~ Push Hands ~
© Margaret Emerson
Preliminary Partner Exercises
1. Sensing
Two people stand facing each other a couple feet apart. Each person is in a shoulder-width stance with feet parallel. One person closes their eyes. The other passes the back of one hand close to the partner’s torso—from dan tian to head— varying the space between the hand and the body, moving from place to place. The passive person tries to sense where the other’s hand is. After doing this for a few minutes, both people report their perceptions. Change roles. (Using the back of the hand instead of the palm is less invasive.)