Step 19: 斜单鞭 (Diagonal Single Whip)

1. With your two hands relaxed in front of your body, two lower arms horizontal and palms facing the ground, use the 'Yi' or mind intention to transfer more weight onto your left foot, lift up your right toes and using your right heel as fulcrum, turn your whole body in a anti-clockwise direction to face the 'north-east' angle, always initiating the turn from the waist/hip (胯).
2. When your right foot has turned about 90 degrees and the right toes are pointing to the 'north-east' direction and by now, at right angle to the left foot, land the whole right foot down.
3. Using the 'Yi', transfer more weight from the left foot to the right foot and continue turning the body in the same anti-clockwise direction for another 45 degrees.
4. At the pause, again use the 'Yi' to transfer more weight back to the left foot and at the same time, initiating from the waist/hip (胯), reverse and turn the body in a clockwise direction now. Relax your shoulders and as you turn; you will feel the right elbow being pulled in and down. You will also feel as if your right palm is being lifted higher (while it remains facing down). Your left arm will be lowered, rolling your left palm in a circular direction outwards and downwards until the left palm is facing up, exactly below the right palm. It is as if you are holding a balloon now; left palm below and right palm on top with the body facing 'north-east'.
5. Using 'Yi' again, transfer more weight back to the right foot. Feel the left heel being lifted up.
6. Using the left toes as pivot and initiating from the hip (胯), turn the body anti-clockwise, by turning your left heel in a anti-clockwise direction. For the hands - close all five right fingers to touch at the finger tips and at the same time twist the right wrist in a small anti-clockwise manner. All other parts of the right arm remains. The turning of the body will also pull the left arm as if like 'fanning' your left arm upwards and in a anti-clockwise direction, until the lower left arm is vertically upright, left elbow point to the ground, left palm facing inwards and left fingers pointing to the sky.
7. When you stop turning, you should be facing the 'north' direction. With all the weight placed on the right foot, pull your left foot back such that the two heels almost touch each other, then open up and place it such that the left toes are now pointing to the 'north-west'.
8. Sit and using the 'Yi', sink the body equally onto both feet. Maintain both your hands in the same position as before.
9. Transfer more weight to the left foot, then turn your body in an anti-clockwise direction to face the 'north-west' by turning your right toes anti-clockwise (using the right heel as pivot) until they are pointing towards the 'north' and being 45 degrees with your body facing.
10. Check and sink down, tucking in the hip (胯), especially on the left side, check that the body is upright and is facing the 'north-west'.
11. Sink further onto your right leg to invoke the recoil or 'Gong Tui' (躬腿). Feel the 'qi' rising from below the sole of your right foot, stiffening your right calf, through the hip, the back and shoulders and pushing through both your arms and fingers - turning your left palm outwards to face the front and also stretching your right fist outwards a little bit more.