Song of the Thirteen Postures

The thirteen principal postures are not to be underestimated. The source of meaning is in the waist.

You must pay attention to the turning transformations of empty and full,
and the chi moving throughout your body without the slightest hindrance.

In the midst of stillness one comes in contact with movement, moving as though remaining still.
According with one's opponent, the transformations appear wondrous.

For each and every posture, concentrate your mind and consider the meaning of the applications.
You will not get it without conciously expending a great deal of time and effort.

Moment by moment, keep the mind/heart on the waist.
With the lower abdomen completely loosened, the chi will ascend on its own.

The coccyx is centrally aligned, and the spirit threads to the crown of the head.
The whole body is light and nimble when the head is suspended at the crown.

Carefully concentrate upon your study.
The bending, extending, opening and closing: let them come on their own.

Entering the gate and being led to the path, this must come from oral guidance.
To ceaselessly exert oneself in the method is self-cultivation.

If you ask, what are the criteria of essence and application?
Intention and chi are the authority, the bones and tissues the subjects.

If you want to find out where, in the end, the purpose lies,
it is to increase longevity and extend one's years, a springtime of youth.

This song, oh, this song, has one hundred forty words.
Every word is true and concise, there are no omissions.

If inquiry proceeds without regards to this,
one's efforts will be wasted, and this will only cause one to sign with regret.

Translated by Louis Swaim, in Fu Zhongwen: Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan
(North Atlantic Books, 1999) Used by permission.