Rising Wave, Falling Wave

"Let's start from the beginning with the very first move, the T'ai Chi Open Stance, in which you simply raise the hands prior to stepping off [to ward off right in the long 108 form].  When raising the arms and hands you want to simultaneously press your Bubbling Well [Yung Chuan, K-1, bottom center behind the ball of each foot] points down into the earth.  This downward press into your feet will lend a wavelike quality to your body and arms as you raise your arms up in front.  You'll feel this wave of force traveling up through your body and out to your fingertips before it returns back down through your body to the earth, (the returning down part being somewhat analogous to an undertow).  Though there are no corners per se, the hands and fingertips are where that wavelike force changes direction for "up and out" to "back in and down."  In order to really feel this quality you can exaggerate the movement of the hands as the fingers extend out and up so that they resemble the tail fin of a whale propelling itself forward through the ocean's depths."
-  Sifu John Loupos,  Inside Tai Chi: Hints, Tips, Training, and Process for Students and Teachers, 2002, p. 176.  

Opening or Commencement Movement of Yang Style of Taijiquan

Explanations, Descriptions, Interpretations, Reflections

Here are three very good Taijiquan books by Sifu John Loupos that I have studied for a many years.  Sifu Loupos has been studying and teaching external and internal martial arts since 1966.  He has a B.S. degree in psychology.  His writing is clear, informative, insightful, and very useful for Taijiquan practitioners at all levels.  

Inside Tai Chi: Hints, Tips, Training, and Process for Students and Teachers.  By John Loupos.  Boston, Massachusetts, YMAA Publications, 2002.  Glossary, resources, index, 209 pages.  ISBN: 1886969108.   
   
Exploring Tai Chi: Contemporary Views on an Ancient Art.  By John Loupos.  Boston, Massachusetts,  YMAA Publications, 2003.  135 illustrations.  Glossary, index, 206 pages.  ISBN: 0940871424.  

Tai Chi Connections: Advancing Your Tai Chi Experience.  By John Loupos.  Boston, MA, YMAA Publication Center, 2005.  Index, 194 pages.  ISBN: 1594390320.   

Raise Hands and Lower Hands, 1c - 1e