon the tan
tien below and away from the brain above.
     Generally, the position of the head throughout the form is based on the
movements of the hands.  With some few exceptions, the eyes, following the
arm and hand motions, direct where the head will be pointed.  A few postures
that are exceptions to this exist, e.g., "arms make the mountains". Generally,
too, the eyes gaze should be directed in front of you at eye level.  Mostly, you
will find that the head, moving as one with the rest of the body, will face in the same direction as the entire torso.
     Generally keep the thumb nestled near to the other fingers, not out away
from the hand.  Alternatively, it may be tucked comfortably behind/across
the palm of the hand.
     Remember to always bend your elbows, always bend your knees.  Bent
knees and elbows, like moving on a curve, are two very important funda-mentals of Wu style t'ai chi which I will go into in depth soon.  For now,
know that it is important to practice with your knees and elbows at least
slightly bent. This reduces weight and pressure impact, as does the practice
of moving in slightly curved, not straight, lines with your arms, legs, and torso.
     One last thing: an invisible line (or, thread, it is sometimes called) from
foot to head connects through us creating an axis the center from which we
may rotate and glide and bend and swing our bodies as one.  The Chinese
name for this 'thread' is 'ding jin'; it runs from the heels of the feet, up
through the thighs and buttocks, through the center (tan tien), through the
chin and out through the crown of the head.  By moving on this axis line
from a center-of-gravity point in your body (tan tien), you can move more
using less energy. It is said that with t'ai chi, one can move 1,000 pounds
with a 1/4 ounce of pressure.  Hmmmm.
     Preparation (1) begins by standing with your toes pointing forward and
your feet about shoulder width apart; arms resting at your sides, palms facing
slightly backward; buttocks tucked in (not protruding); make sure your
shoulders are not pushed forward; hold your chin in a bit and your head up
with your eyes looking forward, resting your gaze at eye level ahead of you
and out a slight distance. Your mouth should remain closed throughout the set
with the tongue resting against the roof of the mouth, its tip touching against
the back of your upper front teeth. (1)
                           I have found a wonderful online article describing Preparation;
                                  you can click through on the following link to get to it:
    http://web.archive.org/web/20010630044850/users.supernet.com/etownchi/flow/posture_focus/lundgren01--1998.htm
                                       (thanks, John P, for locating this for me again!)

Open T'ai Chi     (1 through 21)

     Energy within us is centered at the tan tien (roughly pronounced 'don dee-en'; one alt. sp.: dantian), a place an inch or two below the navel, along the
ding jin axis or thread.  By focusing our minds attention at the tan tienduring
movement, we can maintain a flowing, continuous balance-in-motion, moving
ourselves (and our seemingly separate constituent body parts ~ arms, legs,
head, inner organs, etc.) as one, with less effort, which will yield enormous
benefits to our health and our 'being'.  As you may quickly find, if, when you
are moving as one, you should momentarily THINK of something; anything,
really; what happens is that the mental energy previously focused at your
center of balance literally rises to the brain, where conscious thinking activity
resides... the result can be comical as the mental energy of a conscious
thought rises up inside, pulling us UP with it and usually buoying us off
balance or knocking us over altogether! Such is the importance of mind-
fulness in the practice of t'ai chi ch'uan (or in anything, really.)
     Open t'ai chi begins (1,2) [W= even] as you draw a deep breathe in slowly,
and allow your arms, palms facing down, to rise before you (2-6), as if drawn
upwards by threads attached to the back of your hands. As your hands reach
an apex (6) at around eye level, your arms, with elbows slightly bent, begin
their descent back again (7), as if they are being pulled lower from the sinking
down of your elbows.   As they do, you sink, by bending your knees slightly¹
to pull your torso down (7-10).   As your hands lower to their nadir in front of
your waist, your palms move from parallel with the floor (palms facing down)
(7) to about parallel with your legs (palms facing you) (10).
     At this point, rotate your hands and elbows in the opposite direction to
each other so that your palms slowly turn to first face each other, then con-
tinue rotating until both palms face outward away from you (North) (11,12).
Concurrently, begin to shift your weight to your right leg.  As you do, start
twisting on the ball of your right foot (11) [W= 70R] to point your right toes
to the right corner (NE)².  Now, with your right foot angled to the right corn-er, finish shifting your weight (13-15) until single weighted on your right side
[W= 90R] (90% of the bodies weight over right leg.)  As this is happening,
your elbows, in their descent, have neared your abdomen³.
     Next, bring your arms apart, moving them away from each other sideways,
to shoulder level, (13-15) as your palms move slowly from facing outward (12) to facing each other as they rise until they face away (North) from you at
shoulder level (15).  As you separate/raise your arms, lift your left heel and
then slowly step your left foot out comfortably in front of your left leg and rest the left heel on the floor (13-15) [W= 90R], then pivot on your left heel
45° (16-17) pointing the toe toward front right corner (NE).  As you are
pivoting on your left heel, your left arm swings out forward ending up ex-
tended 'at arms length' (remember: elbow slightly bent) directly before your
face with the left palm facing you and simultaneously your right elbow bends
acutely, swinging your right hand in to position about 4 inches in front of your
chin at shoulder level, your right palm rotating to face away from you (18).
     Moving your body forward, shift your weight slowly to your left leg until
almost single weighted on it [W= 80L], at the same time pushing your right
palm out to meet your left palm (which does not move here), leaving an inch
or so distance between the palms (19-21); as the weight shifts forward onto
the left side, your torso should move as one, allowing your center point of
gravity (tan tien) to move you forward.  Do NOT let your head (brain) or arms
or legs pull the rest of you along.  The centerleads the rest of the bodies
motion. (ALWAYS)

