Step forward (fire), step back (water), step left (wood), step right (metal) and central equilibrium (earth) are the five directions of Taiji. They effectively place you in a grid where every point is equally weighted – a world of objects and minimum energy. Turning, on the other hand, puts dantien at the centre of a spinning, swirling, spiralling world of energy. This is why turning in Taiji comes first, prior to movement. Turning establishes and maintains the world of energy within which you nimbly move as needs be.