To Drop or Not to Drop, That is the Question

Recently the T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) community has been invited to explore the sensations at the end of each movement with regard to the placement of the hands. Do we bring each movement to a graceful conclusion ending with the palms facing the earth and staying there? Or do we bring each movement to a graceful conclusion followed by dropping the hands completely? How do the sensations differ when grounding?

Speaking of grounding, I discovered much to my chagrin, that I had spent very little time feeling the soles of the feet during my practice. When a teacher shared that Justin would admonish anyone who was not in their feet, I took that as an invitation by the Chi to begin doing so.

That’s when I began focusing on the four corners of the feet (which I have previously referred to as four dimes) and noting where in the feet the weight was throughout each weight shift journey. Focusing primarily or “solely” (get it?) in the feet significantly enabled me to remain more present as the upper body simply flowed from the tan t’ien.

When concluding a movement, whether my palms faced the earth or dropped, I realized that my mind often checked out. So, that’s when I began to bring my attention to mixing the heart fire with the water of the kidneys. While I’ve heard teachers say that this happens naturally, I still prefer to remain fully present. Justin’s hands didn’t just float down at the end of each movement. They seemed to come down with emphasis.

Since the last Vital Force, I’ve been ending each movement both ways and invite my classes to do the same as they feel the differences. The one obvious difference is that when I drop my hands, there is a clear intention on my part to let go, even though we are essentially letting go throughout the practice. The English phrase, “done and dusted” comes to mind in the case of dropping the hands. When I keep the palms facing the earth, I notice and enjoy the polarity between my palms and the earth. It’s a comforting and tangible connection.

To the folks who feel strongly about dropping the hands at the end of each movement, my internal acknowledgement is, “Is that so?” To the folks who feel strongly about keeping the palms facing the earth at the conclusion, my internal acknowledgement is, “Is that so?”

I guess the bottom line for me is that it doesn’t matter. I appreciate either way. In the meantime, I’m doing my best to remain present and grounded throughout the practice no matter how I bring each movement to a close.