A Story

小 siu2 - small, tiny, little
念 nim6 - think, study, chant
(今 now, present + 心 heart, mind, core)
頭 tau4 - head; first; chief
(頁 page + 豆 bean )

2.1.23 Day 1
小念頭 Siu Nim Tau is the first form of Wing Chun.

3.20.23 Day 10
Sifu: some translate 小念頭 Siu Nim Tau to "little imaginable idea", "small idea" or "little working idea". Since the character 念 nim uses 今 now, some say it means to "focus on here and now". This is the idea that the small idea is a seed. The mind is first. The mind leads and the body follows. This is the foundation for kung fu.

Siu Nim Tau is about relaxation and focus. It is also an introduction to focusing on breathing, the horse stance, the boundaries of the body, the three reference points, the hands, the punch and has three different kinds of pacing. The most important concept is relaxation. To achieve speed, you must know relaxation. You cannot achieve speed without being calm or relaxed or with parts of your body experiencing tension. There are three parts of Siu Nim Tau.

The first is about stillness. Outer-stillness and inner-movement.
On the outside, it looks like there is no movement, but there is movement on the inside. This part is slow, it is about taking time to be conscious of breathing and being mindful of movement. Breathing utilizes the entire lungs. Most of us, most of the time, only use the upper lungs and breath from our chest. In Wing Chun, breathing uses the full capacity of the lungs to provide more oxygen to all of the organs and give us more energy. We breath in through the nostrils and out through the nostrils. Sometimes the tongue is placed on the roof of the mouth - to keep moisture. Sifu says that Moy Yat is known to have practiced this first part over the course of 30 min, 45 min to over an hour.

3.13.23 Day 6
The second part is about projection of energy. This is fast, about how your body moves from point A to point B. What is the shortest distance between two points? The body releases energy in all directions and must understand where it's directing the energy. This is about understanding the power and capacity of your body and its ability release energy.

4.19.23 Day 18
The third section is about timing and rhythm. This combines everything from the first two parts: relaxation, breathing, projecting energy and now encompassing the concept and rhythm of time. Now, there is a tempo and every move is a beat that is fluid and continuous.

5.1.23 Day 22
Sifu: A lot of Wing Chun comes from Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. It's up to you if learning Wing Chun is about cultivating not just the body, but the mind with philosophy, culture and some, you might discover, history. Take Siu Nim Tao, a Shaolin form taken from Buddhism. What does it mean?

小 Siu: means small, means point, which can mean to focus.
念 Nim: Top character means here, bottom means now. Meaning to be present.
頭 Tau: Meaning head.
Together: focusing on here and now, being present.

The above "Day"s refer to my own written records. Everyone's timing and pacing is their own and this doesn't reflect any particular timeline for learning or practicing.

Date Added: 1/31/2023
Last Updated: 6/22/2023