A body that has not realised “song鬆” is likened to a block of ice; movements can only rely on the strength of the bones and musculature to push and pull. Within the body the solid mass prevents flow and sequential movements. As a result, movements involve physical labour that is high consumption and low efficiency.
Becoming “song” is like the thawing of ice. Just as solid ice absorb heat energy to give the particles energy to move away from one another and thaw, the process of “song” enables the bones, tendons, flesh etc to become separated and not tightly bound together like one solid entity.
Liquid particles still touch each other, but they are further spaced and glide past each other and don't have a regular shape like solids do. A body that has achieved “song” through mind training moves between substantial and insubstantial, and commands the limbs, adjust postures, and maintains the necessary balance.
The analogy to melting ice goes further. When a block of ice has completely melted and turns into liquid, persistent heat continues the process as water evaporates and turns to vapour. The heat gives the liquid particles enough energy to break away from one another until they are randomly arranged and able to move freely in all directions and are so sparsely spaced they cannot be seen by the naked eyes. The result of lengthy and persistent training in any system is described as having reached “shen ming”, a divine state where skill becomes instinctive and intuitive, free of any constrain and predictability.
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