In 熊經 (Bear Exercise), when turning left or right, your spine should generally remain upright and centred（立身中正）, without collapsing or leaning sideways. However, “upright” does not mean stiff—the spine should stay naturally extended and relaxed（自然伸展、鬆而不懈）.
Why?
To maintain the central axis（中軸）
Imagine a vertical line passing through the crown of the head（百會穴）and the centre of the body. You rotate around this axis instead of throwing the upper body sideways.To move from the waist and dantian（以腰為軸、丹田帶動）
The turning should be initiated by the waist, hips and lower abdomen—not by twisting the shoulders alone. The whole torso turns as one connected unit（整體轉動）.To protect the spine and lower back（保護脊椎、腰椎）
Twisting while leaning sideways may place uneven pressure on the lumbar spine. Staying centred distributes the force more evenly.To maintain balance and rooting（平衡、沉根）
When the spine remains centred, your weight can sink through the legs into the feet（氣沉丹田、力落湧泉）. If you lean, your centre of gravity may move outside your base.To open and massage the internal organs（活動腰腹、按摩臟腑）
A controlled waist rotation gently compresses and releases both sides of the abdomen. This is traditionally associated with exercising the spleen and stomach（健脾和胃）.
The correct feeling is:
Suspend the head, relax the shoulders, keep the chest soft, and rotate around the waist.
虛領頂勁、沉肩、含胸、以腰為軸。
A small natural movement of the spine is acceptable, but avoid deliberate sideways bending（側傾） or collapsing one side of the waist（塌腰）. Think:
The body turns, but the central axis remains upright.
身體旋轉，中軸不倒。
1. Block or unified turning（整體轉動）
The movement begins from the kua（胯）. The pelvis, waist, chest and shoulders turn almost together, approximately through the same angle.
The trunk remains relatively unified, like a cylinder:
胯帶腰、腰帶胸、胸帶肩
This emphasizes whole-body unity（周身一家） and is stable and suitable for beginners.
2. Sequential spiral turning（螺旋轉動／節節貫串）
The movement also begins from the kua（胯）, but it travels upward sequentially:
胯先動 → 腰隨之 → 胸再隨 → 肩最後到達
Each upper section may continue slightly beyond the section below it, creating a gentle winding effect（擰裹）. However, it is better not to think rigidly that:
shoulders must always turn more than the chest, and the chest must always turn more than the waist.
That idea may cause excessive twisting, especially in the lower back（腰椎）. The important feature of spiral turning（螺旋轉動） is the timing and continuous transmission—not merely increasingly larger angles.
Also, part of the shoulder’s additional movement should come from the shoulder girdle and arms（肩胛帶、手臂）, rather than forcing the spine to twist farther.
For 熊經, a good principle is:
The kua initiates; the waist transmits; the chest follows; the shoulders complete the movement.
胯先動，腰傳遞，胸隨轉，肩完成。
Throughout both methods, maintain:
upright central axis（立身中正）
natural spinal extension（脊柱自然伸展）
relaxed shoulders（沉肩）
connected movement（節節貫串）
no forced lumbar twisting（不強扭腰椎）
So, yes: the first is unified turning（整體轉動）, while the second may be called sequential spiral turning（節節貫串的螺旋轉動）. But spiral turning is defined more by the sequential, three-dimensional coiling than by a strict increase in turning degrees.