Grasping birds tail    (21 through 32)

     At this point, the right arm swings away (21-23) to your right side, ex-tending (bent elbow!) fully, palm facing out.  (Left hand remains in place.)
Your torso will likewise bend away slightly to the right side with this motion,
as you continue to shift the weight onto your left leg almost completely [W=
90L]. This frees up your right leg to swing out in front of you (you are now
facing East if you started out facing North) (23-25); do this by lifting your
right foot (raise heel, then toe), then shifting it over to your left and easing it
down on its heel only.  (Try always to make the arms and legs swing in slight
arcing motions, not straight lines or hard angles; round all of your movements
for optimal benefit.)
     At this point you are facing completely East.  Notice that your left foot is
(25) at the perfect angle (45°) for support.
     Next rotate your right hand so that the palm faces upward; as you do,
move your left hand slowly forward (on slight curve) until the fingertips
of your left hand (palm down) lightly graze upon the inner wrist of the right
hand (26).  Then, side your right foot [look carefully! This is barely visible
in this image due to the slightness of the movement] by lifting it off  its heel,
and gently resting it still on its heel only, just two inches to the right.
(The hands remain still as you side your right foot.)  Then, begin to shift
your weight slowly forward again onto the right leg [W= 60L], directing your
chi ~ ~ movement ~ ~ to the left of you (NE).  As you shift your weight
forward, your right toe rests on the floor again with the heel. [W= 70R]
(Your hands are still together, either hovering or slightly touching, with right
hand palm up, left hand palm down.)
     Then draw your hands slowly across in an arc from your left (NE corner)
to your right (SE corner) (27-29); as you do, gently rotating the right palm to
the North (actually, NE), left fingertips still grazing your right inner wrist, left
palm facing South (SW once your torso faces SE corner).  When both hands
reach the (SE) corner, slowly shift your weight back [W= 60L] onto your left
leg with your torso and arms moving along as one. As this happens both
elbows bend down more, bringing your hands up, with fingertips pointing
more toward the ceiling. (30)  Your right foot lifts your right toe up, with the
heel remaining on the floor.  Your left foot remains still (throughout this) at
a 45° angle (pointing NE); your right foot is now at a 45° angle (pointing SE)
resting on the heel [W= 80L].  Together, your feet form at a 90° angle.
     To finish Grasping birds tail, your whole body pivots as one on your right
heel, to your left (NE corner) [W= 60L] until both feet are parallel (your left
foot remains still.)  The right foot rests flat (lower your toes) [W= even] after
you pivot.  All the time you are pivoting forward and are shifting to your right,
your left hand (still hovering at your right inner wrist) becomes more parallel
to the floor as your left elbow rises slightly to equal the elevation of your right
elbow (notice that before pivoting, while still facing SE, the right elbow is
elevated just above the left elbow.)
     Here's the grasp: shift your weight again back to your right side as you
move East with your hands still together, right palm facing NE [W= 70R].
Now slightly raise both elbows simultaneously (away from each other) making your right and left hands at right angles to one another (right palm facing
North; left palm facing South) (31). Turn your right palm so that it faces away
to your right side (East); with your left fingertips hovering against your inner
right wrist, bend your right wrist downward and fold your right fingertips
together (pointing down, your fingertips and thumb tip gathered as one at the end of your fingertips so that your right hand looks 'beakish'.)
     Your right arm points NE as you finish the posture, as both it and your left
hand end up at shoulder height. Your left fingertips (pointing East) are grazing
against your right wrist, and your left palm is facing South.  Your feet both
point to the NE corner. (32) [W= 70R]  There follow seven more occurances
of grasping birds tail throughout this Wu style set, so practicing it should
become easier over time.

