Medical "Push Hands"

By Ann and Gary Fry

First, it should be noted that this article is a very brief synopsis of a rather lengthy doctoral thesis. We have trimmed it to "the bare bones" to give you something to think about and some simple exercises to aid healing.

Push Hands...the term tends to evoke images of people, trying to shove each other off balance. Egos, lots of sweating, competitions, controversial judging, medals, glory. The "four ounces"concept and learning from each other is often lost. There is a grossly unequal male/female ratio of push hands players. Women tend to back off from what appears to be obvious aggression.

Tai Chi and it's related aspects, by their very nature of learning to relax and understand the body totally, aid immensely in healing both mind and body. But yet, we rarely view push hands as medicinal. How can trying to push someone off balance help heal the body? I see many “advanced” tai chi practitioners who have serious injuries, illnesses and bad health habits. Why? In our opinion, it is mainly because they have not really learned tai chi. They continue their bad habits and abuse their bodies. And yes, an overabundance of self defense to the point of constantly injuring oneself is a bad habit. Where is the balance?

A key element is missing. Qigong. Oh yes, everybody does a little Qigong. We wave our arms around, focus on breathing, do mental imagery. But how many of us REALLY study in depth Qigong? Or for that matter, even begin to understand it? we'll make sure our form is picture perfect for the judges, but do you ever forget all that and just feel the Chi? Do you focus on feeling extremely rooted, yet very mobile? Do you FEEL the Chi moving along all the acupuncture meridians while you move? Can you feel each individual acupuncture point? Do you KNOW where your blockages are? Do you do Qigong every day? No Qigong, no real tai chi, no balance. (Well that's another whole article on our pet peeve and why people who know better aren't doing it.)

Without at least some of these, you are missing the whole point...and losing between 50 -75 % of your health benefits and martial power. It's called Tai "Chi" for a reason. If it wasn't meant to use Chi, they would have left the "Chi"out. Forget all the arguments and different viewpoints. Let's be very basic. Chi means energy. No other long-winded dissertations are necessary.

As most "discoveries" are made, quite by accident, we came upon a remarkable healing tool. For about three years, we have studied, experimented and tested the healing aspects of push hands...with amazing results.

The most important point you must remember in doing the following exercises, is COMPLETE COOPERATION. This is NOT a competition. You are NOT trying to push the other person off balance or "get a point." There is no room for your ego, your prejudices, your disbelief; only total compassion for your partner. Lack of compassion or focus on anything other than your partner’s need, will defeat the purpose of the exercise.

Mind intent is of the utmost importance.

We will start simply. Working in pairs, stand facing your partner in horse stance or Wuji. We use this stance so there is no concern for how much weight is where. Next, decide amongst yourselves, who will be the "client" first and who will assist.

Now it is time for the client to be honest. What are the medical conditions, painful area, etc. that you would like to work on? Don't shrug off that stiff neck or pain you've had for years and have gotten used to. Don't be the strong, "There's nothing wrong with me, I can live with it" type. Admit to the diseases you have. There should be no need for embarrassment. Remember, you are working with a friend (even if you just met them) who cares about you. Reveal emotional states, too. If you hold back, you're only cheating yourself.

Next, the area the client has indicated must become the focus. Make it your entire life, your world. There is nothing else. Your mind cannot be on what happened earlier today, or what will happen next week. Do not speak, only feel. Spend at least 30-60 seconds on this. As you become used to the exercise, increase the length of time gradually to at least five minutes.

Now, the assistant gently touches the client, preferable as close to the area of focus as possible with one hand. Do not compromise your posture to do this. No bending over, etc. to touch a foot. (That is another exercise that requires more than two people and would take too long to explain here.) The other hand may lay lightly on another portion of the body. Both hands must be mentally attached to the area of focus. You may have to look mentally through your partner to their area of concern.

VERY slowly the assistant moves the client backward until the client feels that they are teetering or about to fall backward. IMPORTANT: The client may NOT make ANY adjustments while they are being guided back. No sinking the chi, no rooting, no bending the knees, no turning the waist, no use of arms. You may only think about a foot if that's your area of concern. The knees should not be locked, but they may be only ever so slightly bent. The arms may rest on the assistant but may NOT push or hang on. It is best at first to leave the arms hang at your sides to avoid the temptation to push back or hold on for balance. Trust your friend, they’re not going to let you fall. If the assistant feels their partner using the arms at all, they should tell them to drop their arms. The assistant now holds the client, with as light a touch as possible, in this precarious position for at least 10-15 seconds.

