Relationship of hips shoulders and ears during the Push Hands exercise
I was reviewing the video of you doing the Push Hands practice and noticed that you seem to be leaning forward as you came onto the front foot. Is it acceptable to lean as you go forward and perhaps also lean as you go back? Or should the hips shoulder and ears keep the same relationship to each other and should that relationship be not only a straight line but also a line that is vertical (perpendicular to the earth)?
Me
The advantage of Leaning ad you go forward seems to be that it is much easier to keep the tailbone relaxed and the life gate open.
Yes, you can indeed lean forward when the weight is in the front foot, and lean backward when the weight is in the back foot as you develop with the exercise.
Master David Paul
The rising Chi will elongate the spine, not bend it over. It connects from the bottom of the feet all the way to the base of the skull and even out the top of the head.
The flow of the energy determines how much/whether you lean, its not arbitrary or a prescribed amount. In groups doing this exercise, you’ll see quite a few variations in degree of lean based on strength, flexibility, and sensitivity to the energy… and whether the student is doing it more Yang (more lean) or more Yin.(more vertical)