Single whip    (32 through 36)
                                                      (click HEREto skip following digression)

      Because the essence of t'ai chi is about oneness and therefore continuity,
one thing I am not real clear on is where one named posture in the form ends,
and where the next posture begins.  This is in part because of the evolution of
postures and names for them down through the centuries; one style evolved
into another, those to, in turn, evolve again.  So it is that the style I have
learned and now relate here is what I was taught by several of the senior
students of the late Li Lida.  As with any oral or non written tradition, though,
it is natural for some diversity of viewpoint on matters fundamental amongst
adherents of any one sub-style. One other reason for confusion on where
postures end is the very nature of t'ai chi (and its form), which is contiguous.
The reasons I have digressed on this topic are two:
   1)  In this instance (as in many in the form) the transition point between
grasping birds tail and single whip is NOT obvious; it could be earlier than I
described above; but continuity really negates any need for strict accuracy in
these regards, as motion throughout the set is nonstop, so there are no REAL
endings.  The names and descriptions are useful to the understanding of t'ai chi practice, yet paragraph and period placement are less so.
   2)  In the case of single whip, the written description of the posture is so
slight, I felt this might be the appropriate place for some padding ~LOL~
anyway, to continue,  :)  smiles  (:

     Single whip begins :) by drawing your left foot further leftward (lift heel up
first, then toe) to a comfortable distance (don't over-do, dont under-do) at a
point where it is parallel with your right foot (both feet are still at 45° angles,
pointing NE), and the left toe lines up even on the floor with the instep of the
right foot (set toe down first, then heel) (32). Then, shifting your weight to
your left [W= 60R] (33-36), draw your left hand in that direction too, across
the front of your face, with your fingertips at eye level, pointing upward and
slightly to the right, your palm facing in. (31-32)  Keep your right hand
stationary through the entire posture.
     As your left hand passes your face (33) rotate your palm away from you,
with your left arm continuing to move left (West) until it points NW at about a 45° angle to your torso, creating about a 90° angle with your right arm which is still pointing NE.  As your left palm passes in front of your face, your head
begins rotating toward your left,  following the movement of your left hand
(34), and rests facing the same corner (NW).  As your left palm passes your
face (33-34), rotates outward (35) and stops (36), palm facing away toward
the left (NW) corner, your left foot moves in tandem with it, and with your
turning head, by pivoting on the heel (34), turning your left toes to the corner
(NW) (34-35), then settling your left toes down, creating about a 90° angle
with your right foot. (36) [W= even]

(Remember to keep your knees and elbows at least slightly bent and your
pelvis tucked in throughout the set.)

(If at all possible, it is suggested that someone read the text to you - or record it
on a tape and play it back - while you slowly practice the form...and slowlyis
the best way to practice.)
 

notes:

¹  Never position your knee past the tips of your toes; draw an invisible line
from your kneecap down to the front tip of your foot.  You have bent your
knees too much if they go forward further than your toe tips--bad ding jin) go
back

²  In t'ai chi, we consider 8 radial axes: the four directions--N, S, E, W; and the four corners--NE, SW, SE, NW--for the purposes of the lesson page here, the
set begins facing North.
go back

³  Fist space/separates: always leave a gap between your arms/hands and your torso equal to the size of your fist--no touching your arms/hands to your torso, generally.  (You should have room to place your fist between your torso and
your arm at your armpit.) go back

                                       The links back to the above footnote numbers will only return you to
                                       the very first use of that number in the above text, not to the subsequent
                                       references on this page to the same footnote number.