Now, with COMPLETE focus on ONLY the area of concern, the client “pushes” the assistant. The push may not come from the hands. Even if you are working on a hand, do not physically push with it. For want of better terminology, your focus area becomes your “root”. The push may come from nowhere else. Continue to slowly push mentally from this area until you feel your balance is restored and you are no longer teetering.. Do the exercise again. This time when balance is restored, continue to focus on pushing your assistant until they feel as if they are moving back. The assistant's job throughout is to ALLOW the client to move them back. If the client is able to restore balance in less than one minute, the assistant may provide LIGHT resistance the next time.

After doing the exercise two or three times, take note of what you have experienced. It is crucial to remember what you felt! You may have felt pain, perhaps intensely in your focus area. Did it alleviate? How did it feel when it let go? Maybe you noticed a warmth or just a release of some sort. Perhaps an emotion or memory flashed through your mind. That is also a release. Many of our pains and diseases are connected to past and current emotional situations.

Now it is your duty to on your own just stand still at least five minutes a day and remember how your body felt. If you have a chronic problem or when you have flare ups, keep going back mentally to how it felt when it released with the partner work. If you did not get any relief or other sensations, keep trying! It probably took you a long time to get into the situation you're in. Don't expect overnight miracles. Like anything else, it takes time, practice and most of all, patience.

Some of the things We've noted are an almost immediate relief from minor to moderate pain conditions. Almost all of our students have felt releases in any number of areas ranging from knee and ankle pain to neck and shoulder pain. It is not unusual for them to comment that their focus area became more uncomfortable or painful before they felt the release although many say they just felt better. We have also noted emotional releases where a person feels sad or angry and then the emotion passes and they feel not only better physically but psychologically. Crying is not unusual. You must be prepared to allow the emotions to surface and pass. Holding back will stop the healing process dead in its tracks.

One’specific example: a student was working on neck pain. Approximately one minute after doing the exercise, his neck adjusted on its own and his pain stopped. This same student has reported a remarkable improvement in a serious digestive disorder.

Another student who has been plagued by knee pain from a work accident and an Achilles tendon damaged by a physical therapist has reported an 90% improvement. Similar reports for almost every type of pain have been noted from 90% of our students. There have even been disappearances of cysts and remissions of other diseases. Coincidence? If you say so, we won’t argue with you; we'll let our students do that.

What is happening? Why is this working? From the data We've collected, it appears that the focus and assistance force open blockages in the acupuncture system. The Chinese viewpoint is blockage in the meridian system either causes or makes worse all illness and pain. Simply put, restore proper Chi flow and you're store all other body functions. There is in depth medical terminology, etc. that we could go into, but that would require you reading the entire thesis.

As to the 10 % who say they feel nothing or no changes, we have the following to say. It is amazing how we can inhibit healing with our minds. Don't let your brain get in the way. The only people who have not reported some improvement seem to fall into three categories. A.) Those who simply do not believe it can help them and don't do the exercise with all their heart and soul; B.) Those who don't focus properly on the area of concern, they chatter or think about other things instead of doing the exercise; C.) Those with extremely serious difficulties that may take time to see the results.

A final word. The results you get will depend greatly on what you put onto it. It is important to continue the exercises with a partner, preferably different people each week. The importance of the assistant cannot be overstated. Everyone needs to be touched by medicinal push hands by someone who cares. If you find you are dealing with someone in Category A or B, seek out a different partner. A partner who does not believe or care enough to focus for you won’t hurt you in this exercise but they can't help you either. If you find you are an A or B, change it! The work you do on your own is vital. The students who have gotten the best results are those who have taken their feelings home with them and remembered them and reminded their bodies regularly. Of course the more you and your assistant know and understand about Qigong and Chinese medicine, the better results you’ll get. Study a little!

There are many avenues to explore with this exercise. Three and four people sets, working on psychological issues, specific diseases and internal organs, etc. But there isn't enough space here. Only your mind holds you back. Share your thoughts and experiences with us and others. Have fun. Explore, learn about yourself. That's the real goal of Tai Chi . 

About The Author

Mrs. Fry operates Hands On Therapy & Little Tiger Tai Chi Center in Pennsylvania with the assistance of her husband Gary. Little Tiger has nothing to do with the age of their clients, but rather is Mrs. Fry's Chinese name bestowed upon her by a Master impressed with her abilities. They both hold Master degrees in Complementary Medicine and Ph.D. degrees in Oriental Medicine. They have over 35 years of combined study and experience. Their facility has been featured in Prevention Magazine and both have made National and local TV appearances and served as competition judges for the USAWKF. They have conducted advanced private studies with many Tai Chi and Qigong Masters both in the U.S. and China and are continually updating their studies. They have been presented with numerous awards, including induction into the International Who’s Who, and The Key Award for Medical Excellence. They have been invited and conducted numerous tai chi, Qigong and therapy seminars throughout the U.S., England and China.

They may be reached at gfry@fast.net or 610-432-5001 web site: littletigertaichi.com