When turning in 熊經 (Bear Exercise), pay attention to the following points:
Initiate from the kua（胯先動）
Do not begin by throwing the shoulders or arms. Let the kua initiate and transmit the movement upward:胯 → 腰 → 胸 → 肩 → 手
Keep the central axis upright（立身中正）
Turn around your vertical axis without leaning, collapsing or swaying sideways. Imagine the crown of the head（百會）being gently suspended upward.Do not force the lower back（不強扭腰椎）
The lumbar spine has limited rotational ability. Distribute the movement through the kua, pelvis, upper back and shoulder girdle（胯、骨盆、胸椎、肩胛）.Keep the knees aligned（膝蓋對準腳尖）
Do not allow a knee to collapse inward or be twisted by the torso. The knees and toes should remain generally aligned.Distinguish substantial and insubstantial（分清虛實）
Know clearly which leg bears the weight（實腿）and which leg remains lighter（虛腿）. Do not let the weight float unpredictably between the feet.Keep the feet rooted（腳底生根）
Maintain contact through the heel, base of the big toe and base of the little toe. Do not roll onto the inside or outside edges of the feet.Relax without collapsing（鬆而不懈）
Relax the kua, waist, shoulders and elbows（鬆胯、鬆腰、沉肩、墜肘）, but maintain the body’s structure.Let the shoulders follow—not lead（肩隨胯轉）
In unified turning, the shoulders follow the kua almost together. In spiral turning, they arrive slightly later. In both cases, avoid turning the shoulders independently.Turn within a comfortable range（不勉強求大）
A smaller, connected movement is better than a large, disconnected twist. Stop before you feel pain, pinching or pressure in the knees or lower back.Move continuously and evenly（連綿不斷、均勻緩慢）
Avoid sudden acceleration or stopping. The movement should resemble a smooth wave travelling upward through the body.Coordinate the eyes and head（眼隨身轉）
Let the eyes follow the direction of movement naturally. Do not throw the head around or twist the neck independently.Breathe naturally（自然呼吸）
Never hold your breath. You may gently exhale during the more active part of the turn, but the movement and breathing should remain comfortable.
The most useful teaching formula is:
Initiate from the kua, transmit through the waist, follow with the chest, and complete with the shoulders and hands.
胯先動，腰傳遞，胸隨轉，肩手完成。
And always remember:
Turn without leaning; spiral without forcing; relax without collapsing.
轉而不斜，旋而不扭，鬆而不懈。
When practising 熊經 (Bear Exercise), the relationship between the knees（膝） and the kua（胯） is especially important.
The kua（胯）
Relax and open the kua（鬆胯、開胯）
The hip joints should remain soft and mobile. Do not tighten the buttocks or lock the groin.Turn from the hip joints—not only the waist（以胯帶腰）
The pelvis turns because the two hip joints coordinate. Do not keep the pelvis fixed while forcibly twisting the lumbar spine.One kua folds while the other opens（一胯合、一胯開）
When turning left, the left kua usually folds or closes slightly（左胯合／折胯）, while the right kua opens and extends（右胯開）. When turning right, the relationship reverses.Keep the kua level（兩胯平正）
Avoid lifting one side of the pelvis or dropping the other. The pelvis may rotate horizontally, but it should not wobble unnecessarily.Sit into the kua—not onto the knee（坐胯、不坐膝）
Let your weight be received through the hip joint and leg. Do not push all the pressure forward into the kneecap.
The knees（膝）
Keep the knees aligned with the toes（膝蓋對準腳尖）
The knee should generally point in the same direction as the second or third toe. Do not allow it to collapse inward（膝內扣）.Do not twist a fixed knee（不可擰膝）
If the foot remains fixed, do not force the knee to rotate independently. The turning should come mainly from the kua and hip joint.Let the knees respond—not lead（胯帶膝，不以膝帶胯）
The kua initiates the turn. The knees make only the small adjustment needed to remain naturally aligned.Keep the knees softly bent（屈膝而不僵）
Do not lock them straight, but do not squat too deeply. A moderate bend allows the body to sink and turn smoothly.Avoid pushing the knees too far forward（膝不過度前頂）
The exact position depends on the stance, but you should feel the load shared by the hips, thighs and feet—not concentrated in the front of the knees.Keep pressure distributed through the whole foot（足底均勻受力）
Maintain contact at the heel, base of the big toe and base of the little toe. If the foot rolls inward, the knee often collapses inward as well.
Their coordinated relationship
When turning left:
the left kua folds（左胯合／折胯）;
the right kua opens（右胯開）;
the pelvis turns left;
both knees remain aligned with their toes;
the knees adjust slightly but do not twist independently.
When turning right, reverse the pattern.
The central principle is:
The kua initiates and the knees follow; the knees remain aligned with the feet.
胯先動，膝隨胯；膝與足尖同向。
You should feel the movement passing:
Ground → feet → knees → kua → waist → chest → shoulders
地 → 足 → 膝 → 胯 → 腰 → 胸 → 肩
But the conscious initiation of the turn is usually:
Relax the kua, turn the pelvis, and allow the knees to adjust naturally.
鬆胯轉胯，膝蓋自然配合。
If you feel pressure or twisting inside the knee, reduce the turning angle immediately. That usually means the kua is not releasing sufficiently or the knee and foot are no longer aligned.
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