Refining Connection Through the Double Push, Slow Push, and Solo Wall Practice

In our recent session, we began with a focus on the double push — a simple yet profound exercise that reveals much about connection, release, and force transmission. This partnered practice offers a valuable chance to explore how we meet another while maintaining integrity within ourselves.

To begin, both partners established themselves in 55:45 bow stances, a position fundamental to our approach. This distribution allows us to remain rooted without becoming stuck. From here, we sank softly into position, allowing the arms to rise naturally, carried not by muscular tension but by the release of the lower body and the stabilising effect of the ground. The key is that the arms should not be lifted — they should arrive into position as a result of the body sinking and settling beneath them.

The pusher initiates by drawing back in a straight line into the rear foot, increasing the weight there to approximately 90%. This backward release prepares the body for issuing forward. Importantly, the back foot is not simply weighted — the connection must remain alive, allowing energy to return forward without becoming stuck or heavy.

As the push begins, we introduced the essential role of the hips. Rather than forcing forward with the arms or shoulders, the hips turn and guide the movement. This keeps the upper body relaxed and integrated. Turning the hips as we push maintains connection through the whole structure, and just as critically, keeps us connected to our partner. If the hips disengage, the push becomes disjointed and lacks true internal force.

Throughout the exercise, attention was placed on maintaining connection both within our own bodies — ensuring head, spine, hips, and feet remained integrated — and with our partner, feeling their structure and responding accordingly. This continuous connection is one of the distinguishing features of Tai Chi, and learning to hold it without force or collapse is a deep and ongoing study.

Following the partnered double push, we moved to a more refined exploration through the slow push. This allowed us to focus even more intently on the subtleties of sinking, releasing, and issuing force without rush or excess. The slow push demands that we remove ambition from the movement. As we slow down, any breaks or inconsistencies in connection become immediately apparent. The practice here is not about pushing harder or further, but about feeling more — attending to every part of the movement and refining it from the inside out.

To close the session, we worked on a simple but valuable solo exercise — pushing against the wall. This method allowed each practitioner to feel the entirety of their own structure without the variables of a moving partner. Pressing softly but firmly against the wall, the goal was not to push the wall itself, but to stay connected through every part of the body as pressure was applied. This single-person drill helps reveal any points of collapse or disconnection, and offers a quiet but powerful way to reinforce internal connection.

Together, these methods — the double push, slow push, and wall practice — form a complete cycle of training. From partner interaction to solo refinement, each offers insight into how we maintain softness, connection, and integrity while issuing force. This is the essence of Tai Chi: not pushing harder, but connecting deeper.